Amulet Atlas The timeline241 records with a date on them, from the oldest to the one somebody
bought this morning. The axis is not linear , and the ticks say so: five thousand years
at one scale would give the last two centuries about a millimetre, and the last two centuries
are where a third of these records live. Every tick is printed so you can see the stretching
happen.
records in use, by century — peak 206 11001 BCE 3001 BCE 1001 BCE 1 BCE 500 CE 1000 CE 1500 CE 1800 CE 1900 CE 1950 CE 2026 CE That curve is the shape of this atlas , not of the past. It rises at 1800
because the written record rises at 1800.
197 still carried
42 no longer
22 undated here
Every dated record
A bar with an open circle at its right-hand end is something people still carry.
A dotted bar is a date somebody reasoned to rather than dug up. Colour is the era the record
files itself under.
11001 BCE 3001 BCE 1001 BCE 1 BCE 500 CE 1000 CE 1500 CE 1800 CE 1900 CE 1950 CE 2026 CE the era boundary The swastika — from at least 10,000 BCE; a living religious sign now The swastika Jet — c. 10,000 BCE to now Jet Jade — c. 6000 BCE to now Jade Gold — 5th millennium BCE to now Gold Carnelian — c. 4500 BCE to now Carnelian The spiral — c. 4400 BCE to now The spiral Bone and ivory — c. 4400 BCE to now Bone and ivory Cowrie — c. 4000 BCE to now Cowrie Faience — c. 4000 BCE onward Faience Iron — c. 3500 BCE to now Iron Skin — c. 3351 BCE to now Skin The knot — c. 3100 BCE to now The knot Cowrie strand — from predynastic Egypt to now Cowrie strand Taweret amulet — c. 3000 BCE – c. 390 CE Taweret amulet Egyptian amulet craft — c. 3000 BCE – 641 CE Egyptian amulet craft The eye — c. 3000 BCE to now The eye The key — the ankh from c. 3000 BCE; the key proper documented from the colonial Caribbean to now The key The serpent — before 3000 BCE to now The serpent Foundation deposit — c. 3000 BCE – 1964 CE Foundation deposit The eye everywhere — c. 3000 BCE to now The eye everywhere Ankh amulet — c. 2700 BCE to the late first millennium BCE Ankh amulet Wedjat eye — c. 2686 BCE – 641 CE Wedjat eye Grave deposit — c. 2686 BCE to now Grave deposit Tattooing — c. 2500 BCE to now; sak yant from c. 800 CE Tattooing The crescent — c. 2300 BCE to now The crescent The charm in the wall — c. 2130 BCE, the Girsu foundation pegs, to 1991 The charm in the wall Bes amulet — c. 2055 BCE to the tenth century CE Bes amulet The beetle — c. 2055 BCE to now, as a sign; as an Egyptian amulet, to the end of the pharaonic period The beetle The lion — c. 2040 BCE to c. 900 CE The lion Most of them are for children — c. 2040 BCE, the Middle Kingdom birth tusks, to now Most of them are for children Scarab — c. 2000 BCE to the end of pharaonic Egypt Scarab Mesopotamian household protection — second and first millennia BCE, to the Seleucid period Mesopotamian household protection Fired clay — c. 2000 BCE to now Fired clay Heart scarab — c. 1690 BCE to the end of the Third Intermediate Period Heart scarab Evil eye bracelet — the bead from c. 1600 BCE; the bracelet, undated here Evil eye bracelet Nazar — glass eye beads from as early as the 16th century BCE; still made and worn Nazar Glass — 16th century BCE to now Glass Djed pillar — the New Kingdom, c. 1550–1069 BCE — the sign itself is far older Djed pillar Tyet — c. 1550 BCE to the end of dynastic Egypt Tyet The tree — c. 1550 BCE to now The tree Knotting — c. 1550 BCE to now Knotting Turquoise — c. 1500 BCE to now Turquoise Cippus of Horus — c. 1069 BCE – 30 BCE Cippus of Horus Lamashtu plaque — first millennium BCE, with earlier examples this project has not seen dated Lamashtu plaque yantra — the word from Vedic Sanskrit; the diagram sense from the medieval period yantra Hamsa — claimed from c. 800 BCE; documented as an amulet from the 13th century CE; still worn Hamsa Pazuzu head — 8th century BCE to the Seleucid period Pazuzu head The hand — c. 800 BCE to now The hand The open palm — c. 800 BCE to now, and well documented from the 13th century CE The open palm Dzi bead — 7th–5th century BCE find; worn now Dzi bead Greek and Roman protective magic — 7th century BCE to late antiquity Greek and Roman protective magic The name — late 7th century BCE to now The name Gorgoneion — from the 7th or 6th century BCE through Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquity Gorgoneion Silver — c. 630 BCE to now Silver Ketef Hinnom silver scrolls — late 7th to early 6th century BCE Ketef Hinnom silver scrolls Folding — c. 600 BCE to now Folding Inscribing — c. 600 BCE to now Inscribing Curse tablet — early 5th century BCE to late Roman antiquity Curse tablet Hair — early 5th century BCE to now Hair Lead — early 5th century BCE to now Lead Palm leaf — c. 500 BCE to now Palm leaf apotropaic — the Greek vocabulary from antiquity; the English adjective from the nineteenth century apotropaic Copper and bronze — c. 400 BCE to now Copper and bronze Amber — c. 330 BCE to now, and older as a worked material Amber Bulla — Roman antiquity Bulla Fascinum — Roman antiquity Fascinum Lunula — Roman antiquity Lunula Mezuzah — commanded in Deuteronomy; in continuous use as a written parchment to the present Mezuzah Via San Gregorio Armeno — classical votive terracottas here; the nativity craft from the late 18th century to now Via San Gregorio Armeno Chinese charm coin — 206 BCE to now Chinese charm coin The square hole — Western Han (from c. 206 BCE) to now The square hole Thread and cord — c. 202 BCE to now Thread and cord The fig fist — in use at least since the Roman period, and still made The fig fist The number square — 190 BCE to now The number square Figa — at least from the Roman period to now Figa Magical gem — chiefly 1st century BCE to 4th century CE Magical gem The bell — 1st century BCE to now The bell Hagstone — first century CE to now Hagstone Tefillin — attested from at least the 1st century CE to now Tefillin Amulet or talisman? — Pliny's Latin, in the first century CE, to now Amulet or talisman? The tooth and the claw — attested by Pliny in the 1st century CE; still current in Fiji The tooth and the claw Fulu — Taoist talismanic craft — from the Eastern Han to now Fulu — Taoist talismanic craft The word that reads both ways — before AD 62 for the square, 2nd century CE for the word; folk use documented into the 19th century The word that reads both ways phylactery — from the Greek New Testament to the present phylactery abracadabra — from the second century CE to now abracadabra The cross — as a Christian sign, 2nd century CE to now; as a mark, far older The cross The fish — 2nd century CE to now The fish Practical Kabbalah — amulet-making from Talmudic times; named as a branch by the 14th century; still argued about Practical Kabbalah Kamea — from Talmudic times to now, restricted throughout Kamea Counting beads — from the 3rd century on the earliest dated strand; the Hindu practice older and undated here Counting beads Parchment — c. 300 CE to now Parchment Hanging at the door — c. 4th century CE to now Hanging at the door Fu talisman — by 317 CE to now Fu talisman Kavacha — the Hindu armour tradition — c. 400 CE to now Kavacha — the Hindu armour tradition St Christopher medal — the cult from 452; the struck medal from the sixteenth century; carried now St Christopher medal Holy rider pendant — early Byzantine bronzes and medieval lead amulets Holy rider pendant Incantation bowl — 6th to 8th century CE Incantation bowl Ink — 6th century CE to now Ink Corn dolly — 7th century to now, with a break around 1900 Corn dolly The Barkhor — 7th century CE to now The Barkhor Cloth — possibly 7th century CE to now Cloth Sensō-ji — 628 CE, by tradition, to now Sensō-ji Coptic cross tattoo — from around the seventh century CE to now Coptic cross tattoo Mjölnir pendant — c. 8th–11th centuries CE, as an excavated object Mjölnir pendant ward — Old English onwards ward Ofuda — from the Nara period, c. 710, to now Ofuda Wood — Nara period to now Wood Fushimi Inari-taisha — 711 CE to now Fushimi Inari-taisha Tibetan protection craft — 755 CE to now Tibetan protection craft Agnus Dei — from the ninth century; present manufacture unverified here Agnus Dei Sak yant — c. 9th century to now Sak yant Martenitsa — the earliest text named is Photios' Lexicon; the practice is living and inscribed by UNESCO in 2017 Martenitsa Thai wicha — 9th century to now Thai wicha Catholic sacramentals — c. 820 to now Catholic sacramentals Tabiz — 10th century to now Tabiz Qur'an pendant — text amulets in cases from the 10th or 11th century; still worn Qur'an pendant Ta'wiz — block-printed examples from the 10th or 11th century; still worn Ta'wiz Islamic talismanic craft — block-printed amulets from the 10th century; the practice older, the argument continuous Islamic talismanic craft Paper — 10th century CE to now Paper Horseshoe — 10th century to now Horseshoe fu — at least since the Song dynasty (960–1279 CE) fu Caul — medieval to the 20th century Caul Lung ta prayer flag — no later than 1040 CE to now Lung ta prayer flag The Marrakesh souk — c. 1070 to now The Marrakesh souk Bujeok — c. 12th century to now Bujeok Bujeok craft — earliest references to mudang from the 12th century; the talismans later Bujeok craft Jimat — 13th century to now Jimat Keris pusaka — 13th century to now Keris pusaka Takrut — c. 1200 to now as a Buddhist amulet; older as a Thai one Takrut Consecration — c. 1200 CE to now Consecration Brown Scapular — listed from 1250; the garment in the Carmelite habit from the late thirteenth century; worn now Brown Scapular Wearing hidden — 1281 to now Wearing hidden charm — in English from c. 1300 charm Concealed shoe — 1308 to the late 20th century Concealed shoe European folk apotropaic craft — 1308 to now, on dated objects European folk apotropaic craft Engimono — Ise talismans distributed nationally from the Muromachi period; still issued Engimono Blessing at a shrine — from the Muromachi period on dated distribution; the act far older Blessing at a shrine Talismanic shirt — late 14th century to the 19th; the tradition may be older Talismanic shirt Buying one in a market — from the 1380s on dated buildings; the practice much older Buying one in a market Khan el-Khalili — 1382 to now Khan el-Khalili Azabache — c. 1400 to now Azabache Illa — c. 1400 to now Illa Illa practice — a dated Inca illa of 1400–1540; the fair running every 24 January since 1781 Illa practice Omikuji — 1409 to now Omikuji Dol hareubang — c. 1416 to now, with the firm record at 1754 Dol hareubang amulet — in English from the mid-1400s amulet The Grand Bazaar — 1455 to now The Grand Bazaar luck — in English from the 1480s luck Red string — the one dated recommendation is from the 1490s; the modern wrist bracelet is a thing of the late 1990s onward Red string The red thread — 1490s to now, as a recommended practice; the Genesis passage is older and is not a prescription The red thread Cornicello — the shape is far older; documented in this form in the modern period, and still worn Cornicello Ethiopian talismanic scroll — earliest surviving examples sixteenth century; in use to now Ethiopian talismanic scroll Witch bottle — 16th century to now Witch bottle Ethiopian scroll craft — surviving scrolls from the sixteenth century; the craft is held to be older Ethiopian scroll craft periapt — in English from the 1500s, by Wiktionary's marking periapt Burying — c. 1500s to now Burying Feeding the charm — c. 1500s to now Feeding the charm Latin American folk Catholic charm practice — from the Spanish arrival in the Americas to now Latin American folk Catholic charm practice Anting-anting — from the early Spanish colonial period, 1565 onward Anting-anting Quiapo Church — 1588 to now Quiapo Church Brigid's cross — 17th century to now Brigid's cross Four-leaf clover — 17th century to now Four-leaf clover Nkisi — attested from the early seventeenth century; nailed nkondi mainly 1800s–1900s Nkisi Bakongo nkisi craft — attested from the early seventeenth century; nailed figures mainly 1800s–1900s Bakongo nkisi craft West African charm craft — documented from the seventeenth century onward; in practice now West African charm craft Omamori — c. 1603 to now, for the printed charm; the pouch worn on a person is later Omamori Teru teru bōzu — c. 1603 to now, with a Heian-period import behind it Teru teru bōzu fetish — in English from the 1610s fetish talisman — in English from the 1630s talisman Vodou and Vodún — and the spelling this atlas does not use — the word on record from 1658 to now Vodou and Vodún — and the spelling this atlas does not use Gris-gris — documented from the eighteenth century; older than its documentation Gris-gris Ongon — 18th century to now Ongon Taonga Māori — increased pounamu production from the mid-18th century; the practice older Taonga Māori Room 1: Enlightenment, the British Museum — the museum from 1753; this room's display as it now stands Room 1: Enlightenment, the British Museum The British Museum — 1753 to the present The British Museum Daruma — c. 1764 to now Daruma Burning at retirement — c. 1764 to now Burning at retirement Renewing yearly — c. 1764 to now Renewing yearly Sewing in — 1773 to now Sewing in Ekeko — 1781 to now, on the colonial figure; older claims are named and not dated here Ekeko Akua'ba — documented from the 1800s to the present Akua'ba Hex sign — early 19th century to now Hex sign The fake market — c. 1800 to now The fake market Augustus Pitt Rivers — 14 April 1827 – 4 May 1900 Augustus Pitt Rivers Inheriting — 1830 to now Inheriting Frederick Thomas Elworthy — 10 January 1830 – 13 December 1907 Frederick Thomas Elworthy Miraculous Medal — first struck 30 June 1832; carried now Miraculous Medal Rowan cross — recorded from the 1840s; still made Rowan cross Maneki-neko — 1852 to now Maneki-neko Edward Lovett — July 1852 – 1933 Edward Lovett Flinders Petrie — 3 June 1853 – 29 July 1942 Flinders Petrie E. A. Wallis Budge — 27 July 1857 – 23 November 1934 E. A. Wallis Budge juju — in English from 1860 juju Phra khrueang — c. 1866 to now, on the earliest dated production; the votive tablets behind it are far older Phra khrueang mascot — French from 1867, English from 1881 mascot The Egyptian galleries, the Metropolitan Museum of Art — collection begun 1870, dug 1906–1941, on display now The Egyptian galleries, the Metropolitan Museum of Art Siegfried Seligmann — 12 June 1870 – 10 November 1926 Siegfried Seligmann The Metropolitan Museum of Art — 1870 to the present The Metropolitan Museum of Art The swastika problem — 1871, Schliemann at Troy, to now — the European half of the story The swastika problem Campbell Bonner — 30 January 1876 – 11 July 1954 Campbell Bonner Walter Leo Hildburgh — 1876–1955 Walter Leo Hildburgh Rabbit's foot — documented from 1884; still carried Rabbit's foot The amulet and charm cases, Pitt Rivers Museum — museum from 1884; the de Mortillet amulets sold 1931, transferred 1985, catalogued 2012 The amulet and charm cases, Pitt Rivers Museum The Pitt Rivers Museum — 1884 to the present The Pitt Rivers Museum Game-day charm — the earliest dated instance is 23 August 1887; carried now Game-day charm Senninbari — 1894 to 1945 Senninbari Cimaruta — documented from 1899; still made Cimaruta Car saint — the motor age to now; the cult behind it is medieval Car saint Hirz — the published example is early twentieth century; the practice runs to now Hirz Inuit amulet — recorded from c. 1900; older, and undated here Inuit amulet Agadez cross — current practice; no start date is published in the source read Agadez cross Insa-dong — c. 1910s to now, as an antiques quarter Insa-dong The Lovett charms at Wellcome Collection — Lovett curated here in 1916; Wellcome bought from him in 1930; the charms were shown again in 2011–12 The Lovett charms at Wellcome Collection mojo — in English from the 1920s mojo Joseph Naveh — 21 January 1928 – 21 November 2011 Joseph Naveh Dreamcatcher — recorded 1929; carried now Dreamcatcher Shaul Shaked — 5 March 1933 – 27 October 2021 Shaul Shaked Alan Dundes — 8 September 1934 – 30 March 2005 Alan Dundes Merkato — c. 1930s to now Merkato Toli — 1940s record to now Toli Challenge coin — the oldest surviving coin is 1950–1958; carried now Challenge coin Christopher A. Faraone — born 1955 Christopher A. Faraone Mercado de Sonora — 1957 to now Mercado de Sonora Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies — established June 1964; renamed under the AIATSIS Act 1989 Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Thamel — c. 1970s to now, as a tourist district Thamel Who owns a charm — 1976, the Iowa Burials Protection Act, to now Who owns a charm Exam charm — the dated record runs from 1979; the Tenjin cult behind it is Heian; carried now Exam charm The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act — enacted 16 November 1990; amended 2022; regulations revised effective 12 January 2024 The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa — established 1992, opened 14 February 1998 Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Phone charm — from about 1995; carried now Phone charm Mana Whenua, Te Papa — the building opened 14 February 1998; the carvings in it span seven centuries Mana Whenua, Te Papa What this atlas does not print — 1999, when AIATSIS first published ethical guidelines, to now What this atlas does not print Gau — the dated example is of the 2000s; the form is older and undated here Gau Sungkhor — the dated example is of the 2000s; the form is older and undated here Sungkhor UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage — Convention adopted 2003; inscriptions annual since UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Wikimedia Commons — launched 7 September 2004 Wikimedia Commons Musée du quai Branly — Jacques Chirac — inaugurated 20 June 2006, opened to the public 23 June 2006 Musée du quai Branly — Jacques Chirac Wellcome Collection — opened June 2007; the collection behind it built from the late nineteenth century Wellcome Collection The charm goes digital — 2015, the Kanda Myojin report, to now The charm goes digital Dating a charm — 2026, when this atlas was built, to now Dating a charm Free to use — 2026, when this repository was licensed, to now Free to use 11001 BCE 3001 BCE 1001 BCE 1 BCE 500 CE 1000 CE 1500 CE 1800 CE 1900 CE 1950 CE 2026 CE How these dates are known
textual 130 records excavated 59 records dated-object 24 records art-historical 17 records ethnographic 7 records inscribed 3 records undated 1 records An excavated date and an ethnographer's date are not the same kind of fact, and
the atlas keeps them apart rather than averaging them into a number.
The long version →
Undated, and why that matters
Astronomical years: 1 CE is 1, 1 BCE is 0, 500 BCE is -499. A row with no end year is still carried. `method` says how the date is known — an excavated date and an ethnographer's date are not the same kind of fact.
Bagua mirror · Crystal pendant · Hei matau · Hei-tiki · Ladanka · Milagro · Navaratna ring · Nimbu mirchi · Ojo de venado · Palad khik · Patuá · Ping'an fu · Rudraksha · Tama · Tupilaq · Worry stone · Yantra plate · The footprint · The horn · The mirror · The phallus · Washing off the ink
Years are stored astronomically — 1 CE is 1, 1 BCE is 0, 500 BCE is −499 — so
that arithmetic across the era boundary works, and printed the way a reader says them. The
table behind this page is timeline.json .