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Ancient Egyptians - Magical Stones |
Magical Stones Ancient Egypt - Magical Stones Fact Sheet Fact 1 on Magical Stones: A magic stone could either be carried or worn and was believed to be effective for both the living and the dead Fact 2 on Magical Stones: The type of materials used to create amulets and talismans: the type and attributes of the materials used to create magical stones including natural materials, metals and precious or semi-precious stones Fact 3 on Magical Stones: The design of talisman or amulet created using magical stones which harnessed different magical powers and the protection of various gods and goddesses. Fact 4 on Magical Stones: Each theme, style or design of amulet, talisman or magic charm had a specific meaning and religious significance ascribed to it as did the attributes of the magical stones used to create the jewelry Fact 5 on Magical Stones: The jewelry containing magical stones were ascribed with supernatural powers when ancient Egyptian priests performed religious ceremonies and rituals centered around the objects and said prayers over them. Fact 6 on Magical Stones: Unlike the royal family, ordinary ancient Egyptians did not have immediate access to to priests and the temples. In order to assign the power of magic to various amulets, charms and talismans inscriptions were cut into the jewelry. Fact 7 on Magical Stones: The inscriptions included powerful magic symbols, prayers and words that contained magical powers which transformed the elements used in creating the objects into magical stones. Fact 8 on Magical Stones: With the passing of time the form or design of the talisman or amulet became so significant and well known that even without the prayers and magic words of priests and without inscriptions the items of jewelry were deemed to hold the supernatural powers of magic. Fact 9 on Magical Stones: The power of magic was believed to be inherent in the stone of which the talisman or amulet was made. Fact 10 on Magical Stones: The types of materials and precious stones used to create amulets, charms and talismans developed and changed due to technical advances made by the ancient Egyptians and the availability of new materials through trade and mining. Continued... Ancient Egypt - Magical Stones Fact Sheet Ancient Egyptian Magical Stones Magical Stones Ancient Egypt - Magical Stones Fact Sheet Fact 11 on Magical Stones: During the period known as predynastic Egypt and the Early Dynastic Period amulets and talismans were used and commonly made from natural materials such as bones, plants, feathers, shells, beads or solid stones. Jewelry made from natural materials in the form of necklaces, pendants, bracelets and hair adornments were strung together with threads of flax. Fact 12 on Magical Stones: During the period of the Old Kingdom(2686 to 2181 B.C.) ancient Egyptians gain skills in making amulet jewelry from semiprecious stones and metals such as gold, copper and silver. Fact 13 on Magical Stones: During the period of the Middle Kingdom the ancient Egyptians enhanced and developed their skills as goldsmiths. New technical methods provided additional accuracy in making pieces of jewelry as amulets and included the addition of geometrical shapes. Fact 14 on Magical Stones: During the period of the New Kingdom(1550 to 1070 B.C.) further advances were made by the ancient Egyptian goldsmiths and metal workers. The sources of gold and copper increased due to the mining undertaken in the Eastern Desert and the southern most regions of Upper Egypt. Trade to acquire additional precious and semi-precious stones also increased during this era. Fact 15 on Magical Stones: The ancient Egyptian methods for cutting gemstones reached its peak during the era of the New Kingdom and their religious beliefs in the power of the magic inherent in amulets and talismans was firmly established. Fact 16 on Magical Stones: The ancient Egyptians made a variety of jewelry including amulets, talismans, necklaces, pendants, bracelets, anklets, rings, diadems, collars and insignia which as time and their skills progressed became more and more intricate and elaborate. Fact 17 on Magical Stones: The purpose of their jewelry was two-fold. It served as items of adornment reflecting wealth and status and as items of magic offering protection from evil. Jewelry was fashioned in images of gods, magical symbols, hieroglyphics and animals. Fact 18 on Magical Stones: Ancient Egypt was rich in copper and lead ores, gold and semiprecious stones. They produced copper, bronze and glass. The glass, called faience, was painted to produce cheap jewelry, talismans and amulets. Fact 19 on Magical Stones: The ancient Egyptians found that the glass faience was easier to work with than the harder gemstones and artisans became so adept at crafting glass bead versions of precious stones that it was difficult to distinguish authentic emeralds, pearls and tigers-eye from faience. Fact 20 on Magical Stones: Their natural resources included stones such as feldspar or quartz, peridot, gypsum crystals, carnelian, amethyst, chalcedony, malachite and emeralds. They also favored jasper, lapis lazuli, tiger's eye and turquoise. Continued... Ancient Egypt - Magical Stones Fact Sheet Magical Stones Ancient Egypt - Magical Stones Fact Sheet Fact 21 on Magical Stones: The color blue represented royalty and stones of this color which included lapis lazuli and turquoise were the most prized of all gemstones. Fact 22 on Magical Stones: Lapis lazuli had to be imported from Afghanistan. Pearls were imported from the Persian Gulf and jasper and onyx from Persia. Fact 23 on Magical Stones: The ancient Egyptians engaged in trade to obtain rare and exotic materials that were not found in Egypt. Trading links were established in countries including Nubia, Palestine, Byblos, Punt, Afghanistan, Greece, Crete and Anatolia Fact 24 on Magical Stones: Turquoise was favored by royalty and symbolized the goddess Hathor and joy and scarab amulets and talismans and the eye were often made from turquoise. Fact 25 on Magical Stones: Dark blue Lapis lazuli stone was often used to create the eyes on the statues of the ancient Egyptian gods and Pharaohs. The magic Lapis lazuli stone represented rebirth and regeneration. The name derives from Lapis the Latin word for 'stone' and Lazuli from the name of a place where the gemstone was originally mined. It was believed to inspire courage. Fact 26 on Magical Stones: The Red jasper stone symbolized the goddess Isis and was used to make the magic protective amulet or talisman called the Tyet or Knot of Isis Fact 27 on Magical Stones: The green malachite stone was believed to possess magic healing properties that were inherent to the stone. Malachite comes from the numerous copper mines in the Sinai Peninsula and Eastern Desert Fact 28 on Magical Stones: The red-brown colored carnelian stone was a symbol of life and immortality, possessed magic healing properties and often used to create heart and djed amulets and talismans. The Carnelian was believed to protect the wearer from witchcraft, and, by warding off the glance of the envious. Fact 29 on Magical Stones: The blue-green Feldspar stone was a symbol of fertility and was popular with the ancient Egyptians as it was believed to bring good luck to the wearer. It was also the favored stone for the papyrus scepter amulet which was placed around the neck of the deceased on the day of the funeral. Fact 30 on Magical Stones: The violet colored amethyst stone was believed to be a symbol of protection against evil. Fact 31 on Magical Stones: The green emerald was an expensive stone favored by royalty and believed to hold magic for foretelling the future. Fact 32 on Magical Stones: The Jasper comes shades of red, yellow or brown stones and was believed to possess magical healing powers. Ancient Egypt - Magical Stones Fact Sheet Ancient Egyptian Talismans & Amulets Magical Stones Magical Stones |
