Locust

The Locust in Ancient Egypt


 * Egyptian Name:**

//Snehem//

The particular species of locust in ancient Egypt was probably the Desert Locust or the Migratory Locust, both of which were common sights in the rich agricultural land bordering the Nile. The small size of locusts did not prevent them from being a great pest and when a swarm descended on fields and meadows, little was left for men to reap and beasts to feed on. This was acknowledged in the ancient Egyptian proverb, "The small locust destroys the grapevine."

Locusts were depicted in tomb reliefs and paintings as elements of the wildlife along the Nile, and locust amulets have been found, made of faience and carnelian, their purpose possibly being to ward off locust plagues. Grasshopper oil was used in cosmetics, and the grasshopper motif decorates boxes and pottery vases. The locust hieroglyphic quite simply refers to the insect itself, although in certain contexts it appears to mean "great numbers of people" - for example, on a wall in the temple at Medinet Habu there is an inscription which reads: "battalions will come like the locusts."

The Insects of Ancient Egypt