Scarab

A scarab is an ancient Egyptian amulet in the form of a dung beetle, symbolic of regeneration. As time went on, scarabs developed into use as personal seals. This example of red porphyry dates from the Late Period (between 664 and 337 BC).

This picture shows the front of the scarab. The carving outlines the features of the dung beetle. Unlike many scarabs of this period, the base is plain.

The scarab became associated with Khephri, the god of the rising sun. The Egyptians believed that he rolled the ball of sun that appeared reborn, every morning across the sky, just as the dung beetle rolls a ball of dung over the sand.

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