There
is a family of beetles called the Scarabaeidae, which
includes June bugs and dung beetles. The ancient Egyptians regarded the latter
as sacred, because of their behavior: they roll little dung balls,
and this brought to mind a divinity rolling the sun each day across the sky.
They sculpted them in stone and ceramic, using the result as a talisman or a
seal, as on a ring. The base often contains hieroglyphics or images of gods,
humans, animals and plants. Scarabs served both the living and the dead; when
they are found, it is often in graves.