Amulets were widespread in ancient Egypt and had the basic purpose of protecting the living but also of ensuring the survival and incorruptibility of the deceased body. For this purpose, they were inserted between the mummy’s bandages, in positions that were codified over time, so as to help the deceased face the dangers of the afterlife. Their power and effectiveness depended on the form they could take: divine figures, animals, divine or regal attributes, human and animal body parts, hieroglyphic signs, miniature figures. Equally important was the choice of material in which they were made: gold and hard stones such as lapis lazuli, turquoise, jasper and carnelian, glass, faïence, glazed steatite, wax and more. Colours also had a magical significance: green symbolised vegetation, black symbolised fertility, blue symbolised water or the sky, and red symbolised blood.
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