The Lost Symbol Visual Guide

8/8/2019 The Lost Symbol Visual Guide

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The plotWashington DC: Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is

summoned at the last minute to deliver an evening lecture

in the Capitol building. Within moments of his arrival,

however, a disturbing object – gruesomely encoded withfive symbols – is discovered at the epicentre of the

Rotunda. It is, he recognizes, an ancient invitation, meant

to beckon its recipient towards long-lost world hidden

esoteric wisdom.

When Langdon’s revered mentor, Peter Solomon –

philanthropist and prominent mason – is brutally

kidnapped, Langdon realizes that his only hope of saving

his friend’s life is to accept this mysterious summons and

follow wherever it leads him…

VISUAL GUIDE

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VISUAL GUIDE

This visual guide proposed by SolvedCases aims at accompanying you through your reading of The

Lost Symbol from bestseller author Dan Brown.

Paintings, sculptures, places cited in the novel are displayed with the corresponding original text.

It is highly advised not to read a page of this guide before you have reached the corresponding

chapter in the book. For this purpose, the chapter illustrated at the next page of the guide is allways

written in the top right corner of the current page.

Don’t hesitate to leave your comments on SolvedCases visual guides on http://solvedcases.free.fr and

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Enjoy your reading !

SolvedCases

> Chapter 1




1Chapter 1 The Capitol Building > Chapter 6

Robert Langdon jolted upright in his soft leather seat, startling out of the

semiconscious dream. He was sitting all alone in the enormous cabin of a

Falcon 2000EX corporate jet as it bounced its way through turbulence. In the

background, the dual Prat & Whitney engines hummed evenly.

…/…

Outside the window the sun had set, but Langdon could still make out the

slender silhouette of the world’s largest obelisk, rising on the horizon like a

spire of an ancient gnomon. The 555-foot marble faced obelisk marked this

nation’s heart. All around the spire, the meticulous geometry of streets and

monuments radiated outward.




1Chapter 6 Masonic George Washington > Chapter 13

The slide was a famous mural depicting George Washington dressed in full Masonic regalia standing

before an odd looking contraption – a giant wooden tripod that supported a ropen and pulley system from

which was suspended a massive block of stone. A group of well dressed onlookers stood around him.




1Chapter 13 The Capitol Rotunda – Hand of the Mysteries > Chapter 20

In ancient times, The Hand of the

Mysteries served as the most coveted

invitation on earth. To receive this

icon was a sacred summons to join an

elite group – those who were said toguard the secret wisdom of all the

ages. The invitation not only was a

great honor, but it signified that a

master believed you were worthy to

receive this hidden wisdom. The hand

of the master extended to the initiate.




1Chapter 20 The Apotheosis of George Washington > Chapter 21

« Ma’am ,» Langdon said, « the largest painting in thisbuilding is called The Apotheosis of Washington. And it

clearly depicts George Washington being transformed into

a god ».

Sato looked doubtful. »I’ve never seen anything of the

sort . »

« Actually I’m sure you have. » Langdon raised his index

finger, pointing straight up. » It’s directly over your head. »




1Chapter 21 Leonard Da Vinci masterpieces > Chapter 21

This pointing-hand gesture – with its index finger and thumb extended upward – is a well-known symbol of

the Ancient Mysteries, and it appears all over the world in ancient art. This same gesture appears in three of

Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous encoded masterpieces – The Last Supper, Adoration of the Magi, and Saint

John the Baptist. It’s a symbol of man’s mystical connection to God. As above, so below…




1Chapter 21 George Washington Sculpture > Chapter 22

This Rotunda was once

dominated by a massivesculpture of a bare-chested

George Washington… depicted

as a god. He sat in the same

exact pose as Zeus in the

Pantheon, bare chest exposed,

left hand holding a sword, right

hand raised with thumb and finger extended.




1Chapter 22 The Three Graces – Michael Parkes > Chapter 24

Katherine Solomon did not sit.

Female intuition was a potent

instinct that she had learned to

trust, and something about this

place was making her skin crawl.

She saw nothing that looked

anything like any doctor’s office

she had ever seen. The walls of

this antique-adorned living room

were covered with classical art,

primarily paintings with strange

mythical themes. She paused

before a large canvas depicting

the Three Graces, whose nude

bodies were spectacularly

rendered in vivid colors.




1Chapter 24 The Double-Headed Phoenix Symbol > Chapter 35

Considering the dramatic preamble, Langdon had expected somethingmore impressive. The package was a small cube-shaped box, about

three inches square, wrapped in faded brown packing paper and tied

with twine. From the package’s heavy weight and size, it felt like its

content must be rock or metal. This is it ? Langdon turned the box in

his hands, now noticing the twine had been carefully secured on one

side with an embossed wax seal, like an ancient edict. The seal bore a

double-headed phoenix with the number 33 emblazoned on its chest –the traditional symbol of the highest degree of Freemasonry.




1Chapter 35 The Great Seal of the United States > Chapter 37

He suspected America’s « thirteen » conspiracy theorists would have a field day if they knew there were

exactly thirteen storage rooms buried under the U.S. Capitol. Some found it suspicious that the Great Seal

of the United States had thirteen stars, thirteen arrows, thirteen pyramid steps, thirteen shield stripes,thirteen olive leaves, thirteen olives, thirteen letters in annuit coeptis , thirteen letters in e pluribus unum ,

and on and on.




1Chapter 37 Pod 3 Specimen > Chapter 38

That’s a coelacanth the girl said, pointing to a big

Plexiglas container that held the ugliest fish Mal’akh had ever seen. They were thought to be

extinct with the dinosaurs, but this was caught off

Africa a few years back and donated to the

Smithsonian.

…/…

And here is what you wanted to see… she said,

leading him to the giant tank he had seen from the

window. « Our longest specimen . » She swept her

arm out over the vile creature like a game-show

host displaying a new car. Architeuthis.




1Chapter 38 The Chamber of Reflection > Chapter 39

This room is Masonic? Sato demanded, turning from the skull and staring at Langdon in the darkness.

Langdon nodded calmy. « It’s called a Chamber of Reflection. These rooms are designed as cold, austere places

in which a Mason can reflect on his own mortality. By meditating on the inevitability of death, a Mason gains a

valuable perspective on the fleeting nature of life. »




1Chapter 39 The Unfinished Pyramid > Chapter 41

Moreover, Langdon knew, this little pyramid – with its flat top – was not even a true pyramid. Without itstip, this was another symbol entirely. Known as the Unfinished Pyramid, it was a symbolic reminder that

man’s ascent to his full human potential was always a work in progress. Though few realized it, this

symbol was the most widely published symbol on earth. Over twenty billion in print. Adorning every one-

dollar bill in circulation, the Unfinished Pyramid waited patiently for its shining capstone, which

hovered above it as a reminder of America’s yet-unfulfilled destiny and the work yet to be done, both as

a country and as individuals.




1Chapter 41 Unsolved codes > Chapter 46

Langdon had to admit that after his experiences in Rome and Paris, he’d received a steady flow of

requests asking for his help deciphering some of history’s great unsolved codes – the Phaistos Disk, the

Dorabella Cipher, the mysterious Voynich Manuscript.




1Chapter 46 The Library of Congress > Chapter 48

Despite containing what many have called « the most beautiful room in the world », the Library of

Congress is known less for its breathtaking splendor than for its vast collections. With over five hundred

miles of shelves – enough to stretch from Washington, D.C., to Boston – it easily claims the title of largest library on earth. And yet still it expands, at a rate of over ten thousand items per day.




1Chapter 48 Moses > Chapter 57

Like most teachers, Langdon did not enjoy beinglectured to. The Moses above them had horns for the

same reason thousands of Christian images of Moses

had horns – a mistranslation of the book of Exodus.

The original Hebrew text described Moses as having

‘karan ohr panav’ – ‘facial skin that glowed with rays

of light’ - but when the Roman Catholic Church

created the official Latin translation of the Bible, the

translator bungled Mose’s description, rendering it as

‘cornuta esset facies sua,’ meaning ‘his face was

horned.’ From that moment on, artists and sculptors,

fearing reprisals if they were not true to the Gospels,

began depicting Moses with horns…




1Chapter 57 Mykonos Island > Chapter 68

The Greek Islands were like heaven. The light. The water. The women (…) He began life anew – exploring never-before-imagined sensual pleasures. The serenity of sailing alone

on the ink-blue Aegean Sea became his new heroin trance; the sensuality of sucking moist arni souvlakia

right off the skewer became his new Ecstasy; and the rush of cliff diving into the foam-filled ravines of

Mykonos became his new cocaine.




1Chapter 68 Albrecht Dürer (1471 – 1528) > Chapter 71




1Chapter 71 Ouroboros > Chapter 76

Mal’akh studied the sacred patch of

virginal skin, which was enclosed by

the crownlike circle of an ouroboros –

a mystical snake devouring its own

tail. The bare flesh seemed to stareback at him… bright with promise.




1Chapter 76 Freedom Plaza > Chapter 78

Freedom Plaza is a map.

Located at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Thirteenth Street, the plaza’s vast surface of inlaid

stone depicts the streets of Washington as they were originally envisionned by Pierre L’Enfant.




1Chapter 78 George Washington Masonic Memorial > Chapter 79

The George Washington Masonic Memorial stands atop Shuter’s Hill in Alexandria, Virginia. Built in

three distinct tiers of increasing architectural complexity from bottom to top – Doric, Ionic, and

Corinthian – the structure stands as a physical symbol of man’s intellectual ascent. Inspired by the

ancient Pharos lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt, this soaring tower is capped by an Egyptian pyramid

with a flamelike finial.




1Chapter 79 Washington National Cathedral > Chapter 96

On their right was a medieval-style garden, famous for its ancient rosebushes and Shadow House

gazebo. They moved past the garden, directly toward the magnificent building to which they had been

summoned. A refuge containing ten stones from Mount Sinaï, one from heaven itself, and one with the

visage of Luke’s dark father.




1Chapter 96 Rome’s St Peter’s Square > Chapter 111

Nowhere was the church’s mystical past more evident than at her epicenter. In Vatican City, at the

heart of St Peter’s Square, stood the great Egyptian obelisk. Carved thirteen hundred years before

Jesus took his first breath – this numinous monolith had no relevance there, no link to modern

Christianity. And yet there it was. At the core of Christ’s church. A stone beacon, screaming to beheard. A reminder to those few sages who remembered where it all began. This church, born of the

womb of the Ancient Mysteries, still bore her rites and symbols.




1Chapter 111 Smithsonian Castle > Chapter 115

A slide projector flashed to life, revealing a faded sepia photograph – a dramatic castle with red

sandstone facade, high square towers, and Gothic embellishments.




1Chapter 115 The House of the Temple > Chapter 119

The House of the Temple (…) had always been the crown jewel of the Masonic

Scottish Rite in America. With its steeply sloped, pyramidical roof, the building

was named for an imaginary Scottish mountain.




1Chapter 119 Akedah Knife > Chapter 126

Mal’akh had spent a fortune locating and obtaining this artifact. Known

as the Akedah knife, it had been crafted over three thousand years ago

from an iron meteorite that had fallen to earth. Iron from heaven, as theearly mystics called it. It was believed to be the exact knife used by

Abraham at the Akedah – the near sacrifice of his son Isaac on Mount

Moriah – as depicted in Genesis.




1Chapter 126 Kryptos > The end

In an agency that boasted over five hundred pieces of original art, this sculpture –

titled Kryptos – was by far the most famous. Greek for « hidden, » Kryptos was the

work of American artist James Sanborn and had become something of a legend

here at the CIA.




1The end

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