Small Egyptian Ankh Cross

The Ankh: The symbol is an Egyptian hieroglyph (Ancient Egyptian written language) for "life" or "breath of life."

The Egyptians believed that one's earthly journey was only part of an eternal life, the ankh symbolizes both mortal existence and existence in the afterlife.

The ankh's association with the afterlife made it an especially potent symbol for the Coptic Christians of Egypt in the 4th century CE who took it as their own. This use of the ankh as a symbol of Christ's promise of everlasting life through belief in his sacrifice and resurrection is most probably the origin of the Christian use of the cross as a symbol of faith today. The early Christians of Rome of and elsewhere used the fertility symbol of the fish as a sign of their faith.