Over 400 images of papyrus, sun god Re, lotus, scarabs, plant scrolls, many other authentic motifs. Notes. Captions.

Gods and Pharaohs, priests and ordinary folk, plants, animals, and other elements of ancient Egyptian life appear in illustrations depicting state occasions, battles, funerary customs, and domestic settings. Meticulously adapted from authentic murals, pottery, jewelry, and other sources, the opulent display of royalty-free designs reveals the beauty and exotic appeal of Egyptian art from the time of the Pharaohs. Artists and craftworkers will welcome this rich treasury for its many practical uses. Students of Egyptian art and culture will value the images for their accurate portrayal of life from a bygone civilization.

"Symbolic symbols played an important role in Egyptian culture because ancient Egyptians believed that, through ceremony, one could influence the gods and the otherworld."--Cover.

371 illustrations adapted from Egyptian sources, depicting gods and pharaohs, priests and priestesses, ordinary people, plants and animals, scenes of state occasion, battle, funerary custom, domestic life, and more.

This book identifies, for the first time since antiquity, the sources and meanings of more than 50 ancient Egyptian symbols, including the Eye of Horus, evil god Seth and his strange head, 10 major crowns, and the symbolic foundations of Osirian mythology, backbone of ancient Egyptian religion for more than 2000 years. These are paradigm-changing discoveries. Most of them are based on detailed examinations of living examples of ancient Egypt's two sacred flowers - the Blue and the White Waterlilies - and on resurrection texts found in ancient Egyptian tombs. More than 300 detailed illustrations, beautifully presented, make these discoveries easy to understand and appreciate. The book is organized for the general reader and scholar alike. *Andrew Weil, MD - "Remarkable discoveries that, once seen, are completely obvious. A revelatory work." *Carol Andrews, Egyptologist, author of "Amulets of Ancient Egypt," at the British Museum for 27 years - "This truly remarkable publication challenges the world of Egyptology to reassess long-held and clearly incorrect theories about the origin and meaning of so many symbols and representational forms which are fundamental to our understanding of ancient Egypt."

All the classic elements are included funerary art, exotic costumes and headdresses, religious iconography, dynamic charioteers, magnificent sailing ships, as well as exquisite patterns from interior and exterior architectural ornamentation. 350 designs."