Egyptian Symbols Ankh

The ankh is one of the favorite symbols and shows up in a lot of the ancient egyptian art.

Egyptian symbols ankh. 3150 2613 bce. The ankh is an egyptian symbol dating back to ancient times symbolizing life. Construction of the image the ankh is an oval or point down teardrop set atop a t shape. In latin it is called the crux ansata or cross with a handle.

In ancient egypt the ankh was one of the few symbols that were in continued usage from very early periods to very late periods. The ankh has a cross shape but with a teardrop shaped loop in place of an upper bar. The ankh is one of the most recognizable symbols from ancient egypt known as the key of life or the cross of life and dating from the early dynastic period c. Despite its popularity its origin and meaning is still subject for much debate.

It has appeared in several art palettes and hieroglyphic artifacts all over egypt. As a symbol of imperishable vital. In their hieroglyphic system of writing the ankh represents the concept of eternal life and that is the general meaning of the symbol. The ankh is one of the most widely used representations of symbolic ancient egypt.

In egyptian tomb paintings and other art the ankh appears frequently. The egyptian cross also known as ankh was originally an egyptian hieroglyph used to represent the word life. The ankh is the most well known symbol to come out of ancient egypt the general meaning of the symbol in its hieroglyphic system of writing the ankh represents the concept of eternal life the ankh or the key of life the ankh frequently appears in egyptian tomb paintings and other art it is known as the key of the nile as the union between osiris and isis the ankh was associated with the cult of isis was also the ank depicted as a cross with a handle that represented eternal life. By extension this cross became primarily a symbol of life.

It is often at the very end of the fingers of a picture of a god or goddess and it s believed that it represents the gods offering the gift of life. The ankh is the most well known symbol to come out of ancient egypt. Ankh decorated walls of egyptian temples. Some say it is associated with a sandal strap presumably because of its shape.

This cross was also placed on the lips of dead kings bearing in mind that according to the mentality of ancient egypt death did not mean the end but was merely a transition to the afterlife to eternal life. It is a cross with a loop at the top sometimes ornamented with symbols or decorative flourishes but most often simply a plain gold cross. The ankh or key of life is an ancient egyptian hieroglyphic symbol that was most commonly used in writing and in egyptian art to represent the word for life and by extension as a symbol of life itself. It was especially prominent in the amarna period alongside the aten.

The symbol is a teardrop shaped hoop with a cross connected directly below it.