This two-sided amulet takes the form of a small shrine. Anubis was associated primarily with the afterlife – he was the god of embalming bodies, and had an important role in the transition between life and death. He ushered souls into the afterlife, and tended to the weighing scale during the Weighing of the Heart – the ceremony that determined whether a soul would be allowed to enter the realm of the dead. Perhaps the wearer of this amulet was hoping for protection not only in the afterlife, but in the liminal space between the living and the dead.
To find out more about the Ancient Egyptian amulets please see our relevant blog post: Egyptian Amulets and their Meanings: Ancient Egyptian Gods.