For the Ancient Egyptians, amulets were not only decorative but also considered to bestow power and protection upon the wearer. Many amulets have been found inside the wrapping of mummies to ensure a safe journey into the afterlife, but amulets were also used by the living for protection or in order to have their wishes granted. Amulets, depending on their type or form, had different meanings, with small amulets depicting the gods, whether in a human or animal form, thought to have induced protective powers over the wearer.
Anubis was an important deity within the Egyptian pantheon as the god of funerary rites, protector of graves, and guide to the Underworld. He was represented as a canine-headed man, most likely a jackal. From the Early Dynastic Period onwards, he was depicted solely as a jackal, potentially as jackals were a common feature in among Early Dynastic necropolises as foragers of their shallow graves. Known as a protector of graves and closely associated with the dead, Anubis became the primary god associated with the afterlife during the Old Kingdom Period. Though his popularity faded in the Middle Kingdom Period, with Osiris becoming the preferred deity, his association with the afterlife remained. Until the Middle Kingdom Period, he was the god of embalming and held an important role in the transition between life and death. He ushered souls into the afterlife and tended to the weighing scales during the eighing of the Heart Ceremony, which determined whether a soul would be allowed to enter the realm of the dead.
To discover more about amulets in the Ancient Egyptian world, please visit our relevant post: Amulets in Ancient Egypt.
