The Goldsmith – Jeweler Of Egypt

(via 5000 Years of Gems and Jewelry) Frances Rogers and Alice Beard writes:

2. Ornaments And Magic

Long before man had either the implements or the skill to shape and engrave hard stones he had the desire to use them for adornment and apparently some obscure ideas concerning their occult powers.

‘The first spiritual want of a barbarous man is decoration,’ says Carlyle; and archeology confirms that statement. The ‘jewelry’ of primitive man might be made of almost any small objects that could easily be strung together. Necklaces of perishable things such as bright berries, seeds, and feathers have, of course, left no trace; but sea-shells, bits of bone, the teeth and claws of animals, all pierced for stringing, bear mute and permanent witness to the fact that jewelry, such as it was, became fashionable at a date so remote as to baffle any exact reckoning of centuries.

When archaeological research uncovered the early Neolithic strata of the cavern of Mas ď Azil, many pierced stagś teeth were found. Of the length of sinew or bit of vine which once strung them together no trace remained, but the arrangement of the teeth in the form of a necklace clearly told their story.

Many of the shells and the claws and teeth of animals found in ancient graves are ornamented with thin decorative lines suggestive of magic symbols, which leads us to surmise that the people of the Stone Age, even as the people who lived thousands of years later, wore their necklaces and pendants for the double purpose of ornament and amulet endowed with magic powers.

Magic, to the modern mind, is ‘the art (or pretended art) of producing by occult means effects contrary to the known order of nature.’

To primitive peoples, however, nature was not subject to undeviating laws. Sun, moon, clouds, rain, trees, and rocks, all were endowed with life and personality. They could think, feel and act in accordance with some unpredictable mood or whim; they could bring good or evil to mankind. Naturally everyone wished to attract and cajole the friendly elemental beings who brought good fortune, and to render powerless all harmful beings. The gods must be propitiated: the demons must be bribed or driven off by some compelling force. But how were these things to be done? Obviously the matter was beyond the knowledge of the common man. Here and there, however, various men became known for their ability to find out what pleased the gods and inclined them to bestow favors, and also how best to handle beings of mischievous intent. These men became the first priests.

In Egypt there had gradually been evolved a complicated mythology wherein religion, magic, and the power to heal the sick were closely interwoven; therefore priest, magician and physician were one and the same. All of which has direct bearing on our subject, because precious stones held an important place in the rites and ceremonies which made the connecting link between mankind and the supernatural powers.

For example, if a man’s body was full of aches and pains, doubtless he was possessed by a demon. So the man betook himself to the house of a priest who knew how to deal with the idiosyncrasies of these evil creatures. Now it would seem that from earliest times, even down to the voodoo ceremonies still practised today, one of the strongest powers of magic lay in the principle that like has relation to like—or, as the saying is, ‘A hair of the dog that bit you’ will cure you. Accordingly the priest, recognizing by the nature of the pain which particular demon was tormenting the patient, selected an amulet made of the proper precious stone, whereon was engraved the image of that particular demon. Then he pressed it against that part of the man’s body most affected, and with due ceremony repeated certain incantations addressed to the gods. Presumably, this was more than a demon could endure, and thereupon it was supposed to flee headlong, leaving the man restored to health.

And so it came about that a large part of the work of the jeweler of early times was the making of amulets and talismans. Rings, necklaces, pendants—especially pendants—beads, and bracelets, when properly inscribed with a magic symbol, were in constant demand, for the custom of wearing them was universal. In our times, a rabbit’s foot or a four leaf clover is rather jocosely regarded as a form of talisman. The ancients, however, since the wearing of a charm had relation to their religion, treated the whole subject with a respect due to the supernatural beings whom they sought to influence one way or another.

Everybody owned beads—men, women and children, whether of royal blood or humble workers—for the materials ranged from pearls to pot clay and therefore even the poor could possess a string of beads. The Egyptian word for beads was sha-sha, and the syllable sha was the word for luck.

A magic inscription on any kind of bead gave it amuletic significance, no matter what substance the bead was made of. But gemstones in themselves, even without any inscription, had supernatural powers according to their colors, characteristics, and such mystic legends as were associated with them. Agate was a recognized protection against spider bites and thunderstorms. Green jasper could bring rain. And he who wore lapis lazuli would be free from the attacks of serpents. A gem that could be cut so that its various markings or strata of color would resemble an eye was very desirable, and ‘eyes’ of banded agate—with three bands of color to represent the pupil, iris, and white of an eye as in nature—were especially potent.

The Goldsmith – Jeweler Of Egypt (continued)