Book excerpt: Amulets were first made in Egypt as early as 4000 BC and became essential adornments for both the living and the dead. They were believed to endow the wearer, by magical means, with the properties they represent. An amuletic foot, for example, could be worn to ensure fleetness of foot; while the scarab beetle represented the new-born sun, and was the symbol of new life. Amulets in the image of powerful gods would be worn for protection; and malevolent creatures - like the male hippopotamus - would be worn to ward off the evil they represented.