Ancient Egyptian symbols were a great source of knowledge as it was necessary better to understand their history, daily life, and religions. Egyptian symbols were depicted in hieroglyphs signs, and these symbols were called "The words of God."

The most famous ancient Symbols for Egypt are the sphinx, the scarab, the ankh, the 'all-seeing' Eye of Horus, and the gods depicted with animal heads.

They are shown in ancient Egyptian art, their artifacts, relics found in the tombs, temples, hieroglyphics, and the papyrus manuscripts of the ancient Egyptians. 

The Symbols represented diverse usages and meanings in the lives of the ancient Egyptians. Many ancient Egyptian symbols were used as amulets of protection.

The Ankh symbol

The Ankh is the Egyptian sign of life and indicates  that the King or God holding it has the power to give life or  take it away from lesser mortals.Only Kings, Queens and Gods were allowed to carry this symbol.

The Ankh as a symbol of the life giving elements of air and water was often used by a God or Goddess who holds the Ankh before the King’s nose,  giving him the “breath of life” or as streams of water in the  form of ankhs running over the King during ritual  purification.

The Wedjat Eye of Horus

The eye of Horus is also known as Wedjat , udjat or Oudjat is an ancient Egyptian symbol of regeneration used in modern times as popular icon for the civilization and is sometimes associated with occult beliefs.

The udjat is represented as a human eye and eyebrow as they would be seen looking at a person in the face.

The Khepri Scarab

The scarab beetle is a real beetle, a common beetle. To the ancient Egyptians, this common beetle symbolized hope and the restoration of life.

They used the design of a scarab beetle in many ways. Seals were created in the shape of a scarab and used to stamp documents.

The cartouche

 A cartouche is an oblong, or oval, magical rope which was drawn to contain the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics that spelt out the name of a King or Queen.

The "cartouche" can be found on Egyptian monuments and papyrus documents and the magical rope was used to surround the name and protect it.

The Sphinx

Sphinxes are majestic monuments of Egyptian civilization. Sphinxes were in the forms of tombs so that the tombs inside could be guarded.

The name 'sphinx' which means 'strangler' was first given by the Greeks to a fabulous creature which had the head of a woman and the body of a lion and the wings of a bird.

Bastet goddess

The ancient Egyptians had numerous types of pets - monkeys, ducks, geese, pigeons, hoopoes, falcons, cats, dogs, and even ferrets. Feline reverence had a remarkable significance in their religious life. The people worshiped cats, and Bastet was the cat goddess.
 
Bast is first and foremost a protectress, specifically of the royal house and the Two Lands. Later she got the life-preserving goddess of joy and protector of women.

The Feather of Maat

Maat represented justice, order, truth, morality and balance. Gods are often seen standing on the symbol of Maat, symbol of justice. Feather of Maat was the feather that adorned a goddess called Maat.

It is the responsibility of the Pharaoh establish and maintain Maat. Maat was lost when a pharaoh died. It could be restored by the crowning of a new Pharaoh.

Canopic Jars

Canopic jars played an important role in the rituals of ancient Egyptians of which the most prominent was the mummification process. They were wide necked containers in which the internal organs of the deceased were stored before mummifying the dead.

Egyptians believed in afterlife and stored the internal soft organs like the stomach, intestines, liver and lungs. These organs constituted the 'viscera'. Each organ was stored in a separate Canopic jar.

Obelisk

The term "obelisk" comes from the Greek word "Obeliskos", which means a pointed nail. It is a tall, tapering, four-sided structure ending at a pointed head.

It was called Tenjen in the language of Ancient Egypt, and meant protection and defense. The Obelisk was thought to perforate the clouds and disperse the negative forces.

The Uraeus

The Uraeus ,Uraei or Uraeuses is the stylized, upright form of an Egyptian cobra (serpent, or snake), used as a symbol of sovereignty, royalty, deity and divine authority in ancient Egypt.

The Uraeus is a symbol for the goddess Wadjet. She was one of the earliest Egyptian deities and who often was depicted as a cobra.

Hekha and Nekhakha

The crook or heka and the flail or flabellum (nekhakha), are two of the most prominent items in the royal regalia of ancient Egypt.

The scepter in Ancient Egypt was a sign for the kings , princes and nobles and the evidence of His Highness, the prestige , honor and power.

Actual, very fine examples of both survive from ancient Egypt, as do statues and various wall reliefs, paintings and papyrus with representations of these objects.

Nemes Headdress

headdresses were often confused. A crown or cap associated with the pharaoh is the Nemes headdress. He is most famous as represented by the funeral mask of Tutankhamun and is also visible on the Sphinx.

This fabric was often head full of bright colors. The front part of the sports this hairstyle uraeus, a cobra goddess vertically flared known as Wadjet, the vulture goddess, Nekhbet. Khepresh Blue Crown was this associated with the pharaoh. 

This presentation is a summary of an article on ancient Egyptian symbols in the EgyKing blog, For more details on the Egyptian symbols and their meanings Read these articles :-

Ancient Egyptian symbolsEgyptian symbols and meanings What is an obelisk?Ancient Egypt SphinxAncient Egyptian HieroglyphicsAncient Egyptian Blue LotusEgyptian Cartouche Definition

Pharaoh Headdress MeaningMastaba Art History Definition Meaning of Scarab BeetleMaat symbol of justice Ancient Egyptian Ka StatuesCrook and Flail Meaning Ancient Egyptian UraeusAncient Egyptian AmuletsAncient Egyptian CatsAncient Egyptian ArtifactsCleopatra's NeedleAncient Egyptian Ankh MeaningEye of Horus meaningAncient Egyptian JewelryAncient Egyptian Art