Introduction to
Ancient Egyptian Symbols
This class is intended as a guide to some of the more common symbols used by the ancient Egyptians. This is by no means an exhaustive examination of the subject, but it does cover many of the most important symbols you will encounter in ancient Egyptian religion and artwork. Along with common symbols the use of color in Egyptian art is discussed as well as ancient Egyptian royal regalia.
Common Egyptian Symbols and Their Meanings
Ab
The Ab is the Heart, and its symbol is small heart-shaped vase. To the Egyptians the Heart was the seat of consciousness and of the true self. Actions were said to come ”from the heart”, and things were felt “in the heart”. After death the Soul was judged in a ceremony called the Psychostasia in which the heart was weighed against a feather, symbol of Ma’at or Truth. If the heart were lighter than the feather, the soul could proceed into the afterworld.
The Ankh is perhaps the most sacred symbol in Egyptian iconography –and also the Egyptian symbol most widely used today. The Ankh represents life, in the sense of the animating force. The Ankh is used to indicate that which is living, as well as the wish for a thing to live. Deities are often shown granting life to deceased via the symbol of the Ankh. No one knows what exactly the Ankh symbol depicts but it is widely held to be a symbolic depiction of the union of masculine and feminine forces. More prosaically some hold that the Ankh symbol represents a sandal strap. In ancient Egyptian art figures are often shown carrying the Ankh by its hoop, rather like an old-fashioned ladies handbag, or alternatively grasping it by the shaft. Author Brendan Tripp has suggested that when a figure is shown holding the Ankh in this fashion it indicates that the figure is engaged in creative action. The term “Ankh” can also indicate a mirror, and Egyptian mirrors and mirror-cases were often crafted in the shape of an Ankh. This is in keeping with the widespread idea that a mirror shows not only the physical reflection but something of the vital animating force of the being as well. The term “Ankh” can also refer to the Lotus flower, also a common symbol of life, especially in the sense of eternal life.