Follow your curiosity

What discovery has been shared with you?

Start with one fact. Explore it, go deeper, then follow whichever branch catches your imagination.

Choose subjects for a surprise

Exploring any topic

Begin your discovery

Your next discovery is one click away.

Choose one or more subjects above, or leave Any Topic selected and let curiosity decide.

Arts & Culture

The Iconography of the Ankh and the Significance of the Afterlife in Egyptian Funerary Art

Quick fact

The ankh was often held to the nose of the deceased in funerary scenes, symbolically breathing life back into them for eternity, not just as a general symbol of life.

Why this is interesting

You've likely seen the ankh, a cross with a loop at the top, but did you know it was more than a symbol for 'life'? In Egyptian tombs, its placement and the figures holding it reveal a profound vision of what happens after we die.