A Scarab Amulet: What Is It?

Scarabs are amulets and impression seals shaped according to the eponymous beetles, which were popular throughout ancient Egypt. These artifacts, often made of glazed steatite, provide valuable information for archaeologists and other researchers. Egyptian scarabs are often modeled after the dung beetle, as male dung beetles are known for their negative outcomes. Special amulets were designed to ensure positive judgments, such as heart scarabs, which depict a large scarab beetle inscribed with wings.

The winged scarab, a powerful image of solar rebirth for the deceased, was one of the most popular amulets in ancient Egypt. The scarab (kheper) beetle was a symbol of the sun god Re, and its association evolved from the Egyptians’ misunderstanding of the beetle. Scarabs were used by both living individuals and the dead for their magical rejuvenating properties.

The scarab was the most important amulet in ancient Egypt, symbolically as sacred to the Egyptians as the cross is to Christians. A related type of seal amulet, called the scaraboid, was similar in shape but lacked details of the beetle’s anatomy. Scarabs offered magical protection against the dangers of this world and those beyond.

In conclusion, scarabs are an essential class of Egyptian antiquities, with their inscriptions and typology serving as a vital source of information for archaeologists and researchers.

What does the Egyptian scarab necklace mean?

The scarab, a symbol of protection against disease and death, is often depicted in hieroglyphs, jewelry, statues, and engravings due to its popular belief that it symbolizes resurrection. Wearing the scarab while alive protected those from illness and when placed next to the dead, it meant they could be resurrected and attain eternal life. In ancient Egypt, the scarab beetle and mummification process often compared the deceased’s heart to a granite engraving with several scarabs carved.

The protection continued after death, when the deceased met Osiris, allowing them to attain eternal life beyond the earthly one. The scarab symbol is often engraved on tomb rooms in the Valley of the Kings and Queens at Luxor and other tombs throughout the country, showcasing the protection of the scarab as an amulet.

What is the purpose of the scarab?

The scarab, a symbol of protection and good luck, evolved from seals and amulets to decorative objects during the Middle and Late Kingdoms. They were often used as charms for items like necklaces, tiaras, bracelets, rings, and earrings, and as furniture decoration. During the New Kingdom, scarabs were believed to grant protection, good luck, and spiritual powers to their wearers. Pectoral funerary Egyptian scarabs featured birds’ wings to ensure the rebirth of the deceased and a peaceful flight into the afterlife.

Pharaohs also used scarabs to link themselves with divinities, such as Amenhotep III, who produced rich glazed faience scarabs to commemorate his first year on the throne and his achievements in lion hunting, bull hunting, and marriage to his queen Tiye.

Do scarabs still exist?

The scarab family of beetles is a diverse group that is distributed worldwide, with the exception of marine and Antarctic habitats. Approximately 30, 000 species are currently recognized, representing approximately 10% of all known beetle species. A photograph of a rainbow scarab (Phanaeus vindex) was taken at the Houston Zoo in Texas.

Is the scarab magical?

Scarabs, used for their magical rejuvenating properties, were used by both living and dead individuals since the Middle Kingdom (ca. 2055 BCE). These scarabs, like JHUAM 3757 and 3778, had inscriptions on their flat bottoms and could be impressed into mud or clay. The most common inscription was the owner’s name, but the incised design often consisted of hieroglyphs and geometric patterning, often denoting the specific administrative office held by the wearer.

Scarabs were also rendered naturalistically in the round, like JHUAM 3791. These regenerative powers could be used for healing and protection during quotidian activities or during a deceased person’s passage into the afterlife. The striking red/orange color of the carnelian on the scarab strengthens its solar associations. The steatite amulet, JHUAM 3778, is a bright turquoise scarab with severe wear on its top and bottom, inscribed in hieroglyphic with the words “nefer ka” (fine soul) and a decorative lotus motif.

What is the purpose of the heart scarab amulet?

The heart scarab is an ancient Egyptian artifact that served as an amulet, jewelry, memorializing artifact, or grave good. It was primarily used to bind the heart to silence during the weighing of the heart in the underworld, ensuring it did not bear false witness against the deceased. The heart was crucial to ancient Egyptians as the seat of intelligence and the storehouse of memory, and was the only organ left in place during mummification. Heart scarab amulets were meant as substitutes for the heart if the deceased was deprived of the organ in the afterlife.

The significance of the heart scarab also stems from the religious importance of the scarab beetle, Scarabaeus sacer, which represented rebirth and creation. The amulets were described in the Book of the Dead as made of various green or dark-green materials, such as glazed steatite, schist, feldspar, hematite, obsidian, blue-glazed composition, Egyptian blue, rock crystal, alabaster, or red jasper.

Heart scarabs had the head of a human and were often inscribed with chapter 30B of the Book of Going Forth by Day. They were also used in the design of pectorals, which were rectangular chest ornaments.

Why do people wear scarabs?

Scarabs, used for their magical rejuvenating properties, were used by both living and dead individuals since the Middle Kingdom (ca. 2055 BCE). These scarabs, like JHUAM 3757 and 3778, had inscriptions on their flat bottoms and could be impressed into mud or clay. The most common inscription was the owner’s name, but the incised design often consisted of hieroglyphs and geometric patterning, often denoting the specific administrative office held by the wearer.

Scarabs were also rendered naturalistically in the round, like JHUAM 3791. These regenerative powers could be used for healing and protection during quotidian activities or during a deceased person’s passage into the afterlife. The striking red/orange color of the carnelian on the scarab strengthens its solar associations. The steatite amulet, JHUAM 3778, is a bright turquoise scarab with severe wear on its top and bottom, inscribed in hieroglyphic with the words “nefer ka” (fine soul) and a decorative lotus motif.

What were scarab amulets used for?

Scarabs were a common form of charm that were affordable and easily worn by people, believed to have protective powers that ward off evil and provide good things for the owner. They were often worn as pendants, bracelets, and necklaces, with various sizes and amuletic properties. By the Middle Kingdom, scarabs were worn on the finger mounted as a ring or threaded with a cord. Scarabs were also used as seals, with impressions on clay bearing royal and non-royal names, animal figures, and decorative motifs found on letters, documents, and containers.

The 12th dynasty saw the widespread use of scarabs as seals. Most scarabs were small, measuring around three-quarters of an inch long by half an inch wide and about a quarter of an inch high. The name of a person, king, or official title was inscribed on their flat bases to ensure protective powers. Some scarabs with royal names were worn after the king’s death, similar to holy medals of Christian saints. Regardless of their category, scarabs likely represented sacred emblems of Egyptian religious belief.

What is the most powerful Egyptian amulet?

The Eye of Horus is a powerful symbol from ancient Egypt, believed to have healing and protective powers. It was popular for thousands of years, worn by the living and buried with the dead. Baboon amulets, often depicted as Ibis-headed men, were embodied by the Egyptian god Thoth, who was the god of thought, intelligence, and writing. Baboons were often portrayed supervising scribes and were custodians of the first door to the underworld. Cowry shells, made from natural objects, showcased the wide variety of talismanic iconography used by the Ancient Egyptians.

They were worn by girls and women for prosperous fertility and safe childbirth, and were also used as currency and highly prized decorative objects. These symbols were a testament to the power of talismanic iconography and the importance of childbearing in ancient Egypt.

What is the power of scarab?

Dan Garrett, a Scarab, was granted Superhuman Strength, Flight, and Energy Blast by the Scarab’s serial code. The Blue Beetle Scarab, bonded to Jaime Reyes, is a Reach infiltrator designated Khaji Da. The Reach, a civilization of alien conquerors, took over planets for profit after a millennium-old conflict with the Green Lantern Corps. The Reach and the Corps drew a treaty prohibiting their takeover of more worlds, leading to more deniable methods of conquest. The Reach devised methods to take over a world without anyone realizing until it was too late.

What are the four amulets?

The group of four amulets, discovered in the vicinity of the Priestess of Amun Djedmutesankh’s neck during the period between 1000 and 945 B. C., may have functioned as a magical charm. The amulets are designated as “Cobra,” “Vulture,” “Djed Pillar,” and “Heart.” The amulets were discovered in Upper Egypt, specifically in the Deir el-Bahri region of Thebes, within the context of archaeological excavations conducted at Tomb MMA 60, Chamber 5, which dates back to the period between 1923 and 1924.

What does a scarab symbolize?

The scarab was a symbol of rebirth, resurrection, transformation, and growth, and was worn for the purpose of ensuring good fortune and protection. Additionally, scarabs were affixed to the bodies of the deceased to facilitate their safe passage to the afterlife.