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Kids Journey Back In Time To Discover Secrets Of Egyptian Royal Beetles
By Keith Hagarty
 | | --Photo By Keith Hagarty With thoughts on ancient egyptian culture, over a dozen kids participated in the Jackson library's "Royal Beetles of egypt" program this week where they learned about the importance of scarabs, and even got the chance to create one of their own. |
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A dung beetle may not conjure up images of prosperity, protection and luck, but for the ancient Egyptians, these scarabs were an intrinsic part of everyday life and beyond.
The Jackson branch of the Ocean County Library held an interactive program this week, journeying back thousands of years ago for kids to see how these sacred insects were as much a part of the Egyptian culture as the pyramids or Sphinx.
With the library celebrating its kids' summer "Reading Bug" theme, the Egyptian program seemed like a natural fit, said Emily Franklin, the Jackson branch children's librarian.
"I was thinking what could we do for older kids with bugs that would be fun?" said Franklin, "and then it was like, 'I know, how about scarabs?'"
Franklin said the Jackson branch is very lucky to have principal library assistant Linda English onboard to conduct the program, saying she "loves all things Egyptian" and has been intrigued by the ancient culture for years.
 | | --Photos By Keith Hagarty Over a dozen kids got to create their own unique decorative scarabs out of polymer clay. |
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While the program was entitled "Royal Beetles of Egypt," English said it was actually a bit of a misnomer.
"Not only did royalty have scarabs, but everybody had scarabs in ancient Egypt," said English.
Whether it was made from a simple rock, or more ornate and semi-precious stones and gems, such as carnelian, lapis, lazum, ivory or bronze, the proliferation of the varying types of scarabs was abundant in ancient Egypt. The most common scarabs were made from a soft rock, known as steatite, and covered in a turquoise glaze.
"Scarabs were used everywhere, and everybody had them," said English. Scarabs were used for almost all walks of life in Egyptian culture, whether it was for ornamental purposes, or a good luck charm for a new marriage or birth.
"So if they were going on a lion hunt, they would have a scarab that would be inscribed on the back of it with (hieroglyphic) prayers for good luck," said English. "Even the poor had scarabs."
English showed the kids her own personal scarab a friend brought back for her on a trip to Egypt.
After the presentation, over a dozen kids got to create their own unique decorative scarabs out of polymer clay.
English believes the popularity of the scarabs is indicative of the power of myth.
"A myth is a made up story, and it explains the existence of a natural phenomenon, such as where thunder comes from or why snow falls from the sky," said English,
noting that even when society knows the scientific reasons of why certain events occur, the power and tradition of the myth can still remain very popular.
"For example, in ancient Greece, the Greeks believed the god Helios drove his chariot across the sky from the east to the west every day, and that's the path of the sun," she said, also pointing to the myth of Echo, a chatty Greek girl whose punishment for fooling the goddess Hera was to only be able to hear her voice when repeating what others said.
With the body of a man and the head of a falcon, the Egyptian sun god, Ra, was also viewed by Egyptians as the commander of the skies and universe, often depicted holding a crook and flail as the symbol of kingship.
Ra had several incarnations to symbolize the various times of the day. For instance, the god of the rising sun, known as Khepera, had the body of a man, but the head of a scarab. As the manifestation of the rising sun and a new beginning, the scarab, who lays its eggs in dung balls— and often is seen rolling them across the desert sand—came to represent such a resurrection manifestation.
"The ancient Egyptians believed that the power in the form of a gigantic scarab rolled the sun like a huge ball through the sky, then rolled it through the underworld," said English. "Each morning, the pharaoh would renew the sun so that it would bring life for all the world."
Scarabs were also a key component to all mummification rituals, with English saying the popular "Mummy" movies have helped peaked children's interest in ancient Egyptian cultures even more.
"Scarabs were always placed next to the heart and within the wrapping of the mummy," said English. "These scarabs would be inscribed on the base with prayers to protect the mummy in the afterlife."
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