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.
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Thoth, as the god of thought, writing, intelligence, and arbitrator of godly disputes, was closely associated with baboons, due to the animal’s intelligence. As a sacred animal to Thoth, baboons were often depicted supervising scribes or in their role as the custodian of the first door to the underworld. Amulets depicting animals were common in the Old Kingdom period, and by the Middle Kingdom Period, representations of deities had also gained popularity. This amulet may have endowed a living wearer with the attributes of Thoth, such as intelligence, or protected a deceased wearer on their journey into the afterlife.
Amun-Ra, originally worshipped as two gods, Amun, the creator of the universe, and Ra, the sun-god, who was a highly important deity in the Egyptian pantheon. After the defeat of the Hyksos in the 16th century, the two gods were combined and Amun-Ra gained national and spiritual importance, becoming the king of the gods, with his worship almost monotheistic in nature. By the New Kingdom Period, he was seen as the champion of the poor, Protector of the Road, upholding Ma’at, justice, truth, and goodness. He retained this importance throughout the New Kingdom Period, and even into the Ptolemaic period, gaining the identity Zeus-Ammon. Alexander the Great claimed divine descent as the son of Zeus-Ammon, with tradition of currency depicting Alexander with the Horns of Ammon continuing for centuries.
