Scarabs
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
There are about 30,000 species in the scarab beetle family (Scarabaeidae), but it's one of the lowliest members, the dung beetle, that has the most interesting history. Observing this beetle's habits led the Ancient Egyptians to believe that it had the power of regeneration; the beetle would collect a ball of dung and roll it underground, where the insect would crawl inside, feed off the dung, and lay its eggs. After seeing several little beetles crawl out, the Egyptians came up with the metaphor of renewing life. The beetle inspired a god, Khepri, who pushed the sun across the sky. A good interpretation of the Ancient Egyptian scarab myth can be found in an article from Parabola reprinted on Brittannica.com.
The Ancient Romans also picked up on the myth and supposedly carried banners with a picture of the beetle into battle. (This is from The Dung Heap, which has a humorous take on the scarab.)