A multi-purpose reference work, providing the key to the hidden meanings in Egyptian art: an encyclopaedia of the major signs and symbols, a visual compendium of artistic motifs, a sourcebook of Egyptian religious beliefs and ideas.

The hieroglyphs are thematically organized and include:

seated man seated god woman nursing child wedjat eye ear breast bull cow cat lion foreleg of ox heart falcon vulture ibis wing feather crocodile frog scarab beetle bee tree palm branch lotus sky sun star djed column fetish of Abydos gold ankh fan bow knife cartouche Isis knot board game sistrum

A full reference section is also provided, with a complete list of the hieroglyphs, a glossary and a guide to further reading.