Cicada Trivia

In ancient Greece the cicadas were emblems of immortality and sometimes kept as pets.

The insect was represented in art such as jade carvings during the Shang Dynasty (1766 BC) and the Han Dynasty(202BC- AD 220).

During the Chou Dynasty  cicada-shaped funeral jades were used in religious ritual burials. The cicada funeral jade was placed on the tongue of deceased (dead) people as it was believed to bring about resurrection or reincarnation.

Cicada and their skins were used in China and Japan as a form of medicine and a cure for ear-ache. Bronze artefacts depicting cicadas have been found in China dating back to 1,700 BC.

The cicada is a popular insect used in the Japanese carved pendants (toggles) known as netsuke.

Cicadas were eaten in Ancient Greece, China, North and South America, Burma and Australia.

It isn't recommended to eat a cicada because of the mercury concentration it could contain from being underground for a long period of time. However the level of toxins would be considerable low.

Cicada images appeared on Greek coins around 500 BC.

A mosaic in Pompeii depicts a cicada driving a carriage pulled by a parrot.

In some Australian Aboriginal tribes cicadas are referred to as Galang Galang.

The bee was considered the oldest emblem of the sovereigns of France however the golden bees were infact cicadas.