Spell 30B from the Book of the Dead, a funerary text, was usually carved into the underside of heartscarab amulets. For those who were concerned about this test, they could recite the spell inscribed on their heartscarab to prevent their heart from ‘betraying’ them. If the scales were balanced, the person passed and entered the afterlife. The heart, which contained a record of all the person’s actions in life, was essential for the ‘Weighing of the Heart Ceremony’ as it was weighed against the feather of the goddess Ma’at. However, the golden leaf-shaped plate still remained. The heartscarab was placed over the dead person’s heart to protect it from being separated from the body in the underworld. mummy slashed to remove most of his jewellery including his earrings, and most of his golden sandals. A widely used amulet was the heart scarab. Although there were hundreds of amulets that were available for use, the final selection would depend on the person’s wealth and individual choice. Protection by amulets was especially important in the afterlife so amulets were placed on various parts of the mummy during the wrapping process. Jewellers made a great variety of these charms and from an early age, people would wear them around the neck, wrists, fingers and ankles. They believed that amulets endowed the wearer with magical powers of protection and healing and also brought good fortune.

However, ancient Egyptians elevated the influence of these to a greater level. Many cultures and individuals, including some today, have placed great faith in symbolic jewellery like amulets or charms.

Gold earrings mummy tomb