Amulets have been used from ancient times. For the primitive man everything had a natural power, invisible to the eye. Moreover, it seemed that some things carried within them more power than others, so they had been used as amulets.

An amulet is an object considered to have the power to protect the owner from danger, illness, evil eye or harm ...

Amulets have been used from ancient times. For the primitive man everything had a natural power, invisible to the eye. Moreover, it seemed that some things carried within them more power than others, so they had been used as amulets.

An amulet is an object considered to have the power to protect the owner from danger, illness, evil eye or harm in general, so their role is mainly protective.
Many items have been used as amulets: in primitive times amulets were made of natural materials: herbs or stones, especially those that had an unusual shape or color or teeth and bones of strong animals.

Ancient Egyptians were the first to produce man-made amulets from resistant materials, and other ancient civilizations soon followed this practice. Ancient amulets usually were representations of divine powers or symbolic elements.

There were two kinds of amulets: personal and general.
Personal amulets had to be worn on the naked skin, while general amulets were used to protect homes or even entire cities.

Nowadays, common amulets are the evil eye, the hamsa hand, the scarab and the star of David, among others.

As Gary Varner mentions in his book "The History & Use of Amulets, Charms and Talismans", amulets have been "used by pagans, Christians, Jews and followers of every faith and tradition known across the world" and "continue to be an important part of our modern culture".