Although you may not yet know what the ankh is, what is certain is that you have seen it many times, especially if you have traveled to Egypt or are considering it. In fact, it is part of the new logo of the country’s Tourism Authority, which assimilates this symbol to the t in the wordEgypt. Therefore, in this post we tell you what it is, what it means and why it has such a great symbolism in the country.
What is the Ankh or Egyptian Cross?
Ankh, also often written as anh, is a symbol widely used in Ancient Egyptian iconography. It is actually a sign or hieroglyph that is indeed shaped like a lowercase t or even a cross, but with the difference that the protruding part above the two arms adopts a round or, more commonly, an oval shape. In fact, it is often called an Egyptian cross or a crossed cross.
There are also those who, with a certain imagination, see it as a key. And in fact, it is very common to see representations of pharaohs or gods such as Isis and Osiris holding the ankh in their hand, inserting their fingers into the oval part, as if it were a key, or rather as an object full of power.
What does anj mean
The most common translation of anj is “life” or terms of the same family, a concept related to that of reproduction and creation. In fact, one theory holds that it could be the union of the male reproductive organs (the t as genitalia) and the female reproductive organs (the oval as uterus).
The ankh was so present in the life and religion of Ancient Egypt that it was common for the pharaohs to include it in their official names. Without going any further, Tutankhamun is the sum of Tut-anj-Amon, that is to say, “living image of Amon”, that is to say, a way of legitimizing himself and proclaiming himself an envoy of that god on Earth.
The different religions in history have adopted a greater syncretism than they appear, taking and adapting symbols from one another. And the ankh is no exception. For example, the so-called ‘Mirror of Venus‘, that is, the symbol of the Roman religion used to represent this goddess of beauty and icon of femininity. In fact, this symbol is still used today in biology to indicate the female sex.
And on the other hand, since the second century A.D., when Christianity was beginning to spread in Egyptian lands, the Copts (Egyptian Christians) used this symbol as a local version of the cross of Christ, since in fact it has a similar shape, which could be interpreted as a sign of the divine presence on Earth.
The use of the ankh today
With all these facts, it is no coincidence to see how the ankh is still used as a sign of Egyptian identity today. Firstly, it is a symbol with great visual strength: simple and beautiful at the same time. Secondly, it is a sign of the long and ancient history of Egyptian culture, which already used these symbols millennia ago.
And thirdly, a subtle and elegant way of showing us that much of the later symbology (both religious and non-religious) derives from the Egyptian, a culture that has given life to others, that has inspired them and with which it still has many points of convergence.
Now that you know what the ankh is and what it means, you will be able to find it and understand it in person, when you travel with us through this country so full of history and symbolism.
