Arthropods
in Human
Culture
Suvaan and Nikita
Mythology
• Constellations – a crab!
• A crab fought the mighty
Greek hero, Hercules
• Ancient Peru culture
worshipped nature,
especially the sea
• The Japanese have a story
about a warrior slaying a
giant centipede
• The Greek even have a god
of bee-keeping
• Arguably the most famous insect of all
time
Highlight –
Egyptian
Scarabs
• Represented the recreation of life and
resurrection
• The god of the Sun, Khepri, rolls the Sun
every day
• Around 2055 BCE, scarabs were
commonly engraved for royals
• Scarab rings were also made
• Alice in Wonderland has a song
about lobsters
• Surreal art piece which contains a
lobster
• China made traps for crickets
during the Chaing dynasty
• The Dutch in the 17th century were
all about decay
Food
• Crustaceans have been an important source of food
for humans dating back to the ice age.
• Crustaceans such as crabs, lobsters, shrimp, prawns
• With Asia producing 50% of the worlds source of
crabs and lobsters and shrimps.
• Arthropods contribute to the human food chain as
they are pollinators, they make up the worlds 40% of
pollinators
• Crustaceans are often eaten in Asia because of their
high protein source
Science and Engineering
• Termite mounds inspired cooling systems in various buildings
• Spider venom has a prospect of being pesticide
• Spider silk has inspired spider silk body armour
• 6 Eight Spindly Limbs: Inspiration for More Efficient Robots
Highlight –
Spider Silk
• The ancient Greeks used silk to
stop bleeding
• Australian aboriginals used it for
fishing lines
• Spider silk is five times stronger
than steel
• Given architecture a better
soundproofing way
• Even used for artificial skin
Sources
Mythology:
Scarab Beetles:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthrop
ods_in_culture#In_folklore,_mytholo
gy_and_religion
https://egyptianhistory.com/blogs/egyptiansymbols/egyptian-winged-scarab Scarab beetles in Egyptian
mythology
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/197000
08151 - Cancer constellation
Katherine Berrin; Larco Museum
(1997). The Spirit of Ancient
Peru:Treasures from the Museo
Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera
http://fax.libs.uga.edu/GR830xD7xV
8/ (pages 191 -192) – Japanese
story
https://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/Ar
istaios.html - Greek god
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/c
ollection/search/548345#:~:text=T
he%20earliest%20scarab%20amul
ets%20appeared,2030%E2%80%9
31070%20B.C. – Scarab ring
Sources…
The Arts
Food
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthropods_in_culture
https://www.jmberlin.de/en/kosher-to-go-do-youeat-insects-2021
https://www.online-literature.com/carroll/901/Lobster Quadrille
https://new.artsmia.org/programs/teachers-andstudents/teaching-the-arts/five-ideas/insects-in-art Chinese cricket trap, Dutch painting
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/dali-lobstertelephone-t03257 - lobster telephone
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/thecreepy-crawling-history-insect-art-180979288/ - the
insect video + article
*we deleted the video before the presentation, but did not update the
one handed in
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-andplanetary-sciences/arthropod
https://www.heart.org/en/news/2021/10/22/eatingthe-right-insects-can-provide-nutrition-and-might-begood-for-the-planet
Sources!
Science and Engineering
Spider Silk
https://www.sciencedirect.com
https://www.loredohands.com/blog/post/bandages.htm
l - Greek usage
https://www.creaturecontrol.net/blog/the-amazingpotential-of-spider-silk
https://www.coloradogardener.com/post/insectinspired-inventions
https://www.tota.world/article/682/ - Australian
aboriginal usage
https://www.news-medical.net/life-sciences/Role-ofSpider-Silk-inBiomedicine.aspx#:~:text=Spider%20silk%20has%20
shown%20unique,over%20fibers%20and%20support
%20keratinization. – Silk used for artificial skin
https://www.find-myarchitect.com/uk/en/actualite/buildings-based-onspider-webs - spider webs in architecture
https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/green-methoddeveloped-for-making-artificial-spider-silk Cambridge artificial silk
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