When I was about seven years old, my grandmother gave me a book about ancient Egypt. We would sit together and read the stories, marveling at the gods and goddesses, the towering pyramids, and the mysteries of a civilization long gone. Not long after, she took me to a museum exhibit filled with artifacts from the ancient world.
Among them was a symbol I remember staring at for a long time — a cross, but not quite. It had a loop at the top, and I thought it looked a little strange compared to the crosses I’d seen before. I asked my grandmother about it, and she explained that while it might look like a cross, it meant something different. It was called the Ankh, she told me, and it was a symbol of life.
Even then, I understood that symbols held power. They weren’t just images but ways to connect to something more profound. Over time, I came to see the Ankh as one of many symbols pointing toward an overall truth: that life is a cycle, eternal and ever-changing, and that the things we wear and the images we surround ourselves with can remind us of who we are and what we believe.
The Ankh is an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol shaped like a cross with a looped top. Known as the “Key of Life” or “Crux Ansata” (Latin for ‘cross with a handle), it represents life, vitality, and eternal existence. It appeared everywhere in ancient Egyptian art and culture — painted on tomb walls, held by gods in carvings, and worn as amulets by royalty and ordinary people.
The origins of the Ankh trace back over 5,000 years. It was closely associated with deities such as Isis, Osiris, and Ra, often shown being offered to a pharaoh as a sign of divine protection and the promise of eternal life.
While scholars still debate its origins, some suggest the shape symbolizes the union of male and female energies, a symbolic merging to create life. Others see it as a representation of the sun rising over the horizon or a stylized sandal strap — a necessary tool for travel, perhaps even through the afterlife. However, it began with the Ankh, an essential emblem in Egyptian beliefs about life, death, and rebirth.
It’s interesting to note the materials used for Ankhs and other Egyptian artifacts. I once heard a company claim they wouldn’t offer Ankhs in silver, only bronze and gold, asserting that ancient Egyptians wouldn’t have represented it that way. However, this isn’t entirely accurate. While gold was widespread and highly symbolic of eternity and the sun, silver was also used. Ancient Egypt did not have native silver sources, so it was considered rarer than gold in some periods. Silver was present in their culture and art despite its rarity, often associated with the moon and feminine deities. Ankhs and other sacred objects were crafted from various materials, including faience, wood, stone, bronze, electrum (a natural gold-silver alloy), and even silver. The “bones of the gods” were sometimes described as silver, illustrating its symbolic importance, even if less prevalent than gold.
Today, the Ankh continues to hold meaning for people around the world. It reemerged in popular culture during the 1960s and 70s, embraced as a symbol of African heritage, resilience, and spirituality. It’s also found a place in modern fashion and jewelry, worn by those drawn to its message of life force and eternal spirit. Public figures like Erykah Badu, Rihanna, and Beyoncé have incorporated it into their style, and it regularly appears in film, literature, and music. From Gothic culture to contemporary spirituality, the Ankh remains a reminder of life’s enduring cycles — and how ancient symbols still speak to us today.
Symbols like the Ankh remind us that meaning is never far away. They give form to the invisible, whether it’s the mystery of life itself or the personal stories we carry with us. For me, it’s not just about the history or the shape of the Ankh. It’s about what it represents: another piece in the long, ongoing search for understanding — one symbol among many that points toward something larger than ourselves.