Egyptian Amulets in the Western Mediterranean: The Case of Cadiz

Abstract

Among all the artefacts exported from Egypt in Antiquity, amulets have played an important role. These small objects were imbued with magic properties, based on their iconography and hieroglyphic inscriptions, the combination of materials and their colour. Because of their apotropaic properties, amulets were used in daily life and in funerary rituals in Egypt. Furthermore, Egyptian amulets have been attested in other funerary contexts in the Mediterranean area. In the western part, the city of Cadiz was one of the most important Phoenician cities. A great number of Egyptian and Egyptianizing amulets, which are still unpublished, have been found in the local necropolis. Thus, to precisely say if the same funerary amulets were used in Egypt and in the Phoenicians cities is still a work in progress. Nevertheless, their great number suggests that Egyptian amulets were closely part of the Western identity.