The zodiac of Paris : how an improbable controversy over an ancient Egyptian artifact provoked a modern debate between religion and science
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Bibliographic Information
The zodiac of Paris : how an improbable controversy over an ancient Egyptian artifact provoked a modern debate between religion and science
Princeton University Press, c2010
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Includes bibliographical references (p. [379]-405) and indexes
Description and Table of Contents
Description
The Dendera zodiac--an ancient bas-relief temple ceiling adorned with mysterious symbols of the stars and planets--was first discovered by the French during Napoleon's campaign in Egypt, and quickly provoked a controversy between scientists and theologians. Brought to Paris in 1821 and ultimately installed in the Louvre, where it can still be seen today, the zodiac appeared to depict the nighttime sky from a time predating the Biblical creation, and therefore cast doubt on religious truth. The Zodiac of Paris tells the story of this incredible archeological find and its unlikely role in the fierce disputes over science and faith in Napoleonic and Restoration France. The book unfolds against the turbulence of the French Revolution, Napoleon's breathtaking rise and fall, and the restoration of the Bourbons to the throne.
Drawing on newspapers, journals, diaries, pamphlets, and other documentary evidence, Jed Buchwald and Diane Greco Josefowicz show how scientists and intellectuals seized upon the zodiac to discredit Christianity, and how this drew furious responses from conservatives and sparked debates about the merits of scientific calculation as a source of knowledge about the past. The ideological battles would rage until the thoroughly antireligious Jean-Francois Champollion unlocked the secrets of Egyptian hieroglyphs--and of the zodiac itself. Champollion would prove the religious reactionaries right, but for all the wrong reasons. The Zodiac of Paris brings Napoleonic and Restoration France vividly to life, revealing the lengths to which scientists, intellectuals, theologians, and conservatives went to use the ancient past for modern purposes.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1 Chapter 1: All This for Two Stones? 9 Chapter 2: Antiquity Imagined 28 Chapter 3: The Origin of All Religions 47 Chapter 4: On Napoleon's Expedition 70 Chapter 5: One Drawing, Many Words 99 Chapter 6: The Dawn of the Zodiac Controversies 116 Chapter 7: Ancient Skies, Censored 146 Chapter 8: Egypt Captured in Ink and Porcelain 175 Chapter 9: Egyptian Stars under Paris Skies 222 Chapter 10: The Zodiac Debates 268 Chapter 11: Champollion's Cartouche 312 Chapter 12: Epilogue 334 Acknowledgments 341 Notes 343 Bibliography 379 Figure Sources 407 Subject Index 413 Name Index 419
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