Publisher's Synopsis
The Secrets of Masonic Symbolism. Freemason Symbols: Masonic symbology has come down to us from the cuneiform scripts of the ancient Sumerians, circa 3000 B.C.. as well as the ancient Mesopotamians and Persians. Cuneiform writing was a series of pictographs (symbols) which were drawn on clay tablets with a blunt reed (or stylus). Masonic scholars, today, question the origin of the Point within the Circle, whose parallel upright lines on both sides of the circle, closely resemble an Egyptian hieroglyphic (circa 1570-1342 B.C.). Is it one of the first Freemason symbols? It is not known; however this information creates questions in scholarly circles. Did Freemasonry begin long before King Solomon's temple was built (circa 953 B.C.)? Did it begin with the operative stone mason guilds during the Middle Ages? (between 500 A.D. and 1500 A.D.) Did it begin in Scotland near the time of Robert the Bruce (1274 - 1329)? These questions are a subject of much debate within the fraternity. Thousands of research man-hours have been spent attempting to answer these questions, mostly to little avail. Very little information has surfaced from the books and hand-written manuscripts that survived these eras in history. Even Freemason symbols are subject to somewhat different interpretations across the many Masonic jurisdictions in the world. Understanding Freemasonry Begins With Learning Its Symbols
