The scarab beetle was an exceedingly popular symbol in the art of Ancient Egypt, thought to represent the sun god, Ra. Ancient Egyptians believed that the scarab beetle rolling its ball of dung across the dessert mirrored the journey of the sun across the sky from day to night. As the beetle laid its eggs within the dung, it became a symbol of rebirth and regeneration.
Starting from the twelfth century, amethyst’s popularity in Egypt as a medium for scarabs rocketed, with the name “amethyst” coming from the Greek, ‘amethystos‘, meaning “not intoxicated” (‘ἀ- a-, “not” and μεθύσκω ‘methysko‘ / μεθύω ‘methyo’, “intoxicate”). The Egyptians seem to have held similar beliefs in the protective qualities of the beautiful stone, believing it to have talismanic properties against malign influences. The Egyptians would have sourced their amethyst from Nubia, which was a province of Egypt. The stone was also a firm favourite among the pharaohs.
To discover more about Egyptian scarab symbolism and history, please refer to our relevant blog post: Egyptian Amulets and their Meanings
