Scarab Amulet

In Ancient Egypt scarabs were believed to have strong powers. The Egyptian god Khepri was a religious manifestation of the scarab (kheper) beetle. The scarab beetle lays its eggs in a ball of dung, rolling the ball along the ground until the young beetles hatch and crawl out. Khepri parallels this process by renewing the sun every day before rolling it above the horizon, then carrying it through the afterworld at sunset, only to renew it again the next day at sunrise.

Scarabs were used for amulets and jewelry, as well as for political and royal  seals. This scarab is decorated with vertical lines on the hard wings (elytra) of the beetle. The underside is fitted with a loop so that the amulet could be hung around the neck or sewn onto mummy wrappings.