Ankhs that were made out of faience, wax,
metal, and gems were popular during the 18th and
19th dynasties as jeweled objects of power. Per-aa
(pharaoh) Tutankhamen had a mirror shaped as
an ankh. His name meant “The living Image of
Amen.” Thus, Tutankhamen carried the great
name of Amen alongside the symbol of life. When
Howard Carter opened the tomb of Tutankhamen
in the Valley of the Kings, he discovered many
objects that had the ankh symbol on them. It
appeared to be everywhere in the tomb.
But Tutankhamen was not the only king
whose tomb was full of ankhs. Ramses,
Tuthmoses, Senursert, and other per-aas had
reigns that included the presence of many ankhs
on jewelry and other personal objects. Other
kings also used the ankh as a symbol of life gen-
erating power. Senursert is seen in a famous pose
holding two ankhs to his chest. This is an exam-
ple of the use of the ankh for protection, security,
and life. One could avoid chaos and death by the
use of the ankh.
Few symbols have ever been as widespread as
the ankh. The ancient Egyptians seemed to have
created the symbol of the ankh on every occasion
that was fraught with decision making. Much like
the Yoruba orisha Eshu, the deity of the cross-
roads, the ankh in ancient Egypt, although not a
representative of a deity, is a powerful object for
social and political transformation. People
believed that the ankh situated over thenebcould
render them protected from all problems. In fact,
the symbols suggested that they would have all
life. Death would be unable to conquer them
because they would go into death with the symbol
of immortality. The ankh retained its influence
among the Egyptian people long after the end of
the dynastic period.
Even when Christianity became the religion of
Egypt, the people were still using the symbol of
the ankh. For a while the ankh and the cross were
used simultaneously until the Christians soon
replaced the ankh with the cross. Thus, the vener-
able African ankh moved into popular culture and
has remained one of the most recognizable human
symbols.
Molefi Kete AsanteSee alsoKa; Nkwa; Soul
Further Readings
Asante, M. K. (2000).The Egyptian Philosophers.
Chicago: African American Images.
Collier, M., & Bill, M. (1998).How to Read Egyptian
Hieroglyphs(rev. ed.). Berkeley: University of
California Press.
Salaman, C., Van Oyen, D., Wharton, W. D., & Mahé,
J.-P. (2000).The Way of Hermes:New Translations
of the Corpus Heremticum and the Definitions of
Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius. Rochester, VT:
Inner Traditions.ANUBIS
Anubis is the Greek translation for the
Kemetic/EgyptianAnpu. He is the Jackal-headed
Kemetic god of the dead. Although fearsome in
appearance, Anubis is recognized as being a caring
and nurturing god. He holds power over the spir-
its of the dead on their journeys after death. He is
the personification of the Summer Solstice because
he is associated with opening the way to the after-
world. Anubis was integral in the conveyance of
the dead seeking entrance into the Afterlife.
There is a quality of creation to his activities. He is
credited with creating the process of embalming and
mummification, and inKemet/Egypt, he held domain
over the cemeteries and protected them against
Earthly perils. Anubis was instrumental in the judg-
ment of the Dead and their fate. Satisfactory comple-
tion of the judgment trials ofMaatpermitted the Dead
to enter into the Hall ofAusar/Osirisfor an eternal
joyous afterlife. However, should the Dead fail judg-
ment, they were ushered intoAmentito be ravaged by
Ammut. Anubis is an ancientKemeticGod of noble
lineage; his origins are traced to the first family of
Gods. His motherNebt-het/Nephthysis twin sister to
Auset/Isis.Some say that his sect of worship was older
than and rivaled that of Ausar. This entry looks at his
functions, characteristics, and lineage.The God’s Role
Anubis holds dominion over the embalming
aspects of mummification and holds sovereignty
over decay caused by time and the resistance to
decay. He appears numerous times in the Kemetic
Book of the Coming Forth/Going by Dayor theAnubis 61