The Honeybee as symbol of power in the First Dynasty of ancient Egypt
The earliest evidence from ancient Egypt
A very long time ago it was believed that the sun was a god called Re. Re would rise every day bringing life and new creation. He would then fall and die only to return to life again the next morning. Thus, Re caused rebirth and renewal. This god was also known to weep. His tears would fall from his eyes to the ground. Those tears would then turn into honeybees.
In turn, the bees would make honeycomb and busy themselves with the flowers of every plant. They made wax. They made honey. These were both products of Re’s tears. Thus, bees, honey, and wax were nothing less than a sacred gift from one of the most important deities of the ancient Egyptians.