Scarabs are amongst the most popular and most numerous of all Ancient Egyptian artefacts and were often associated with funerary contexts. The Ancient Egyptians believed that the Scarabaeus Beetle had the ability to spontaneously regenerate itself from cow dung. Consequently, the scarab came to be associated with the cyclical nature of the natural life cycle. The motif of a scarab beetle pushing a round ball of dung also came to represent the sun god Ra pushing the sun across the sky every day.
Ra was the ancient Egyptian god of the sun. He was believed to rule the sky, the earth and the underworld and thus became one of the most important gods within the Egyptian pantheon. He was often depicted as a man with a falcon head, bearing similarities to the god Horus. In later dynastic times the two were often merged to form Ra-Horakhty. During the New Kingdom Ra was often fused with Amun, to form Amun-Ra. As an important deity, holding dominion over both the godly and earthly realms, Ra was associated with pharaonic power. It was believed he was the first pharaoh and thus was the protector of kings.
To find out more about Ancient Egyptian amulets please see our relevant blog post: Egyptian Amulets and their Meanings.
