These three necklaces are a recent composition of Phoenician and Punic amulets alternating with Egyptian beads. Phoenician-Punic amulets can be divided into several types, of which only a minority are amulets with Phoenician and Punic motifs (masks, the sign of Tanit, etc.). The preference for Egyptian subjects, as evidenced by Phoenician art, is also reflected in the amulets: the vast majority refer to Egyptian prototypes, making it difficult to distinguish local production from Egyptian imports. In the selection of Phoenician amulets (cat. 514-515) fertility symbols dominate (bunches of grapes, phallic amulets, papyrus stems), alternating with some divine animals and two cowrie shells decorated with hieroglyphs.
The Egyptian aspect in art is spread from the motherland along with the Phoenician expansion throughout the Mediterranean. Thus, the series of Punic amulets (cat. 516) testifies to the same preference for symbols of power, protection or abundance, such as divinities, such as gods (Ptah, Tureis, Isis with Horus child), certain hieroglyphs (the wdjat eye, the papyrus stem) or divine animals (the scarab, the crocodile, the cat, the lion, the royal cobra). The lack of comparative material from western Mediterranean sites may indicate an Egyptian rather than Punic origin for some specific examples (e.g. the scarab amulet), while other amulets may be local products or possibly of Phoenician import. V.B.