Ad
related to: egyptian scarab beetle facts
Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Lapis lazuli scarab belonging to Sithathoriunet with the name of Amenemhat III, 1887–1813 BC, MET Group of scarabs, MET. Scarabs are amulets and impression seals shaped according to the eponymous beetles, which were widely popular throughout ancient Egypt.
The god was connected to and often depicted as a scarab beetle (ḫprr in Egyptian). Scarab beetles lay their eggs within dung balls, and as a result, young beetles emerge from the balls fully formed, having eaten their way out of the mounds. [7] This caused ancient Egyptians to believe that these insects were created from nothingness. [8]
Scarabaeus sacer, common name sacred scarab, [1] is the type species of the genus Scarabaeus and the family Scarabaeidae. This dung beetle is native of southern Europe, northern Africa and western Asia, and it was venerated in ancient Egypt .
Kheper is a subgenus of Scarabaeus: the typical genus of scarab beetles in the tribe Scarabaeini. [1] [2] The genus name honors the god Khepri in the ancient Egyptian religion, who is depicted as having a scarab for a head. [3] Kheper can be found on the border between Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa in the arid sand dunes. [4]
A "scarabaeus" is also a now outdated term (OED 2) for an object in the form of a scarab beetle in art. The scarab was a popular form of amulet in Ancient Egypt, [3] and in ancient Greek art engraved gems were often carved as scarabs on the rest of the stone behind the main flattish face, which was used for sealing documents. [4]
A scarab beetle grub from Australia. The C-shaped larvae, called grubs, are pale yellow or white. Most adult beetles are nocturnal, although the flower chafers and many leaf chafers are active during the day. The grubs mostly live underground or under debris, so are not exposed to sunlight.
The scarab was of prime significance in the funerary cult of ancient Egypt. Scarabs, generally, though not always, were cut from green stone, and placed on the chest of the deceased. Perhaps the most famous example of such "heart scarabs" is the yellow-green pectoral scarab found among the entombed provisions of Tutankhamen .
The scarabs are likely to have been made at the same time, in or after the 11th regnal year. The scarab beetle was a symbol of the sun god Khepri, and glazed materials were called tjehenet ('shining') in Egyptian, so the shining scarabs refer to the king, the dazzling Sun himself.