Object Lesson: Giant scarab beetle

[skywizard]

What is it?

This giant statue of a scarab beetle, dating to c.332-30 BC during the Egyptian Ptolemaic period, is over 1.5m in length, and stands almost 1m tall. This makes it one of the largest known archaeological depictions of a scarab. It is a realistic, albeit much larger, sculpture of the Scarabeus sacer, a type of dung beetle that is commonly seen as a symbol throughout Ancient Egypt. It was carved out of green diorite; a hard, dark rock that is difficult to work with in great detail, but was chosen for its durability and the high polish it can take.

Where was it found and when?

This sculpture comes from Constantinople (modern Istanbul), where it was purchased for the British Museum’s collection in 1816, but it originates in Ptolemaic Egypt. During this period, after the death of Alexander the Great, the Greek Ptolemies ingratiated themselves to Egyptian culture by celebrating all things Egyptian, including their religious symbolism. They built temples, commissioned art, and made Alexandria a great Hellenistic city. This sculpture may well have ended up in Constantinople after the refounding of the city by Constantine, when it became the capital of the Roman Empire in AD 330.

Why does it matter?

The symbol of the scarab beetle in Ancient Egyptian culture is thought to have first appeared during the Old Kingdom (c.2613-2160 BC). It was an enduring emblem that continued to be represented throughout the civilisation’s lifetime. The beetle lays its eggs inside a ball of dung, rolling it around, before burying it for safety. When the eggs hatch, the young beetles – previously cocooned inside the ball – make their way into the world. Without knowing the hidden lifecycle of the beetle, it looked to the Ancient Egyptians as if the animal had miraculously come into being from nothing. The beetle therefore represented rebirth, and was linked to the god of the rising sun, Khepri, who took the newly reborn sun and rolled it through the morning sky. Khepri is depicted in hieroglyphics and carvings throughout Ancient Egypt as a scarab beetle, or a human figure with a scarab head. The function of the scarab as a symbol changed over time. In the Old Kingdom, it was often found as an amulet or a seal, with inscriptions written on its flat underside; during the New Kingdom (c.1550-1070 BC), it became popular as royal funerary decoration and jewellery – as demonstrated, for instance, by finds from inside Tutankhamun’s funerary chamber. Although most scarabs were very small and used as seals or for decoration, there are a number of very large examples, such as this one, which were set up in temple complexes as dedications to the sun god.



Source: http://www.world-archaeology.com/gre...rab-beetle.htm



peace...

[Wolf Khan]

I doubt it's true meaning is accurately known today.

[lookbeyond]

Ive always loved beetles and spent time during the summer as a child flipping them back over onto their fronts lest they be ant food

[Catsquotl]

Ive always loved beetles and spent time during the summer as a child flipping them back over onto their fronts lest they be ant food

That's one of the reasons my morning walks with the dog are longer during summertime. Flipping back all the beetle's we encounter..

With Love
Eelco

[Seikou-Kishi]

Ants have to eat too, you beetle-hugging hippies :P

[Catsquotl]

Ants have to eat too, you beetle-hugging hippies :P

Let them eat cake I say..

With Love
Eelco

[Seikou-Kishi]

Let them eat cake I say..

With Love
Eelco

Don't steal their beetles unless you provide their cake :P

[Catsquotl]

Don't steal their beetles unless you provide their cake :P

That is a helpful reminder.
So what do ants eat instead of beetles.

With Love
Eelco

[Seikou-Kishi]

That is a helpful reminder.
So what do ants eat instead of beetles.

With Love
Eelco

It would depend on the species, and there are so many (more than 12, 000). Some are carnivorous (obligate carnivores, like cats). Some are not. Some are omnivorous. To my knowledge, none have evolved a specifically cake-based diet :P. Although the sugar fiends would probably take it. They certainly seem to at picnics anyway. Others eat fungus, like the leafcutter ants.

[Spiral]

I doubt it's true meaning is accurately known today.

I bet you are right, what ancient Egyptian child wouldn't have broken open one of those dung balls to see what was inside ?

What if the truth was more to do with the way beetles fly using laws of physics we don't acknowledge ?

[lookbeyond]

It would depend on the species, and there are so many (more than 12, 000). Some are carnivorous (obligate carnivores, like cats). Some are not. Some are omnivorous. To my knowledge, none have evolved a specifically cake-based diet :P. Although the sugar fiends would probably take it. They certainly seem to at picnics anyway. Others eat fungus, like the leafcutter ants.

Maybe i should let them hav the beetles and the little blighters might leave my house alone


However and i wonder if WolfKhan knows the real meaning behind their use?