Amulets were personal adornments worn by the living and placed on mummy wrappings to provide protection and aid on the journey from death to the afterlife. The color, shape, and other qualities of the materials were believed to endow the amulet and its wearer with special powers and protections. Amulets of crocodiles were worn to ward off evil. Crocodiles were a great fear for those who traveled on or lived near the Nile River. Those who were eaten by crocodiles were said to forfeit an Afterlife. Crocodiles posed danger even after death; the Book of the Dead devotes chapters to repelling a crocodile that aims to steal the magical power of the deceased. The crocodile also symbolized rebirth; it was said to sink into the waters of the primordial ocean and then re-emerge like the sun.

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The god Sebek, which means crocodile, was associated with the pharaoh and represented his power. Sebek was often depicted as a crocodile-headed man wearing a sun disk. This amulet is made of faience, a sandy mixture of crushed quartz, natron, and pigment that was heated to fuse it together.

Sources:

Andrews, Carol. Amulets of Ancient Egypt. 1994 (British Museum Press). University of Texas Press, 1998.

"Faience Openwork Collar." British Museum Catalogue Entry for Object Number EA 59334

Wilkinson, Richard H. The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson, 2003.

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