Blue golden scarab

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These scarab-shaped objects represent the dung beetle that ancient Egyptians used to venerate.

This insect has the habit of placing its eggs in dung, and rolling it with the back of its legs and feeding on it to keep its eggs. The ancient Egyptians this deity Kheper. This complex word signifies “to come into being”, and then with time it was translated as “ to be” or “to become”.

Among the strange images preserved in the Valley of the Kings is a huge scarab beetle emerging from the sand and carrying what appears to be a solar disk..

Plutarch explains this - apparently without deviating from the ancient Egyptian interpretation - and says: “As for the scarab beetle, it is believed that it has no females and all scarabs are males, so it places it seed in a grain of material that it forms in the form of a ball and drags it behind it as it pushes it with its hind legs, imitating its action. This is the march of the sun from east to west”.”

This scarab image was used for general purposes: as part of seals, jewelry, funerary equipment,  etc.

They were also carried and used as amulets to protect against evil, and this was due to the fact that they believed that this insect could renew itself. The sun god Ra was likened to the sacred scarab beetle, and this is due to the beetle pushing the round dung ball (symbolizing the sun) across the sky. The scarab was seen as protecting the sun and allowing it so travel during the night, and then safely reappearing in the morning.