VISUAL GUIDE

The plot
Washington 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 with
five 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…

http://solvedcases.free.fr :http://solvedcases.free.fr
Visual Guides, Full plots: Visual
of thriller
Guides,
bestsellers
complete
© solvedcases
plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases
 > Chapter 1

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
keep watching for new Visual Guides!

Enjoy your reading !

SolvedCases

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

Chapter 1 The Capitol Building > Chapter 6 1

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.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

 Chapter 6 Masonic George Washington > Chapter 13 1

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.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

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

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 to
guard 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.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

 Chapter 20 The Apotheosis of George Washington > Chapter 21 1

« Ma’am ,» Langdon said, « the largest painting in this

building 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. »
http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases
 Chapter 21 Leonard Da Vinci masterpieces > Chapter 21 1

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…
http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases
Chapter 21 George Washington Sculpture > Chapter 22 1

This Rotunda was once

dominated by a massive
sculpture 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.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

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

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.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

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

Considering the dramatic preamble, Langdon had expected something

more 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.
http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases
 Chapter 35 The Great Seal of the United States > Chapter 37 1

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.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

Chapter 37 Pod 3 Specimen > Chapter 38 1

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.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

 Chapter 38 The Chamber of Reflection > Chapter 39 1

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. »

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

Chapter 39 The Unfinished Pyramid > Chapter 41 1

Moreover, Langdon knew, this little pyramid – with its flat top – was not even a true pyramid. Without its
tip, 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.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

 Chapter 41 Unsolved codes > Chapter 46 1

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.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

 Chapter 46 The Library of Congress > Chapter 48 1
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.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

Chapter 48 Moses > Chapter 57 1

Like most teachers, Langdon did not enjoy being

lectured 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…

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

Chapter 57 Mykonos Island > Chapter 68 1

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.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

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

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

Chapter 71 Ouroboros > Chapter 76 1

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 stare
back at him… bright with promise.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

Chapter 76 Freedom Plaza > Chapter 78 1

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.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

Chapter 78 George Washington Masonic Memorial > Chapter 79 1

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.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

Chapter 79 Washington National Cathedral > Chapter 96 1

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.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

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

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 be
heard. 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.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

Chapter 111 Smithsonian Castle > Chapter 115 1

A slide projector flashed to life, revealing a faded sepia photograph – a dramatic castle with red
sandstone facade, high square towers, and Gothic embellishments.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

Chapter 115 The House of the Temple > Chapter 119 1

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.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

Chapter 119 Akedah Knife > Chapter 126 1

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 the
early 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.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

Chapter 126 Kryptos > The end 1

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.

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases

 The end 1

Leave your comments

and watch for more
visual guides on
http://solvedcases.free.fr

http://solvedcases.free.fr : Visual Guides, complete plots of thriller bestsellers © solvedcases