THE IMPACT OF THE SYMBOLISM AND ICONOGRAPHY OF THE ANKH, SUN-DISK AND WADJET EYE ON MODERN (“WESTERN”) SOCIETY by DERICK COETZEE submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the subject of ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN STUDIES at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA PROMOTER: PROF PS VERMAAK February 2017 DECLARATION Student number: 41610728 I declare that THE IMPACT OF THE SYMBOLISM AND ICONOGRAPHY OF THE ANKH, SUN-DISK AND WADJET EYE ON MODERN (“WESTERN”) SOCIETY is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references and that this work has not been submitted before for any other degree at any other institution. Derick Coetzee ...................... Full name Date i | Page DEDICATION To , my God and source of Wisdom and Understanding, who gives us the knowledge to work and the strength to continue. Dedicated to the Increased Awareness of our Historic Heritage. I hope that this small contribution helps to increase our pool of knowledge and explore the ancient world. May we learn from the mistakes of those before, so that we do not repeat those mistakes again. Page | ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to thank the following persons for their respective contributions to this dissertation: A special thank you to my supervisor Professor PS Vermaak, for his guidance, support and encouragement, as well as some valuable pointers and direction. Mrs. Elsabé Nell, our departmental contact at the Unisa Library for helping me find extra sources and some shortcuts on EBSCOHost and JStor. My mother for proofreading my work. My parents for their love, consideration, advice and support throughout my studies. Nalene de Klerk, my dear friend who stood by and supported me through the writing of this manuscript and provided some pointers with regards to communication. iii | Page ABSTRACT Ancient Egypt has long been a place of intrigue and mystery, being held in high esteem during ancient times. In modern times ancient Egypt has once again risen to such a position with many ancient Egyptian-based symbols and iconology being used in modern culture since its birth in the renaissance. Three easily identifiable and commonly used symbols are identified: the ankh, sun- disk and Wadjet Eye. This study attempts to evaluate and explore the extent of the influence of ancient Egyptian symbols and iconography on modern culture as a whole. This is achieved through emic analysis and comparative studies, comparing the context of the original ancient Egyptian symbols (in terms of their symbolic form, origins and meanings/usage) to the modern usage of the same symbols. A comparison between the contexts and usage of these three symbols in ancient Egypt and modern society shows that they are part of a wider trend of “romanticising” ancient cultures to “enchant” our modern culture. KEY WORDS: ancient Egyptian influence; Ancient Near Eastern influence; ankh; comparative perspective; comparative studies; Coptic Church; emic analysis; Iconography; Iconology; modern culture; Neo-Pagans; sun-disk; Wadjet Eye Page | iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION .................................................................................................................................. i DEDICATION .................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................. iii ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS....................................................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................................. x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 1 1.1 RESEARCH QUESTION ....................................................................................................... 3 1.2 HYPOTHESIS ...................................................................................................................... 4 1.3 SOURCES ........................................................................................................................... 4 1.4 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................... 5 1.5 LIMITATIONS .................................................................................................................... 8 1.6 LAYOUT ............................................................................................................................. 9 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................... 11 2.1 CULTURAL SHIFT ............................................................................................................. 11 2.2 ICONOGRAPHIC STUDIES ................................................................................................ 13 2.3 ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CONTEXT ........................................................................................ 14 2.4 MODERN CONTEXT ........................................................................................................ 16 2.4.1 The Ankh/Cross/Tau connection ............................................................................ 16 2.4.2 The Nimbus and Sun-disk connection .................................................................... 17 2.4.3 The Wadjet Eye and Eye symbols ........................................................................... 17 2.4.3.1 ℞ symbol ........................................................................................................... 18 2.4.3.2 Eye Iconography .............................................................................................. 19 2.4.4 Other connections and studies ............................................................................... 19 v | Page 2.5 WEBSITES (PRIMARY SOURCES) ..................................................................................... 20 2.5.1 Jewellery ................................................................................................................. 20 2.5.2 Popular Culture/Music ............................................................................................ 20 2.5.3 Games and Movies .................................................................................................. 20 2.5.4 Architecture ............................................................................................................ 21 2.5.5 Pagans/modern use ................................................................................................ 21 2.5.6 Christianity .............................................................................................................. 21 CHAPTER 3: ICONOGRAPHIC STUDIES ..................................................................................... 23 3.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 23 3.2 ICONOGRAPHY AND ICONOLOGY .................................................................................. 25 3.3 STUDIES .......................................................................................................................... 27 3.4 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................. 29 CHAPTER 4: CULTURAL SHIFT AND SPREAD ............................................................................ 30 4.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 30 4.2 CULTURE ......................................................................................................................... 30 4.3 DIFFUSION AND ACCULTURATION ................................................................................. 35 4.4 DIFFUSION GATEWAYS INTO MODERN CULTURE .......................................................... 38 4.4.1 CLASSICAL CIVILIZATIONS ....................................................................................... 38 4.4.2 CHRISTIAN CHURCH ................................................................................................ 40 4.4.3 MODERN TECHNOLOGY AND PUBLICATION........................................................... 41 4.5 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................. 45 CHAPTER 5: THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CONTEXT ...................................................................... 46 5.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 46 5.2 THE ANKH ....................................................................................................................... 48 5.2.1 Form ........................................................................................................................ 49 Page | vi 5.2.2 Origins ..................................................................................................................... 49 5.2.3 Meanings and usage ..............................................................................................