A fascinating and scholarly study of the discovery of an ancient artifact and its impact on contemporary science and politics.

During Napoleon's expedition to conquer Egypt, French scholars discovered several depictions of the zodiac in Egyptian temples, most notably at Dendera. These were intriguing, of course, because they were old. How old, though, were they? Reasoning from hints in the arrangement of the zodiacs, scholars suggested that they could be dated from the precession o More...

Excellent tale of an Egyptian zodiac found by the savants of Napoleon. The display of this object created a philosophical, scientific and religious fire-storm as it appeared to show the heavens at a time prior to the beginning of the creation (6000 b.c.). The tie-in with Champollion is especially enlightening. The particle and wave theories of light, optics and the intrision of the reign of terror are all involved. Although the scholar may find some of the exposition a little excessive the writi More...