During the period of Egyptian civilization, which spanned some 6,000 years, charms and talismans played an important role both in religious and civil life. Sometime during this period the Ankh made its debut and eventually went on to become one of Egypt's most popular and enduring amulets. 

The Ankh as a Hieroglyph

The Ankh and Other Heirglyphs

From a visual point of view the Ankh was formed by a loop (the RU) set upon a T, or TAU, cross. (see footnote 1). There are slight variations to this design as we shall see later on. For instance the upper part appears as an oval in some instances, as a circle in others - however the lower part usually remains as a simple T shaped cross. There were Medieval embellishments later on but these were mainly aesthetic. 

So then what exactly did the Egyptians believe the Ankh represented? To the Egyptian people it was believed that the Ankh amulet bestowed upon its wearer, intelligence, power, and abundance. As a hieroglyph it signified 'life '. 

In many regards it was deemed a water symbol with very close associations to the central and most important natural resource that the Egyptians had - namely the river Nile. 

The Ankh and the Egyptian Hierarchy

Solar Gods Ra and Re Carrying Ankhs 

Unfortunately this mundane, agricultural interpretation of the symbol fails to reveal the rich and varied uses with which the hieroglyph appears in connection with the Egyptian Hierarchy or their rituals. 

In a multitude of differing settings the symbol appears throughout Egypt as an apparent icon of prestige and authority. Carvings, papyrus texts, wall paintings and coffin decoration consistently display Gods and Goddesses holding, viewing or using Ankhs in a wide variety of contexts - as if they were being proudly displayed as badges of honour.

Throughout Egypt it is common to find Anqet, Ptah, Satet, Sobek, Tefnut, Osiris, Ra, Isis, Hathor, Anibus and many other gods holding an Ankh, sometimes in conjunction with a scepter. In various tomb and temple reliefs Ankhs are shown placed in front of the king's face to symbolize the breath of eternal life. (see footnote 3). 

In the papyrus scrolls the Crux Ansata is shown issuing from the mouths of the Egyptian kings when they pardoned enemies. Presumably the Ankh was used to signify benevolence and prestige. 

The Ankh and Sexual Power

Isis, Osiris and their son Horus 

The relationship between the Egyptian goddess Isis and the god Osiris has captured the imagination of artists and mystics for many millenium. Even today their relationship is classed as the all-time classic romantic laison dwarfing even that of Romeo and Juliet on ocassions. 

The twin aspects to the Ankh can be As an symbollic representation of the act of sexual intercourse between Isis and Osiris for it takes no stretch of the imagination to see the Ankhs' RU loop as a representation of the all yielding female Yoni and its T cross as a replication of the penetrative, or erect, male phallus. The point of intersection at which the two parts meet denotes the act of sexual unification. 

Egyptian history states that from the fruits of their sacred union sprang the god Horus and it is for this reason that the Ankh is often associated with him. As a further note of interest in Ancient Egypt the Ankh was also referred to as the ' Key of the Nile' and once again the act of the fertilisation of the Nile Valley through the melting of the mountains snow can also be seen to contain a sexual analogy.

The Ankh and Healing

The Egyptian 'Elixir' 

The symbol of the Ankh has also been connected with health and with the art of healing. Around 3000 B.C. Imkotep the physician for the pharaoh's family became associated with the symbol and long after his death he was made the god of medicine and of healing, in Egypt. In some ways the traditional symbol for healing, namely the Caduceus, can be seen as an extension of the Ankh. 

Egyptologist Sir Alan Gardiner rather quirkily thought that the Ankh denoted a sandal strap with the loop forming the strap. To most minds this interpretation is rather obscure. Nevertheless it seems that the ancient Egyptians called that part of the sandal 'NKH'. Because this word was composed of the same consonants as the word "life", the sign to represent that particular part of the sandal, was also used to write the word "life".

In relation to another part of Egyptian clothing it is interesting to note that Wolfhart Westendorf felt that the Ankh was associated with the 'tyet' emblem, or the ' knot of Isis'. He thought both were ties for ceremonial girdles. 

Ankh and the Sunrise

Sunrise over the Nile 

Another theory about the Ankh states that it was used to symbolise the sunrise. The loop over the horizontal bar representing the Sun rising above the horizon. The vertical element of the T-cross denotes the path of the sun. 

This interpretation of the Ankh is understandable when one considers the importance that the Ancient Egyptians played to the Sun as the giver and provider of all life. (see footnote 4) 

During the Amarna period, the Ankh was shown being offered to Akhenaten and Nefertiti at the end of rays descending from Aten - the sun disk. 

Some commentators on Egyptology have stated that they believe that the primary point of veneration was not in fact the Sun as is widely supposed but that it was the star Sirius. Interestingly several esoteric connections actually exists between the Ankh, the star Sirius and the revered goddess Isis and we will explore this in greater depth later. 

The Ankh and Mirrors

Egyptian Ankh Mirror Case 

It is interesting to find that the word Ankh was also used for mirrors from at least the Middle Kingdom onward. Indeed excavations have revealed that many mirrors of the era were shaped in the form of an Ankh sign. Throughout history mirrors have always had a symbolic as well as practical function and there is a suggestion that the Ankh mirrors may have had a semi-ritual purpose. 

So as the Ankh entered into common usage throughout Egypt its range of applications and associations grew. 

The fact that it was essentially an amulet is important because it transcended illiteracy, being comprehensible to even those who could not read. Hence we even find it in such diverse setting as a craftsman's mark on pottery vessels. 

To the Egyptians the Ankh, either as an amulet, hieroglyph or ritual tool spoke many things to all men - from the highest members of the aristocracy down through to the lowly farmers and tradesmen on the banks of the Nile. 

The literal meaning of the RU hieroglyph is understood to have meant 'birth passage', 'doorway' and 'vagina'. Thus it held a function as a dual-symbol representing birth into the material world or access from the material into the spiritual as in an initiation. Therefore, the Ankh is not only a symbol of worldly life, but also of life in the 'netherworld '. Derivations of the word are found in references to the dead as 'ankhu' whilst the term for a sarcophagus was 'neb-ankh' or ' possessor of life'.

Count Goblet d'Alviella, in his ' Migration of Symbols', calls attention to the fact that an instrument resembling the Ankh, called the Nilometer, were used by the Ancient Egyptians for measuring the inundations of the River Nile.

During the time of Ancient Egypt the elements of both air and water were interchangeable as both were understood to be essential to life. Thus when a god holds the Ankh before the king's nose the ' breath of life' is bestowed upon him or when streams of water in the forms of Ankhs run over the king during ritual he is purified. 

It should perhaps be noted that some sources suggest that the radiant sphere depicted in a great deal of Egyptian art work is not the Sun as we know it. It is more probable that what is actually shown is the brightest star, and not planet, in the sky; that being the Dog Star Sirius.