The culture of protective amulets in the Mediterranean region spans millennia. Crescents, scarabs, coral pendants, and glazed faience “eyes” were united by a single idea: to deflect from their owner the hostile gaze that, according to popular belief, could bring illness, misfortune, or death. Below are seven of the most widespread forms of ancient talismans, with an explanation of what they looked like, who wore them, what they were believed to guard against, and where archaeologists have found them.
“To be superstitious is a sign of ignorance…”
“Essere superstiziosi è da ignoranti, ma non esserlo porta male” — “To be superstitious is to be ignorant, but not being superstitious brings misfortune.” These words belong to the Italian playwright Eduardo De Filippo.
The phrase captures precisely the ambivalence characteristic of Italian culture and, more broadly, of the entire Mediterranean world. In words, superstitions are condemned as relics of the past, yet in practice few people dare openly disregard them — “just in case.” A Sicilian friend of the original author’s, upon learning about an article on the evil eye, exclaimed: “Why are you doing this? Even believing in it is already bad luck!”
From Contemporary Italy to Ancient Rome and the Broader Mediterranean
This wariness was inherited by Southern Europeans from their distant ancestors. The ancient Romans were a deeply superstitious people: amulets accompanied a person from the cradle to the grave. The Empire, whose borders encompassed much of the modern Mediterranean, maintained intensive exchange with the East and North Africa, and along trade routes — together with goods — traveled beliefs, rituals, and amulets. Many of the “good luck charms” familiar to the inhabitants of Italy, Greece, and Turkey today turn out to be direct descendants of these ancient forms.
Why Almost All of These Objects Are Associated with Protection Against the Evil Eye
Scholarship employs the term “apotropaic” (from the Greek apotropaios — “averting evil”). It describes objects, gestures, and images intended to ward off from a person the destructive force of a hostile gaze. The protective meaning was often intertwined with themes of fertility, health, and general well-being, so one and the same amulet could serve simultaneously as a charm and as a symbol of good fortune.
The lunula, a Crescent for Girls and Women
The crescent-shaped pendant is known by its Greek name selenis and its Latin name lunula (from luna — “moon”). It was worn primarily by women and girls and was believed to protect against the evil eye. The Moon’s association with the menstrual cycle and fertility made the crescent a natural symbol of feminine nature, while the goddess Artemis (Diana among the Romans), associated with the moon and chastity, was regarded as its celestial patroness.
The gorgoneion, a “Gaze” Against the Hostile Gaze
The head of the Gorgon, or gorgoneion, was one of the most popular apotropaic motifs of ancient Greece. The grotesque frontal face with snakes in place of hair was meant to paralyze evil before it could cause harm. According to myth, Zeus and Athena themselves wore this protective symbol. The most famous of the Gorgons, Medusa, turned to stone anyone who met her gaze, and it was precisely this motif of the “paralyzing counter-gaze” that made the gorgoneion an ideal shield.
The Scarab, an Egyptian Symbol That “Traveled” Across the Sea
The scarab beetle amulet appeared in Egypt more than 5,000 years ago and was associated with the sun god Ra and the idea of rebirth. The reverse sides of such amulets were often inscribed with words meaning “luck,” “life,” and “health.” Through Phoenician and Greek trade routes, the scarab spread among the Etruscans, Persians, Macedonians, and Romans, acquiring new nuances of meaning in each culture while retaining its core significance — well-being and protection.
The Eye of Horus and “Eye” Amulets as a Universal Sign of Protection
The second most widespread Egyptian amulet (after the scarab) was the so-called Eye of Horus — a symbol of protection in life and in the afterlife. The Phoenicians produced enlarged depictions of the eye on blue glazed faience, often placing them alongside animal figures. The logic was simple: a counter “eye” redirects the dangerous gaze, acting as a mirror. Belief in the evil eye was so widespread throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East that some Roman amulets depict an eye being attacked by several protective symbols at once.
Red Coral, a Charm That Survived Antiquity and the Middle Ages
Red coral occupies a special place among Mediterranean amulets. Pliny the Elder wrote that the people of India considered coral an excellent means of “preservation from all dangers.” Ovid offered a mythological explanation: red coral was said to have formed when the blood of the beheaded Medusa touched the seaweed. Remarkably, even the medieval Church did not object to this particular superstition — in Renaissance paintings, the infant Christ is frequently depicted wearing a coral pendant around his neck.
The fascinum, a Roman Phallus Against the Envious Gaze
The Latin word fascinum denoted both the evil eye itself and the phallic amulet that protected against it. The Romans believed that an erect phallus would shock or intimidate the “envious one,” compelling him to cease his harmful influence. Such pendants were placed even around the necks of infants, since children were considered especially vulnerable. Archaeologists find fascinum amulets made of amber, gold, silver, bronze, bone, and glass, with many fitted with wings.
The “Fig” in the Palm, a Companion Sign to the fascinum
The amulet manus ficus (Latin for “hand” and “fig”) depicted a clenched fist with the thumb thrust between the index and middle fingers. It was interpreted as a symbolic representation of the vulva and carried the same apotropaic charge as the phallus. A linguistic connection confirms this: the Greek sykon (“fig”) was a metaphor for the female genitalia, and an analogous meaning has been preserved in modern Italian slang (fica). The “fig” gesture remains an offensive sign in a number of Mediterranean cultures to this day.
How “Ancient” Forms Are Recognized in Contemporary Talismans and the Content Around Us
The motifs of protection, luck, fertility, and health recur from culture to culture with remarkable consistency. The glass “eye” (nazar), sold in every Turkish shop, the coral jewelry of Neapolitan goldsmiths, the cornetto (horn-shaped charm) on car mirrors in Calabria — all of these are direct heirs to amulets that are thousands of years old.
The visual vocabulary of ancient charms has proven intelligible far beyond museum display cases. Crescents, scarabs, and Eyes of Horus are recognized by audiences in cinema, in the works of contemporary artists, and even in digital media. The gaming industry offers a telling example, actively drawing on these elements in visual design or narrative. And this applies not only to major AAA titles but also to smaller games. Authors at the online publication igaminglab.org have noted that browser game developers readily borrow the same visual code: gorgoneions adorn the shields of characters, scarabs appear as in-game artifacts, and stylized nazars serve as icons for defensive power-ups. Such examples could be multiplied at length.
Forms have changed, materials have been updated, religious context has shifted — but the fundamental need for an object that “averts evil” has remained constant. The boundary between ornament and amulet in the Mediterranean remains thin to this day, and this is perhaps one of the most enduring features of the region’s cultural identity.
