The Washington herald., 1912-11-17

| The scarab. like the swastika, is an
example Of the perslstence with which
certain forms Of symbolism have held
the popular Imagination and endured
from the earliest known times down to
the present day. The revival Of the
scarab as a decoration for clasps and
buckles. as well as a motive for fash
ionable smbroideries in silk and In wool,
forms q marked feature Of up-to-date
wraps and dresses. It is equally effective
either in the form Of the oval beetle.
or when placed in the center Of those
long. narrow wings, which are essen
TALLY Egyptian in style. Nothing could
be more decorative and at the same time
simpler than the use OF this scarab de-
vice. wrought either in beads, enamel.
or in metal As part Of a headdress. as
. fastening for a cloak. or for the drs-
peries Of a gown II Is delightfully."- ef-
fective, and an added attraction is lent
to the ornament by the symbolism with
| which Il Is connected.
The use Of the scarab as an emblem Of
| the ancient Egyptian religion can be
traced as far back a. 600 B. c. 1t was.
in fact. commonly employed in connec-
ton with religious obseTvances. archae-
ologists being Of the opinion that when
strung together In numbers, as found on
ancient monuments and in papyri. they
represented the rosaries used by wor-
shippers in prayers.
The practically invariable presence Of
the scarab among the wrappings OF the
mummies and In the decorations Of the
mummy cases points to its having been
regarded by the ancient Egyptians as an
emblem Of resurrection. This symbolic
Interpretation is, in fact, connected with
the old belief that beetles arose from
| the dead, q belief which doubtless owes
its origin to the habit Of these insects
| of rolling their eggs in balls Of sand, so
that when the young are Matched they
have the appearance of issuing unaided
| from the earth. Scarabs found in tombs
usually bear some Inscription from the
Egyptian Book OF the Dead" referring
to the exchange of an old heart for a
new. Hence arose, no doubt, the Gus
tom Of placing scarabs over the heart
of a dead person, the preservation Of
whose body they were supposed to Sc
cure. In many cases the heart was re-
moved altogether when the body was
embalmed. and was then replaced by
scarab.
The earliest scarabs were formed OF
soft stone; later examples were made
of pottery or engraved on pieces Of
hard granite. In color they either re-
sembled that OF the green Egyptian
cockchafer or were that OF fine deep
blue characteristic of Egyptian pottery
beads. The back is always in the form
of the sacred beetle and the fiat base
is engraved in various ways, according
to the period to which the scarab be-
longs. Some bear the names Of Egyp-
tian kings, while others are engraved
with the portraits Crather impression
istIc in styIe) of queens and various
royal personages. Amenhotep III was
accustomed to issue his royal edicts on
the face Of enormous scarabs. especially
constructed for the purpose. and smaller
ones were used by him as gifts, or to
convey to friends the assurance OF his
good feeling.
The meaning Of those peculiar spiral
decorations, which so often appear on
scarabs as we'll as on ancient Egyptian
monuments, such as Cleopatra's Needle.
has been entirely lost sight of. but that
all such devices had q specific meaning,
however obscure. has been well estab-
lished by antiquarian research.
During the third century B. c. scar
abs were frequently fashioned from
that they were wrought in certain sizes
seems to point to the fact that they
represented money values, and were en-
ployed as a medium of exchange. But
for whatever purpose they were used
their mysteriously sacred character al
ways remained, and this has endured
wheresoever they are found. without re-
gard to century or to country.