Editing Ankh (section)

{{short description|Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol}}
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{{redirect|Key of life|the 2012 film|Key of Life}}
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[[File:Ankh (SVG) 01.svg|thumb|251x251px|The ankh has a [[T-shape]] topped by a [[Drop (liquid)|droplet]]-shaped loop.]]
The '''ankh''' or '''key of life''' is an [[ancient Egypt]]ian [[Egyptian hieroglyphs|hieroglyphic symbol]] used to represent the word for "life" and, by extension, as a symbol of [[life]] itself.

The ankh has a [[T-shape]] topped by a [[Drop (liquid)|droplet]]-shaped loop. It was used in writing as a [[Semitic root#Triconsonantal roots|triliteral sign]], representing a sequence of three consonants, ''Ꜥ-n-ḫ''. This sequence was found in several Egyptian words, including the terms for "mirror", "floral bouquet", and "life". The symbol often appeared in [[art of ancient Egypt|Egyptian art]] as a physical object representing either life or related life-giving substances such as air or water. Commonly depicted in the hands of [[ancient Egyptian deities]], sometimes being given by them to the [[pharaoh]], it represents their power to sustain life and to revive human [[ancient Egyptian conception of the soul|souls]] in [[Ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs|the afterlife]].

The ankh was a widespread decorative motif in ancient Egypt, also used decoratively by neighbouring cultures. [[Copts]] adapted it into the ''crux ansata'', a shape with a circular rather than droplet loop, and used it as a [[Christian cross variants|variant of the Christian cross]]. The ankh came into widespread use in [[Western culture]] in the 1960s, appearing as a symbol of African cultural identity, [[Neopagan]] belief systems, and later, the [[goth subculture]].