About the Egyptian Scarab
Egyptian Scarabs are amulets in the form of a scarab beetle, typically a dung beetle or heart scarab, a type of beetle that lays its eggs in the fashion of a dung ball through rolling. Dung beetles are associated with the early morning sun, Khepri, the solar deity, who was believed to roll the morning sun across the sky and over the horizon every morning.
The association between the scarab and the sun god was so close that Egyptians believed that Khepri was reborn every morning in the form of a scarab at sunrise.
When did Egyptians wear scarab amulets?
Amulets of Egyptian scarabs first appeared in the late Old Kingdom (c. 2575–c. 2130 bce), when they evolved from button seals to amulets and artwork. Scarab amulets were present, but rare until around the Middle Kingdom times (1938–c. 1630 bce), at which point they were fashioned in large numbers. This gave more of the Egyptian people access to scarabs and they increased in popularity. Some were simply used for ornaments, while others were used for amuletic purposes, in the form of the basalt “heart scarabs” of the New Kingdom (1539–1075 bce).
What does the Egyptian scarab represent?
The scarab beetle was and still is very popular for amulets, as they symbolize growth, development, manifestation, and the ideas of existence. It has also been used as a symbol of immortality and resurrection in the art inside of tombs.
A scarab amulet would often be worn for good luck charms. Scarab amulets were usually either gold or, more commonly, stone. Oftentimes, they would be made out of green or turquoise stone, as the color green symbolized growth in ancient Egyptian civilization, though there were a wide variety of stones used depending on the wearer’s wealth and status and access to different materials. Glazed steatite scarabs are often what people visualize when thinking of the scarab amulets, as this was and still is a popular medium for the amulet. A scarab beetle amulet would also be worn for its magical properties of rejuvenation, both for the dead and the living.
Scarabs have been used for a variety of other things, such as button seals, seals on a family crest or on a letter, artwork, and much, much more. The scarab beetle is a huge symbol in ancient Egyptian culture, which has carried over to today, where it is recognized as a positive symbol all over the world.
The Egyptian scarab is still popular today!
Today, people may wear an Egyptian scarab amulet as a symbol of their heritage or as a part of their spirituality. More commonly today, an Egyptian scarab will be worn as a golden amulet, which in the past was mainly available to the wealthy.
Check out OroSpot’s popular scarab amulet below!
