| Egyptian Journal of Archeological and Restoration Studies

Authors:
Khamis, Z.
Egyptology dept., Faculty of Archeology - Aswan Univ., Aswan, Egypt

Abstract:
Seashells and Snails are known and used all over the world. They were used as raw materials for making ornaments and jewelry or as a source of food by eating the live animal inside. Seashells had special religious importance in many civilizations, especially the ancient Egyptian civilization, as shown through the actual use of shells as amulets or through simulations by making them of precious stones or metals like gold as amulets for protection. Shells also had funerary importance and were placed with the dead in the tombs among their offerings to benefit them in the other life. Many shells were found in several tombs in Egypt during the Neolithic period. Shells were a symbol of protection from the bad eye because of their similarity with the shape of the eye, so the early man thought that the shell prevented the "evil eye", where it was used as protection against evil, especially for women during pregnancy and childbirth. There were many other uses for shells, some seashells were used as containers for cosmetics or preserving colors, and some kinds of snails were used to extract dyes. Shells were also used as a means of social exchange or swap, commonly used as a means of commercial exchange. Shells still have ideological significance in many primitive tribes.

Keywords:
Shells Amulets, Insignia Snails Colors Decorations Beliefs

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