Egyptian scarab

This Egyptian scarab is an amulet of life and power. According to Egyptian mythology, it is the representation of the god Jepri or Khepri. This God was depicted as a dung beetle, sometimes pushing a sun disc symbolizing the god Ra through the sky. His name means "he who becomes himself", therefore, it refers to eternal life and constant transformation. 
 
The reason why the god Jepri takes the form of a beetle is due to the behavior of this insect. The Egyptians noticed that the male dung beetle introduced large balls of dung into their burrows to feed their young after mating. They observed that when it entered the burrow numerous young beetles emerged from it, and they thought that the beetle was a manifestation of the sun, which renewed itself, just as the sun sets every day and reborn the next day. With the passage of time it became an amulet of life and power. When its owner carried it in life, it enjoyed protection against evil, visible or invisible, and received daily life, power and strength. Instead, when he wore it in death, it was a symbol of regeneration and rebirth in the Afterlife. 
 
This scarab that we keep in Vilamuseu is made of green jasper. On its obverse we see the shape of the scarab and in its lower part it has several Egyptian royal symbols engraved. In the center appears the representation of the god Ra in the form of a hawk as protector of the Pharaoh and the Uraeus attributed to the cobra goddess Uadyet who symbolizes Upper Egypt. The god Ra carries a staff with a curved end that is the royal staff that alludes to civil power and a scourge that represents the military power of the Pharaoh. Finally, under the figure's feet appears the solar disk. 
 
Necropolis of Les Casetes, Creueta sector UE 228
Chronology: 5th – 3rd century BC.
Height: 16 mm; length: 12 mm; thickness: 18 mm.
Nº inv. Vilamuseu 003374