Ancient Egyptian Symbols

ankh1.jpg (2961 bytes)Ankh

Symbol of eternal life. The gods are often seen holding an ankh to someone's lips this is considered to be an offering of "The Breath of Life". The breath you will need in the afterlife.
amenta.jpg (1950 bytes)Amenta

This symbol represents the Underworld or Land of the Dead. Originally it meant the horizon of the sun set. Later, it became the symbol of the west bank of the Nile, where the sun set and also where the Egyptians traditionally buried their dead.
ba.jpg (2275 bytes)Ba
The Ba is what we might call someones personality. It would leave the body at the time of death. During the days the Ba would make itself useful, at night it would return to the tomb. At this time, it would look for the person to which it belonged. This would be the mummy, however, often the egyptians would supply the Ba with a statue in the likeness of the deceased in case the mummy was lost or damaged.
rdcrown.jpg (4336 bytes)Deshret

The Red Crown. This was the crown that represented Lower Egypt (northern).
nemes.gif (2488 bytes)Nemes

A striped headcloth worn by Pharaohs.
was.jpg (3983 bytes)Was

This is a symbol of power and dominion. The Was scepter is carried by deities as a sign of their power. It is also seen being carried by kings and later by people of lesser stature in mortuary scenes
white-crown.jpg (4011 bytes)Hedjet

The White Crown. This was the crown of Upper Egypt (southern).
cartouch.jpg (5104 bytes)Shenu

More commonly know as a cartouche. The shape represents a loop of rope in which a name is written. A protector of that name.
cobra.jpg (4156 bytes)Uraeus

The cobra is an emblem of Lower Egypt. It is associated with the king, and kingdom of Lower Egypt. It is also associated with the sun and with many deities. The cobra represented the "fiery eye of Re", in which two uraei can be seen on either side of a winged solar disk. Starting in Middle Kingdom The uraeus appears as a symbol worn on the crown or headdress of royalty. It is used as a protective symbol, the Egyptians believed that the cobra would spit fire at any approaching enemies.
maat1.jpg (2173 bytes)Maat

Represents truth, justice, morality and balance. Deities are often seen standing on this symbol, as if standing on a foundation of Maat.
scarab.jpg (4546 bytes)Scarab

Called the dung beetle because of its practice of rolling a ball of dung across the ground. The Egyptians observed this behavior and equated it with the ball of the sun being rolled across the sky. They confused this balled food source with the egg sack that the female dung beetle laid and buried in the sand. When the eggs hatched the dung beetles would seem to appear from nowhere, making it a symbol of spontaneous creation. In this role it was associated with the sunrise. Khepri was the scarab headed god.
djed.gif (1836 bytes)Djed

It is believed that the Djed is a rendering of a human backbone. It represents stability and strength. It was originally associated with the creation god Ptah. Himself being called the "Noble Djed". As the Osiris cults took hold it became known as the backbone of Osiris . A djed column is often painted on the bottom of coffins, where the backbone of the deceased would lay, this identified the person with the king of the underworld, Osiris. It also acts as a sign of stability for the deceased' journey into the afterlife.
sema1.gif (2647 bytes)Sema

This is a rendering of the lungs attached to the windpipe. As a hieroglyph this symbol represents the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. Other symbols are often added to further illustrate unification.
maat.jpg (4049 bytes)Feather of Maat

Represents truth, justice, morality and balance. It was pharaoh's job to uphold Maat. When a pharaoh died, Maat was lost and the world was flung into chaos, only the coronation of a new pharaoh could restore Maat.

Page 1 2

click here

Copyright © 2008 Ancient-Symbols.com  All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in   any form or medium without express written permission of Ancient-Symbols.com  is prohibited.

Our Partner Sites Menu: Anti Gravity Technology Tree Pictures Winter Pictures Moose Pictures Deer Pictures Causes of Global Warming Affiliate Banner Ads, Free Energy Astronomy Pictures Ancient Symbols Unidentified Flying Objects Ufo Pictures Owl Pictures Elk Pictures Ufo Videos Online Caribou Pictures Monkey Pictures Giraffe Pictures Elephant Pictures How to Pray Easy Home Based Job Ad Typist Job Data Entry Jobs Home Typist Business Make Money Online Webforcash Affiliate Network Email Processing ancient egyptian symbols