The scarab beetle of ancient Egypt is an
emblem
of the creator Kheper. The word "Kheper"
denotes being, existence, creation or
becoming
and the God Khepera is the self-existent
maker
of all things. The worship of the
scarab, which is
symbolic of resurrection and fertility,
dates from
the earliest period of civilization in
Egypt. It was
thought that a sacred beetle rolled the
orb of the
sun across the sky, and a winged scarab
was
associated with dawn and rebirth. In the
ritual of
mummification, a scarab replaced the
heart.
Carved scarabs served two major
functions: as
amulets with protective and religious
powers and
as personal seals that designated the
property
and authority of the individual whose
name was
placed upon it. In both cases the power
ascribed
to the scarab was very great. In life it
served as
the signature of their owner and was
thought to
bring prosperity and in the afterlife it
insured
continuous re-birth through eternity. A
lovely
carved design appears on the under side
of this
ancient scarab. Down the center is a
double
incised line twisted into a rope shape.
At each
corner other incised parallel lines form
angles
with rounded corners. Single incised
lines come
to a point at the center of the scarab
on each
side of the rope pattern. We can only
guess at
the imaginative thoughts that went
through the
ancient artist's creative mind as he
carved this
delicate scarab. However, the spirited
energy
expressed through this amulet can still
be felt
today, capturing our imagination and
sending it
back to a time when the pharaohs ruled a
mighty
kingdom and scarabs such as this blessed
both
the king and the farmer alike.
- (FJ.3453)
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