Ad Alexandrum VII. Pont. Max. Obelisci Aegyptiaci : nuper inter Isaei Romani rudera effossi interpretatio hieroglyphica
Athanasius Kircher's 1666 Roman treatise, printed by Varesij, interprets a newly excavated Egyptian obelisk for Pope Alexander VII. Its woodcut pages show hieroglyphic signs, emblematic symbols and decorative initials, offering a designer a dense vocabulary of ancient Egyptian and emblematic motifs such as the ankh, crescent moon and winged sun.
