The Egyptian Ankh - Key of LifeThe Egyptian Ankh is one of the most widely used symbols of ancient Egypt. It symbolizes "eternal life" and is thus called the Key of Life.It is a sun-symbol that the deities were depicted using, and it is also used in amulets worn by the ancient Egyptians. It's also one of the most popular pendants worn today. It has a special memory for me... ...I must have been 5 or 6 years old at the time. I was with my mother on one of her guided tours; we were at the Step Pyramid in Sakkara. As the tourists were taking photographs, I was inside the entrance of the pyramid when I saw something glint in the dirt. I brushed away some of the sand and uncovered a small Ankh pendant. I ran to my mother breathlessly to show it to her, and pointed to where I had found it. Wide-eyed, I asked her if it was real. She of course didn't want to disappoint me, so she played along and told me that I must have found a treasure that the ancient Gods had left there for me on purpose. To this day I still haven't asked her whether she left it there on purpose or if I had just found what a tourist may have lost there a few days earlier. To this day I still have this tiny pendant that I adore. 
The Gods and Goddesses of ancient Egypt were depicted carrying and sometimes holding it at the nose of the deceased to inhale as a breath of eternal life.Its form has been interpreted to represent many things. One of which is the Nile Valley itself - with the loop being the delta, the stem being the Nile, and the two arms being the East and West of the Nile. Another representation has to do with the male and female reproductive organs combined. One way or another, the cross in all its different forms has been an ancient religious symbol in many cultures - it certainly does have a depth that I can't describe or understand.
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