Egyptian amulets were small objects made of various materials that were believed to possess magical powers. These amulets were commonly worn by the ancient Egyptians as a form of protection against evil spirits and to bring good luck. One popular type of Egyptian amulet was the scarab. The scarab amulet was shaped like a beetle and was often made from stone or faience. It was believed to represent the sun god Ra and was thought to bring protection and rebirth to the wearer. Another common amulet was the ankh, which was shaped like a looped cross.

Amulet of an Ankh

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Another common amulet was the ankh, which was shaped like a looped cross. The ankh symbolized life and was associated with the gods and the afterlife. It was thought to bring health and prosperity to the wearer.

About this artwork

Small-scale Egyptian figurines, known as amulets, were thought to promote health and good luck. Amulets were such an important part of Egyptian religious beliefs that they were worn by both the living and the dead. They could be mounted on rings or strung as bracelets or necklaces and were placed among the mummy wrappings to secure the deceased’s rebirth and well-being in the afterlife. Many varieties of amulets survive, including figures of deities, parts of the human (or divine) body, animals, plants, and objects of daily life. The ankh symbol, which represents a sandal strap, was the hieroglyph for “life.” It is among the most common amulets because of the Egyptians’ desire for eternal life after death.

Ancient Egyptian Amulets

People everywhere want to avoid disease and other misfortune, and to that end, many use amulets to ensure well-being. Today, an individual might wear a bracelet made of beads with a concentric circle design to combat the evil eye, or keep a lucky penny in his or her pocket. A favorite for centuries in some parts of the world is a pendant with a depiction of Saint Christopher (30.95.107). In ancient Egypt, amulets were abundant and most were probably inexpensive, which made them available to nearly everyone. An amulet is an object believed to have certain positive properties that, as the amulet’s main function, can magically be bestowed upon its owner. In ancient Egypt, this magical power was often derived from a combination of several aspects, such as the amulet’s shape, decoration, inscription, color, material, and words spoken over the piece or acts performed with it. Amulets were usually worn or placed on the body to transfer their powers directly to the owner. Often amulets were pierced or featured a loop, which allowed their use as pendants on a necklace, for example. Among many other possibilities, they could be incorporated into rings or enfolded in a piece of fabric that was then attached to a string. This means that amulets could be worn without having any means of suspension themselves. When used for the dead, they were placed on the mummy or in between the mummy’s bandages. While amulets are often small, on average ranging from two to six centimeters (about 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches) (1984.176), funerary pieces such as winged scarabs (25.5.1a–c) can be as large as twenty-five centimeters (nearly ten inches) wide. Ancient Egyptian amulets represented animals, deities, symbols, or objects in miniature. In addition, certain things found in nature, such as a claw or shell, were thought to be imbued with magical power and therefore could function as an amulet as well. So-called textual amulets also occur; these usually consist of a short magical spell written on a piece of linen or papyrus that was then folded and put on a string. Theoretically, anything could be made into an amulet through a magical act. Today, we often identify an ancient Egyptian object as an amulet based on its shape and size, and—in some cases—its use as a pendant. However, outside of their original context, many amulets, especially those created in nature, can no longer easily be recognized as such. Faience was the most popular material for man-made amulets. It could be produced in green and blue colors, favored for their association with life and regeneration. Semiprecious stones were common as well, and their color often had a specific meaning. Red, for example, was associated with dangerous forces but was thus also considered to be protective. Expensive materials such as gold, silver, and electrum, appreciated for their durability, were employed for amulets by the higher classes of Egyptian society. Bronze, a material that was very popular for temple donations, was rarely used for amulets, though the reasons are unknown. The use of amulets can be traced throughout all of ancient Egypt, from the Predynastic to the Roman Period (ca. 4400 B.C.–fourth century A.D.). Early amulets often take the shape of animals (59.101.1), while only a few amulets that clearly represent deities predate the New Kingdom (ca. 1550–1070 B.C.). Funerary amulets peaked in the Late Period (664–332 B.C.), when many new types appear that are only beneficial for the dead, such as the two-finger amulet (66.99.182). Strictly funerary amulets often refer to the belief that after death, the heart of a person would be weighed against maat, the principle of truth and justice. Only if the individual had lived a righteous life before his or her death was the person allowed to live on in the afterlife. Understandably, the Egyptians feared a negative outcome, and special amulets were designed to ensure a positive judgment, such as heart scarabs. These depict a large scarab beetle and were inscribed with text on the underside that linked the amulet to the weighing of the heart (36.3.2). Amulets often carried more than one meaning, and thus more than one possible function. Headrest amulets (04.2.80) depict a piece of furniture that supported the neck of a sleeping person and was often decorated with protective images. From early times on, full-size headrests were placed in tombs to protect the dead. Additionally, their function of raising the head was associated with the deceased rising and being revived, and further significance resulted from the formal resemblance between the round head on the curved headrest and the sun rising between two hills, which evoked a powerful symbol of resurrection and rebirth. An amulet depicting a headrest in miniature was not meant as a simple substitute for the actual furniture item, but rather to ensure its functions; it was thought to protect the head of the deceased and also to guarantee his or her rebirth. Headrest amulets were used exclusively as funerary amulets, and thus usually do not feature any means of suspension, since they could be held in place by the mummy’s wrappings. They belong to the very few amulet groups for which an assigned position on the body can be established: under the mummy’s neck, reflecting the use of the actual furniture. In addition to strictly funerary types, amulets worn by the living were generally used for the dead as well, since their benefit also applied to the afterlife. Amulets representing a goddess or god (1984.176), for example, occur in both spheres, as they were meant to invoke the deity’s specific powers. It is possible that a deity amulet was used with a very specific hope, but since a god or goddess usually had multiple meanings, several functions might have been addressed at the same time. One of the most common amulets used by the living and the dead is the wedjat-eye (89.2.415). It depicts the healed eye of the god Horus and is actually a combination of a human and a falcon eye, as Horus was associated with the falcon. In Egyptian mythology, Horus’s eye was injured or stolen by the god Seth and then restored by another deity named Thoth. The wedjat-eye embodies the healing power used on it and thus symbolizes regeneration. Appropriately, its ancient Egyptian name means “the one that is sound (again).” A wedjat-eye amulet was thought to transfer the power of regeneration onto its wearer and to generally protect the individual. A special category of amulets is the so-called seal-amulet, which functioned as an amulet but could also be used as a seal. Many take the shape of an animal, such as scarabs (26.7.470). The scarab beetle was believed to generate itself spontaneously in the ground, and its behavior of rolling large dung balls was associated with the sun’s daily movement across the sky. This made scarabs symbols of life and regeneration, and as amulets they could transfer these powers. Most commonly, their flat undersides were incised with very short inscriptions or with symbols or other images, which had further magical meaning. Scarabs inscribed with the name and title of the owner were often used as a seal by pressing the underside into a lump of clay that would then bear an impression of the incised decoration (22.1.120). Egyptian amulets could be exported, but also locally made amulets in Egyptian style were produced throughout the Mediterranean region. Whether the Egyptian meaning and function of these amulets were shared outside of Egypt can be debated, but clearly they were seen as potent magical objects in other cultures as well.

Citation

Isabel Stünkel. “Ancient Egyptian Amulets.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/egam/hd_egam.htm (February 2019)

Further Reading

Andrews, Carol. Amulets of Ancient Egypt. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1994. Ben-Tor, Daphna. The Scarab: A Reflection of Ancient Egypt. Jerusalem: Israel Museum, 1989. Müller-Winkler, Claudia. Die ägyptischen Objekt-Amulette. Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis, Series Archaeologica 5. Freiburg: Universitätsverlag Freiburg Schweiz, 1987. Petrie, W. M. Flinders. Amulets. London: Constable & Co., 1914. Reisner, George Andrew. Amulets. 2 vols. Cairo: Impr. de l’Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale, 1907–58.

Additional Essays by Isabel Stünkel

• Stünkel, Isabel. “Hippopotami in Ancient Egypt.” (November 2017)

Related Essays

• Egypt in the Middle Kingdom (ca. 2030–1650 B.C.)
• Egypt in the New Kingdom (ca. 1550–1070 B.C.)
• Egypt in the Old Kingdom (ca. 2649–2130 B.C.)
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• Egyptian Faience: Technology and Production
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List of Rulers

• List of Rulers of Ancient Egypt and Nubia
• List of Rulers of Ancient Sudan

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• Egypt, 1000 B.C.–1 A.D.
• Egypt, 2000–1000 B.C.
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• Africa
• Amulet
• Ancient Egyptian Art
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Egyptian amulets

By Ashley Fiutko Arico and Kierra Foley

Ancient Egyptians frequently wore jewelry imbued with symbolic meaning and magical properties. These potent objects, known today as amulets, were worn on the body in way that is comparable to modern bracelet charms and necklace pendants for the living, or worked into mummy wrappings to protect the deceased. Amulets were an important part of ancient Egyptian material culture for millennia, with the earliest known examples dating from the Predynastic Badarian period (ca. 4400-4000 BCE). They invoked the powers of gods, goddesses, and other magical forces. Because they were desired by people from all social classes, the materials used to make amulets were quite varied, ranging from costly precious stones and metals to the much more common and accessible faience, a glazed material made from crushed stone or sand.

The Egyptians believed in the protective and regenerative powers of amulets and used them in both daily life and funerary rites, as their powers could defend the wearer from malevolent forces. The value of an ancient Egyptian amulet went beyond just the symbolism of what it depicted — its power would have been “activated” by magical practice. Indeed, many spells recorded on papyrus include instructions to be spoken over amulets in various forms. Once “activated,” an amulet would be worn to ensure that its owner continued to benefit from the magic that it now embodied. Professional magicians with the title of “amulet man” were responsible for deciding which amulets an individual might require, and presumably for performing their activation. “Amulet men” are often mentioned in close connection with physicians, as there was little to no distinction in ancient Egypt between magic and science as we understand them today. What we might consider to be medical concerns — the promotion of fertility, for instance, or the prevention of illness or accidents — were addressed by spells spoken over amulets that could then be worn by the “patient.” Such recitations often referred to mythology, associating the person for whom the amulet was intended with gods who had power over hostile forces or who were said to have been healed of injury. Amulets used in funerary contexts were most often enclosed in the deceased’s mummy bandages and helped him or her make the perilous journey into the afterlife safely. The phylactic (protective) properties of amulets served the dead in the same manner as the living, fulfilling a variety of ancient Egyptian needs for well-being and safety.

This exhibit is the result of a large-scale project headed by graduate student Ashley Fiutko Arico to catalog over 250 amulets in the collection of the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum. Objects in this exhibit include pieces collected by Baltimoreans Colonel Mendes Israel Cohen in the 1830s and James Teackle Dennis during the first quarter of the 20th century.

The Eye of Horus was another popular amulet in ancient Egypt. It was believed to protect against evil and to provide the wearer with healing and restoration. The symbol was often depicted as the eye of a falcon and was associated with the sky god Horus. Various animal-shaped amulets were also used in ancient Egypt. The most popular of these were the Udjat eye, which was in the shape of a falcon or lion's eye and represented protection, the Bes amulet, which depicted a dwarf-like figure associated with childbirth and protection, and the Taweret amulet, which depicted a hippopotamus goddess associated with fertility and childbirth. Amulets were often made from materials such as stone, faience, wood, or metal. They were worn on the body or placed in tombs as part of burial rituals. The amulets were believed to have protective powers that would benefit the wearer in daily life and in the afterlife. Overall, Egyptian amulets played an essential role in ancient Egyptian religion and culture. They were believed to possess magical properties and were worn or placed in tombs to bring protection, good luck, and blessings to the wearer. Through these amulets, the ancient Egyptians sought to connect with the gods and ensure their well-being in this life and the next..

Reviews for "Egyptian Amulets: Discovering their Secrets through Archaeology"

1. Jane - 2 stars

I was really disappointed with the Egyptian amulets that I purchased. They were poorly made and didn't come close to resembling the pictures on the website. The colors were dull and the details were blurry. Additionally, the amulets felt cheap and flimsy. I was hoping for authentic and intricate pieces, but these were far from it. Overall, I wouldn't recommend buying these Egyptian amulets if you're looking for quality and accuracy.

2. Mike - 1 star

I don't understand the hype around these Egyptian amulets. I ordered a few of them and they arrived broken. The craftsmanship is terrible, with rough edges and sloppy attachments. They also look like they were made from low-grade materials. It's clear that no attention to detail was given during the manufacturing process. It's such a shame because I was really excited to add these amulets to my collection, but they turned out to be a complete waste of money. Save yourself the disappointment and look elsewhere.

3. Sarah - 2 stars

The Egyptian amulets I received were not worth the price. The quality was subpar, with visible flaws and imperfections. The finish was uneven and had a cheap plastic-y look to it. The amulets also felt lightweight and fragile, making me doubt their durability. Overall, I regretted my purchase and wish I had spent my money on something of better quality.

4. Tom - 1 star

I recently purchased Egyptian amulets as a gift for my friend, and I was extremely disappointed with the result. The amulets arrived late and were poorly packaged, resulting in some of them being damaged. The quality of the amulets themselves was also disappointing, with shoddy craftsmanship and a lack of attention to detail. The coloring was dull and far from the vibrant hues shown in the product images. I was embarrassed to give these amulets as a gift and I would not recommend them to anyone looking for authentic and well-made Egyptian jewelry.

The Role of Egyptian Amulets in Ancient Egyptian Religion