Amulets, of different symbols or gods, where worn around the neck, or placed within the mummy wrappings for protection. Various spells, or prayers, were used to endow them with their protective powers. The Egyptian word for amulet was meket or nehet. Very commonly amulets were in the form of a part of the body, or a more abstract symbol such as the djed pillar, the ankh, or the sa. From the New Kingdom onwards the gods were represented.

Amulets were made from a variety of materials in a variety of colors: faience, stone, metal, or glass. Which material chosen was based on it's symbolic or magical qualities, as can be seen in the Funerary Texts of different periods.