Protective amulet for pregnant woman and children, Depicting the Holy Rider Raising a Spear toward a Female Figure

The figure of the Holy Rider appears on amulets dated between the 2nd and 7th centuries. Originally the rider was identified with King Solomon, due to a tradition that attributes to him magic powers, and his name would appear by the figure. Over the years it became a protective symbol, and in the Byzantine era Christians associated the rider with different saints. The female figure has been identified also as Lilith – a demon who harms children and expectant women, whom the amulet is meant to protect.
The rear side of this amulet shows the figure of Chnoubis: a coiled serpent with a lion’s head frequently found on healing amulets. The Greek inscription around it has yet to be deciphered.