Ancient Egyptians thought ‘holy POO’ from dung beetles held secret to immortality
Poo-rolling beetles were a symbol of new life in Ancient Egypt
ANCIENT Egyptians worshipped poo as a symbol of immortality.
That's according to one top biology boffin, who says dung rolled by scarab beetles was celebrated as a symbol of creation 5,000 years ago.
The beefy insects lay their eggs in animal droppings and bury them, with their young later emerging from the smelly mess.
In a new paper on the history of our fascination with poo, Professor Brian J Ford argues the Egyptians saw this as a sign of new life.
The author and lecturer told The Sun: "The Ancient Egyptians regarded spherical animal droppings as sacred.
"The dung beetle – their scarab – which pushed along balls of dung with its hind legs symbolised the rising and setting of the sun, and the emergence of new (beetle) life gave it the key to immortality."
"Notions of dung may be repellent to us, but they once were holy in Egypt."
But the Egyptians' love of poo didn't end there.
They also used it in medicine, with dog, donkey, and gazelle dung all celebrated for their healing properties and their ability to ward off bad spirits.
Professor Ford told The Sun: "In some cases, it might have worked – the microflora found in some types of animal dung contain antibiotics.
"Carnivore droppings (like dog poo) may contain parasites and are potentially dangerous; but herbivore droppings (like horse manure) are harmless to humans and we know they are beneficial to the garden."
Perhaps most disgusting of all though, was the use of poo when romping.
The ancient Egyptians also mixed honey and crocodile dung, applied to the woman's private parts, as a contraceptive.
Professor Ford told The Sun: "Although that didn't work, I would say this: For decades I have argued for the importance of a balanced microflora in the intestines.
"One recent medical development is the administration of healthy human faeces into the intestines of people infected with Clostridium difficile.
"When the normal balanced bacterial community is restored, the invading bacteria can be controlled. So there was some scientific sense in treatments with dung in ancient times."
The mystery skeleton of a teenage girl was found "squatting" next to bull skulls in an ancient Egyptian pyramid last month.
An Ancient Egyptian coffin was opened for first time in 3,000 years last November to reveal the mummy of priest.
Professor Ford spoke to us exclusively earlier this year about spontaneous human combustion – claiming the phenomenon is real and burns you "like an incendiary bomb".
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