Watermelon Striped Beetle With Ancient Connections

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Not as big as a dog's paw the over one-inch long beetle was still large enough to easily spot at the public washroom wall by the Crescent Beach swimming pool.

Still as a stone and dwarfed by the Dalmatian hovering over it on a mural, the dead bug's apparent heritage could be significant. If it evolved from the Scarab family of beetles, its likeness can be seen in Egyptian art, jewelry and religious symbols.

The insect reminded me of images I'd seen in museums displaying ancient Egyptian artifacts. I leafed through a book sitting on my shelf for years called Tutankhamen (Editions Ferni, Geneva 1978) and found a possible ancestor on a pendant below.

The scarab symbolized rebirth and good fortune.

For me the insect was a rebirth of a blog and a way to display my pictures differently with a new template. Dead or alive the beetle feels like a good omen that will breath new life into my passion for photography ..... once I get all the bugs out!

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle and Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride to view more West Coast scenes.

See OUR WORLD to explore more sights from around the globe.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Comments

  1. AngieJuly 6, 2018 at 6:54 PM

    Hmmmm … maybe I've seen one too many Mummy movies to be a big scarab fan … thanks for the interesting history.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Penelope NotesJuly 7, 2018 at 6:47 AM

      Glad you found me, Angie! Now I know I exist out there digitally somewhere on this new site. Seems like scarabs are scary and cool all at the same time. :)

      Delete
  2. Sallie (FullTime-Life)July 7, 2018 at 7:31 PM

    how lovely to find you in a new spot Maria. I was fascinated when I first learned (many years ago) about ancient Egyptians and scarab beetle jewelry -- we used to see those striped beetles when I was growing up in Washington State and it make me think about them in a quite different way. Hadn't thought about that in years and I enjoyed this post and the memories very much.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lady FiJuly 9, 2018 at 4:13 AM

    That mural is stunning!! And what a cool bug.

    ReplyDelete
  4. MaggidJuly 9, 2018 at 4:36 PM

    Completely Brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AlJuly 10, 2018 at 4:35 PM

    I love it - that first shot is a perfect juxtaposition!

    ReplyDelete
  6. betty-NZJuly 13, 2018 at 5:27 PM

    What a lovely bug. Thanks for the info, too. Interesting.

    ReplyDelete

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