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 Forum index » Archive » Archive: General » ARG: Find the Lost Ring
[RING][Podcast] Eli Hunt Podcast #3 - The Omphalos Code
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Weezel
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 		[RING][Podcast] Eli Hunt Podcast #3 - The Omphalos Code
The Omphalos Code

.W.

PostPosted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:13 pm
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Weezel
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 		*laugh*

Ok, as of my note here, "The Film Cannot be embedded". So it's up on the Eli page, but currently not viewable.. will likely be online soon enough..

Not on the direct DotSub page either.

.W.

PostPosted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:15 pm
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ariock
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 		It is here
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:32 pm
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Weezel
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 		Transcription:

Code:
Imagine you're wandering the countryside of ancient Greece. You're lost, and the only clue you have to your location is a stone marker inscribed with the number 6-7-6 -- [onscreen] The Omphalos Code With Historian Eli Hunt -- and a bow and arrow, the sign of the Olympian God Artemis. Would you be able to find your way home?

In this podcast, I'm going to teach you an ancient code for navigation; a secret orientation system that the Greeks used for centuries. Their ingenious system of accurate coordinate mapping predates our modern GPS technology by thousands of years. However, it was abandoned when the Romans came to power. And today, it is all but forgotten. I'm Eli Hunt, and this is the story of the Omphalos Code.

An omphalos is an ancient artifact a hollow, dome-shaped stone, several feet tall, carved with a knotted netting around its entire surface. The Greeks believed that during religious rituals an omphalos could serve as a portal into the world of the Gods. So they installed an omphalos at every major temple throughout the Hellenic world in order for for their oracles to receive visions from the Gods.

What many people do not realize today, is that besides this religious function, the sacred stones served another important purpose in ancient Greek life. The omphaloi also stood as secret way-points for travelers.

From any single omphalos, a person could easily plot a course to anywhere else in the ancient world. Of course, that person would have to know the code used to inscribe the omphaloi with navigational instructions. A code made of of a combination of astronomy, mythology, and earth science.

Here's how the Omphalos Code worked.

[zooms in on map of Greece] Instead of having an address or a GPS coordinate, every major site in the Hellenic world was described as being a particular distance and direction from its nearest omphalos. At each omphalos a plaque would list a series of possible places to go, such as the city of Athens, of the city of Sparta. For each of these potential destinations, the plaque identified a specific distance and direction of travel.

Of course, the ancient Greeks didn't have compasses of GPS devices to point them in the right direction, so the Omphalos Code used astronomy instead.

Its directions were based on a star-map that shows the 12 constellations of the zodiac. To picture this star-map, imagine a clock-face with the omphalos at the center. The constellations appear on this map exactly where we would put the numbers on clock face; with Virgo at 12, Libra at 1, Scorpio at 2, and so on. These locations also correspond with directions on a compass - so you can imagine Virgo as due North, Sagittarius as due East, and so on.

Each constellation was meant to mark off a specific 30 degree angle of potential travel - with 12 signs of the zodiac, they formed a complete circle of 360 degrees. Today, we might say "you should travel 3 degrees East of due North," -- [onscreen] Leo, Virgo, Libra -- but the ancient greeks would say to travel Virgo 3 degrees.

Adding another layer of complexity to the Omphalos Code, -- [onscreen] Greek letters -- the Greeks frequently substituted visual symbols of the Olympic Gods for their corresponding zodiac signs. [onscreen] scrolling Greek letters -- So, a traveler needed to remember which symbol was associated with which God and which God was associated with each sign of the zodiac.

For instance, the bow and arrow was associated with the Goddess Artemis, who was associated with the sign Sagittarius.

Instead of telling someone to travel Sagittarius 3 degrees, the greeks might have written instead, "3 degrees" next to a drawing of a bow and arrow.

Finally, you must remember, of course, that the ancient Greeks -- [onscreen] 1 stadion -- didn't use miles or meters like we do today, instead they measured distance in stadia, the length of an ancient Olympic stadium. In todays measurements, 1 stadion is 185 meters. Each stadium is equal to 184.9 meters.

So for instance, a traveler going from the omphalos at Delphi to the city of Thebes would be told to travel 540 stadia, or nearly 100 kilometers, in the direction of Sagittarius, or Artemis, on an angle of 0 degrees. But if the traveler were heading instead to Thermopylae, the address would be 162 stadia Virgo, or Demeter, on a 10 degree angle.

Curiously, by retracing these coded navigation routes, historians have found something very unusual in the layout of the omphalos network. Somehow, the Greeks managed to construct their omphaloi of the center nodes of a system of perfectly equidistant destinations. For every destination in one direction, you could travel exactly the same distance in another direction, and arrive at an important site.

How were the Greeks able to build their civilization according to such ideal mathematical structures? This remains a much debated puzzle of ancient history.

This complex system of omphaloi, served the Greeks well for thousands of years. In the 21st century, navigation with the Omphalos Code remains a lost science. However, if the network of the omphaloi were still in existence, the ancient coordinates would undoubtedly still hold their secret meaning for us today.

[onscreen] www.TheLostGames.com


.W.

PostPosted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 1:04 pm
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ariock
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 		That page with the greek writing has directions for Thebes and Thermopylae. And appears to say something about Delphon? Can anyone translate?
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 1:26 pm
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Aldaris
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 		One of those stones is stored at Delphi museum, seen here http://www.ancient-greece.org/images/ancient-sites/delphi/DSC00559.jpg

I'd also like to point out that the site of Delphi was once sacred to Poseidon.

PostPosted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 1:44 pm
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MrToasty
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 		So is the marking from Monica's drawing (595 Trident 20) one of these codes then?

Edit - looks like this just came up in the Monica thread...

PostPosted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 1:55 pm
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danteIL
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 		So I'm guessing that this bit from the video:
Code:
So for instance, a traveler going from the omphalos at Delphi to the city of Thebes would be told to travel 540 stadia, or nearly 100 kilometers, in the direction of Sagittarius, or Artemis, on an angle of 0 degrees. But if the traveler were heading instead to Thermopylae, the address would be 162 stadia Virgo, or Demeter, on a 10 degree angle.


is describing the Greek that we see in this image?

http://www.thelostgames.com/_res/img/gallery/episode3/Arrow.jpg

So taking this in combination with
http://www.thelostgames.com/_res/img/gallery/episode3/zodiac.jpg
I think we need to start a Symbol=God=Constellation=Direction list:

Bow and Arrow = Artemis = Sagittarius = East
Wheat = Demeter = Virgo = North

These were the 12 Olympians (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Olympians), which presumably correspond to the 12 signs of the zodiac,
    Aphrodite
    Apollo
    Ares
    Artemis
    Athena
    Demeter
    Dionysus/Hestia
    Hephaestus
    Hera
    Hermes
    Poseidon
    Zeus


If I had to start guessing about some connections, they would be:

(Symbol=God=Zodiac)
?? = Zeus = Taurus
Trident = Poseidon = Pisces

PostPosted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 11:23 pm
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Trustiva
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 		Okay, on this site it sais:

Aphrodite = Taurus

Apollo = Gemini

Ares = Scorpio

Artemis = Sagittarius

Athena = Aries

Demeter = Virgo

Hestia = Capricorn

Hephaistos = Libra

Hera = Aquarius

Hermes = Cancer

Poseidon = Pisces

Zeus = Leo

PostPosted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 11:44 pm
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Hikaro
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 		I've emailed Hunt asking him what the correspondences were between the Greek gods and the Zodiac; I first asked him whether Poseidon corresponded to Aquarius or Pisces and then asked him if he could give us a complete list of gods to Zodiac. (I also asked him a few more questions, like how he found/made "the secret" and whether or not he recognized Renata and/or her necklace (I sent him the photos). I'll post my reply, if I get one.

~Hikaro

PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 2:06 am
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kosmopol
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danteIL wrote:


These were the 12 Olympians (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Olympians), which presumably correspond to the 12 signs of the zodiac,
    Aphrodite
    Apollo
    Ares
    Artemis
    Athena
    Demeter
    Dionysus/Hestia
    Hephaestus
    Hera
    Hermes
    Poseidon
    Zeus


If I had to start guessing about some connections, they would be:

(Symbol=God=Zodiac)
?? = Zeus = Taurus
Trident = Poseidon = Pisces


So perhaps these 12 cities from The Code of Hunt could represent each God=Symbol=Zodiac?

PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 4:31 am
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AUZ505
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 		Olympian Gods and Zodiac
Trustiva wrote:
Okay, on this site it sais:

Aphrodite = Taurus

Apollo = Gemini

Ares = Scorpio

Artemis = Sagittarius

Athena = Aries

Demeter = Virgo

Hestia = Capricorn

Hephaistos = Libra

Hera = Aquarius

Hermes = Cancer

Poseidon = Pisces

Zeus = Leo


Here is another very detailed list of olympian gods and their relation to zodiac. It is mentioned that there are different systems. One of those is a system from "Manillus" (see table 5 on the site). Replacing the roman gods with the greek gods (table 2 of the site) leads to the same relation as Trustiva found.

Because the Manillus system also fits to the relations we know from the Eli page (Sagittarius - Artemis, Virgo - Demeter, Aries - Athena) I think it is the one we need.

Also on table 4 their are symbols for the gods. Unfortunately they do not fit that well

PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:48 am
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sapagoo
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 		This is my list, with the symbols we've seen in CAPS.
I've ordered by zodiac sign.
Code:
Athena,     Aries -        chest plate/shield/aegis, owl, olive tree
Aphrodite,  Taurus -       sceptre, myrtle, dove
Apollo,     Gemini -       lute, bow, lyre, laurel
Hermes,     Cancer -       wings, helmut, sandals, caduceus/staff w/ 2 serpents
Zeus,       Leo -          thunderbolt, eagle, oak
Demeter,    Virgo -        WHEAT, sceptre, torch, corn
Hephaistos, Libra -        twisted foot, donkey, axe
Ares,       Scorpio -      battle armor, spear
Artemis,    Sagittarius -  BOW & ARROW, deer
Hestia,     Capricorn -    hearth
Hera,       Aquarius -     sceptre, diadem, peacock
Poseidon,   Pisces -       TRIDENT, horse, bull

One page said that Dionysus replaced Hestia.
Dionysus has symbols : ivy wreath, wine cup, grapevines, thyros/staff w/ 1 serpent

PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 10:32 am
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sapagoo
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 		and to take it the next step
Code:
7:00    Athena,     Aries
8:00    Aphrodite,  Taurus
E       Apollo,     Gemini
10:00   Hermes,     Cancer
11:00   Zeus,       Leo
N       Demeter,    Virgo -        WHEAT
1:00    Hephaistos, Libra -        axe
2:00    Ares,       Scorpio -      spear
E       Artemis,    Sagittarius -  BOW & ARROW
4:00    Hestia,     Capricorn
5:00    Hera,       Aquarius
S       Poseidon,   Pisces -       TRIDENT

Guessing that Hephaistos may be axe, and Ares may be spear...
Taking Eli's examples, and examples of my own:
wheat 3 degrees = Virgo 3 degrees, = 3 degrees east of Due North
wheat 0 degrees = Due North
axe 15 degrees = NE
spear 25 degrees = 5 degrees north of Due East
Bow & Arrow 0 degrees = E
Bow & arrow 5 degrees = 5 degrees south of Due East

PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:01 am
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ariock
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 		Greek Number Translation
More general information using Google Translator:
Code:
one two three four five six seven eight nine and
ten eleven twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen sixteen seventeen eighteen nineteen
twenty thirty forty fifty sixty seventy eighty ninety
one hundred two hundred four hundred
five thousand

is
Code:
   
ενα δυο τρια τεσσερα πεντε εξι εφτα οχτω εννεα και
δεκα εντεκα δωδεκα δεκατρια δεκατεσσερα δεκαπεντε δεκαεξι δεκαεφτα δεκαοχτω δεκαεννια
εικοσι τριαντα σαραντα πενηντα εξηντα εβδομηντα ογδοντα ενενηντα
εκατο διακοσια τετρακοσια
πεντε χιλιαδες

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When the Apocalypse comes, it'll be in base64.

PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:45 am
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