The Secrets of Ancient Geometry—and its uses, 2-Volume Set
by Tons Brunés and Charles M. Napier
Rhodos International Science Publishers | June 1967 | ISBN-10: 0391011170 | PDF | 583 pages | 25.8+21.8 mb 
http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Ancient-Geometry%C2%97-uses-2-Volume/dp/0391011170

This is the all-time hands-down winner in the ancient geometry field. Nothing comes close. Most books are simply uninformative, regurgitating ad nauseam old truisms about the golden mean and squaring the circle. Brunes' two volume study presents a tightly-argued and magnificently illustrated description of the prevalence of a standard geometrical pattern applied to works of western art and architecture throughout the millennia. The basic procedure used a square of known dimensions whose diagonal was subtended to the horizontal, (1:square root of 2). This relationship was then elaborated to lay out the design of numerous sacred sites.
The same patterns, clearly provided by Brunes, are present in works as far back as ancient Egypt up to the gothic period. Particularly fascinating are Notre Dame de Paris, Glastonbury Cathedral, the Parthenon and the Pyramids. Floor plans are provided with an overlay of the geometry and discussions of the standard planning method's application. While the significance of the builders' method remains problematic, it would appear to have been based on Pythagorean notions of the ability of geometrical pattern and arithmetical canon to invoke corresponding spiritual influences.
This book has all the thrill of a good detective novel, and is a wonderful and impressive read for anyone interested in this arcane topic's relevance to western religious architecture. A discussion of this method's connection to chess and written language is also included.