• Ancient Egyptian symbols were a great source of knowledge as it was
necessary better to understand their history, daily life, and religions .
Egyptian symbols were depicted in hieroglyphs signs ,and these symbols
were called" The words of God ".
• The most famous ancient Symbols for Egypt are the sphinx ,the scarab ,
the ankh ,the 'all-seeing 'Eye of Horus ,and the gods depicted with animal
heads.
• They are shown in ancient Egyptian art, their artifacts, relics
found in the tombs, temples, hieroglyphics, and the papyrus
manuscripts of the ancient Egyptians .
• The Symbols represented diverse usages and meanings in the
lives of the ancient Egyptians .Many ancient Egyptian symbols
were used as amulets of protection .
The Ankh symbol
• The Ankh is the Egyptian sign of
life and indicates that the King or
God holding it has the power to give
life or take it away from lesser
mortals.Only Kings, Queens and
Gods were allowed to carry this
symbol.
• The Ankh as a symbol of the life
giving elements of air and water was
often used by a God or Goddess
who holds the Ankh before the King’s
nose, giving him the “breath of life”
or as streams of water in the form of
ankhs running over the King during
ritual purification.
The Wedjat Eye of Horus
• The eye of Horus is also
known as Wedjat , udjat or
Oudjat is an ancient Egyptian
symbol of regeneration used in
modern times as popular icon
for the civilization and is
sometimes associated with
occult beliefs.
• The udjat is represented as a
human eye and eyebrow as
they would be seen looking at a
person in the face.
The Khepri Scarab
• The scarab beetle is a real beetle, a common beetle. To the
ancient Egyptians, this common beetle symbolized hope and
the restoration of life.
•
They used the design of a scarab beetle in many ways. Seals
were created in the shape of a scarab and used to stamp
documents.
The cartouche
•
A cartouche is an oblong, or oval, magical rope which was
drawn to contain the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics that spelt
out the name of a King or Queen.
• The "cartouche" can be found on Egyptian monuments and
papyrus documents and the magical rope was used to surround
the name and protect it.
The Sphinx
• Sphinxes are majestic monuments of Egyptian civilization .Sphinxes
were in the forms of tombs so that the tombs inside could be guarded.
• The name 'sphinx' which means 'strangler' was first given by the Greeks to a
fabulous creature which had the head of a woman and the body of a lion and
the wings of a bird .
Bastet goddess
• The ancient Egyptians had numerous types of pets - monkeys, ducks,
geese, pigeons, hoopoes, falcons, cats, dogs, and even ferrets. Feline
reverence had a remarkable significance in their religious life. The people
worshiped cats, and Bastet was the cat goddess.
Bast is first and foremost a protectress, specifically of the royal house and
the Two Lands. Later she got the life-preserving goddess of joy and
protector of women.
The Feather of Maat
• Maat represented justice, order, truth, morality and balance. Gods are
often seen standing on the symbol of Maat, symbol of justice. Feather of
Maat was the feather that adorned a goddess called Maat.
• It is the responsibility of the Pharaoh establish and maintain Maat. Maat was
lost when a pharaoh died. It could be restored by the crowning of a new
Pharaoh.
Canopic Jars
• Canopic jars played an important role in the rituals of ancient Egyptians of
which the most prominent was the mummification process. They were wide
necked containers in which the internal organs of the deceased were stored
before mummifying the dead.
• Egyptians believed in afterlife and stored the internal soft organs like the
stomach, intestines, liver and lungs. These organs constituted the 'viscera'.
Each organ was stored in a separate Canopic jar.
Obelisk
• The term "obelisk" comes from the Greek word "Obeliskos", which means
a pointed nail. It is a tall, tapering, four-sided structure ending at a pointed
head.
• It was called Tenjen in the language of Ancient Egypt, and meant protection
and defense. The Obelisk was thought to perforate the clouds and disperse
the negative forces.
The Uraeus
• The Uraeus ,Uraei or Uraeuses is the stylized, upright form of an Egyptian
cobra (serpent, or snake), used as a symbol of sovereignty, royalty, deity
and divine authority in ancient Egypt.
• The Uraeus is a symbol for the goddess Wadjet. She was one of the earliest
Egyptian deities and who often was depicted as a cobra.
Hekha and Nekhakha
• The crook or heka and the flail or flabellum (nekhakha), are two of the
most prominent items in the royal regalia of ancient Egypt.
• The scepter in Ancient Egypt was a sign for the kings , princes and nobles
and the evidence of His Highness, the prestige , honor and power.
• Actual, very fine examples of both survive from ancient Egypt, as do statues
and various wall reliefs, paintings and papyrus with representations of these
objects.
Nemes Headdress
• headdresses were often confused. A crown or cap associated with the
pharaoh is the Nemes headdress. He is most famous as represented by the
funeral mask of Tutankhamun and is also visible on the Sphinx.
• This fabric was often head full of bright colors. The front part of the sports
this hairstyle uraeus, a cobra goddess vertically flared known as Wadjet, the
vulture goddess, Nekhbet. Khepresh Blue Crown was this associated with
the pharaoh.
• This presentation is a summary of an article
on ancient Egyptian symbols in the EgyKing
blog, For more details on the Egyptian
symbols and their meanings Read these
articles :• Ancient Egyptian symbols
• Egyptian symbols and meanings
• What is an obelisk?
• Ancient Egypt Sphinx
• Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics
• Ancient Egyptian Blue Lotus
• Egyptian Cartouche Definition
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Pharaoh Headdress Meaning
Mastaba Art History Definition
Meaning of Scarab Beetle
Maat symbol of justice
Ancient Egyptian Ka Statues
Crook and Flail Meaning
Ancient Egyptian Uraeus
Ancient Egyptian Amulets
Ancient Egyptian Cats
Ancient Egyptian Artifacts
Cleopatra's Needle
Ancient Egyptian Ankh Meaning
Eye of Horus meaning
Ancient Egyptian Jewelry
Ancient Egyptian Art