"Insects play a surprisingly large role, given their size, in non-Western art and mythology. Indigenous peoples acutely observed the life around them, witnessing insects' appearance, behavior, and life cycles and incorporating them into their symbolism."--------2006, Hope B. Werness, "The Continuum, Encyclopedia Of Animal Symbolism In Art" pp. 237-238.
    "The locust image appearing in many of the (poverty Point culture) effigy beads may have been inspired by the insect's unique characteristics."------2004, Susan C. Power, "Early Art Of The Southeast Indians, Feathered Serpents & Winged Beings," p. 18.
    "Even the locust (or thirteen year cicada) had traditional importance. The Choctaws tied the cicada to the birth of humans,---."--------2001, Jon L. Gibson, "The Ancient Mounds Of Poverty Point," p. 191.
     "Scarab (is) an image or representation of a dung beetle which was very common in ancient Egypt, especially on the Egyptian stamp seal."----2007, Barbara Ann Kipfer, " Dictionary Of Artifacts," p. 181.
    "One of the most spectacular discoveries in the Great Deposit at Hierakonpolis was a large white limestone ceremonial macehead belonging to the Protodynastic king Scorpion, the probable predecessor of Narmer"---------1984, Michael A. Hoffman, "Egypt Before The Pharaohs, The Prehistoric Foundations Of Egyptian Civilization," p. 313.
    "An appealing seasonal image (at the cave site of Les Trois Freres in southwestern France) is of an Ice Age grasshopper in a composition of birds and what looks like pupae or insect eggs"---------1991, Alexander Marshack, "The Roots Of Civilization" p. 184.
    "In later Stone Age times, a remarkable illustration of the interest of early man in insects, or more strictly in this case in their products, is the honey-hunting scene depicted in a cave at Arana, Spain. Further evidence is to be seen on a bone fragment from the Magdalenian site of Les Trois Freres, in southern France, which depicts a grasshopper."--------1969, Don R. Brothwell, "Food In Antiquity: A Survey Of The Diet Of Early Peoples," p. 69.
    "Only about a dozen definite or probable depictions of insects are known (within the Ice Age Period), all in portable art, and mostly Magdalenian (17,000-12,000 year span)."--------1997, Paul G. Bahn & Jean Vertut, "Journey Through The Ice Age," p. 156.

 
INSECT ICONOGRAPHY
WORLDWIDE
est. 15,000 YEARS AGO TO PRESENT DAY

     The use of insect imagery among Stone Age cultures around the world is quite extraordinary. They have been carved, painted, engraved, flaked and sculpted into many different varieties of natural and stylized forms. Insects are the most common type of animal life. So it's not surprising they are represented in so many different mythic stories. They vary in importance from things-most-common to great and powerful gods.

      The earliest examples of insect imagery begin to appear during the Magdalenian Period in the south of France. Bahn reports that approximately twelve insect or insect-like images have been found on pieces of portable objects that date to the Magdalenian Period. One example is a grasshopper engraved on bone that was found on the Magdalenian site of Trois Freres Cave in southwestern France. It's believed to date to about 15,000 years ago. Any intended natural or mythological meaning is lost in time. But since insects are a source of food the engravings may relate more importantly to food, just as the image of a bee would relate to honey.

       The oldest insect images found in the U.S. have been found on stone beads on Poverty Point sites. The Poverty Point culture represents the people who were living in and around the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas between 4,200 and 2,700 years ago. A few examples of their beads have been found that portray stylized versions of cicadas or locusts. The meaning behind the locust image may relate to a natural ability, such as jumping, loud singing, or its destructive power of devouring large amounts of vegetation. Estimated dates for Poverty Point beads range between 3,350 to 3,730 years ago. Morse writes that, "---the "lapidary industry" is most characteristic of the Poverty Point period in the (Mississippi) valley." They were producing plain tubular beads but their animal effigy beads are the most impressive. Birds were a common theme but they were also making beads in the form of bears, squirrels, rabbits, dogs, and frogs.

     Another insect image that appears more recently in the U.S. is the spider. The two examples illustrated in this report were found on the Crable site in Fulton County, Illinois and date to the Mississippian Period sometime between A.D. 1400 and 1450. Images of spiders in North America have a strong connection to women and weaving in the form of a mythical being called Spider Woman. Spider images begin to appear more often in the U.S. on items made by late Stone Age cultures in the eastern half of the country. But the spider motif (design or pattern) with its various meanings appear as far north as the Tlingit of North America's Northwest Coast and as far south as Indian cultures in South America. The spider myths do seem to coalesce in some way, as Franke writes, "When one looks at the legends that relate to Spider Woman from the Americas as a whole, one sees that although beliefs differ from tribe to tribe, a relatively coherent image of Spider Woman emerges. She is generally a premier goddess of earth and sky, a creator being and a consort of the sun." But as the mythological interpretations are viewed around the world, spiders can be seen as having either positive or negative energy. As negative symbols they are associated with divination, illusion, and ensnarement. As positive symbols they are related to good luck, wealth, protection from storms and emblems of bringing heavenly gifts.

     The insect that was revered more than any other was the lowly dung beetle. Of all the ancient insect images that's been depicted on mammoth bones or tomb walls, the Egyptian scarab beetle was the most extravagantly ritualized, in ceremony and image production. This seemingly insignificant animal life form was actually revered as the personification of the god Khepri. Khepri was considered the morning aspect of the sun god that represented the origin of life, rebirth, and the eternal life force. The idea appears sometime during the Predynastic Period approximately 5,000 years ago. The scarab image relates to the dung beetle. The engraved and painted image of scarabs can be seen on tomb walls in the Valley of the Kings. The images portray the beetle pushing a ball of dung that represents the sun's passage across the sky. The definition of the word scarab beetle and the word existence was the same, meaning "to come to be" or "to happen." The scarab beetle was also referred to as Kheper.

     The Maya culture produced the only insect images that were flaked from stone. They are identified within a group of artifact types known as eccentric flints. Mayan insect eccentrics were flaked into both natural and highly stylized shapes of spiders, scorpions, and centipedes. Although the natural images are fairly natural in form, much of the insect's design may be missing. But enough of the insect is represented to be easily identified. A spider may be represented with a large abdomen, a narrow thorax, two legs and small jaws at the front. Although it's a stylized version of a spider, the large round abdomen and forward directional legs are the features that provide the observer with an easy identification. A scorpion may have a large curving tail, several legs, and two representations of claws at the front. The large curving tail, the forward directional claws and two rows of legs are more than enough to identify it as a scorpion. A centipede will have rows of projections along two sides and forward and rearward projections on the ends. The multiple legs are its most identifying trait.

     One of the oddest insect images is the mosquito. Mosquitoes are rarely represented in art but there are at least two areas in the world where people have carved wooden masks to represent mosquitoes. Their most distinguishing feature is the long beak-like extension that represents a proboscis. The Tlingit people of the Pacific northwest made mosquito masks that were worn in ceremonies. Their purpose is described as portraying comic characters to bring a smile. Another area in the world where mosquito masks have been used is along the Sepik River in Papua, New Guinea. One of the tribes there is the Swagap tribe which is also known as the insect tribe.

     The butterfly may be the world's most symbolized insect, mainly because of its beautiful colors and delicate flight. Trudge writes that, "--they are truly among the glories of nature." Butterflies are often used to represent the human soul and immortality. In other interpretations they are seen as the generative force of nature, fertility, symbols of beauty that contrast with the dangerous, longevity, love, transient joy, womanhood, female vanity, and Japanese geisha. In Mexico, at the ancient site of Teotihuacan, butterflies are linked with fire and war. On the column ruins at Tula, northwest of Mexico City, the Toltec warriors wear butterflies on their breastplates.

     Although insect iconography would seem to have a limited history, volumes of books could be written on the subject. Insects have been described in mythic tales with having just about every type of human ability and power, from comic actors to the human soul. Who would ever have imaged that a dung beetle could represent the origin of life, rebirth, and the eternal life force. The lowly insect.

"REFERENCES"

1895, Boas, Franz, "The Social Organization And The Secret Societies Of The Kwakiutl Indians," Annual Report Of The Board Of Regents Of The Smithsonian Institution.
1969, Brothwell, Don R., "Food In Antiquity: A Survey Of The Diet Of Early Peoples,"
1983, Morse, Dan F. & Morse, Phyllis A., "Archaeology Of The Central Mississippi Valley."
1984, Hoffman, Michael A., "Egypt Before The Pharaohs, The Prehistoric Foundations Of Egyptian Civilization,"
1988, Tattersall, Ian, Delson, Eric & Couvering, John Van, "Encyclopedia Of Human Evolution And Prehistory."
1991, Marshack, Alexander, "The Roots Of Civilization"
1997, Paul G. Bahn & Jean Vertut, "Journey Through The Ice Age,"
1998, Gibson, Jon L., "The Ancient Mounds Of Poverty Point."
1999, Franke, Judith A., "The Gift Of The Spider Woman," The Living Museum, Vol. 61, No. 2.
2000, Trudge, Colin, "The Variety Of Life, A Survey And A Celebration Of All The Creatures That Have Ever Lived."
2001, Gibson, Jon L., "The Ancient Mounds Of Poverty Point,"
2004, Power, Susan C., "Early Art Of The Southeast Indians, Feathered Serpents & Winged Beings,"
2004,Tresidder, Jack, "The Complete Dictionary Of Symbols."
2006, Werness, Hope B., "The Continuum, Encyclopedia Of Animal Symbolism In Art"
2007, Kipfer, Barbara Ann, " Dictionary Of Artifacts,"

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