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Da Vinci: Father of Cryptography? |
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Apr. 16, 2003
Ever looked at the Mona Lisa and wondered why he's got such a goofy grin?
Yes, we do mean he.
Evidently, Mona isn't quite the woman art historians thought she was. But only those who know the secret code can look at Leonardo Da Vinci's famous portrait and see the happy hermaphrodite that lurks within.
Dan Brown's latest novel, The Da Vinci Code, published by Doubleday Books, is about the famous Renaissance artist and the oblique references to the occult contained in his equally famous paintings. It's also about ancient secret societies, modern forensics, science and engineering, and the history of religion.
Most of all The Da Vinci Code is about the history of encryption -- the many methods developed over time to keep private information from prying eyes.
The novel begins with Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receiving an urgent late-night phone call: The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum.
Near the body, police have found a secret message. With the help of a gifted cryptologist, Langdon solves the enigmatic riddle. But it's only the first signpost along a tangled trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci. If Langdon doesn't crack the code, an ancient secret will be lost forever.
Brown's characters are fictional, but he swears that "all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents and secret rituals in this novel are accurate."
The author provides detailed background on the novel's historic basis on his website, but he suggests readers finish the book before reviewing the site, which gives away some of the plot's twists.
The book's publicity hints darkly that the story lays bare "the greatest conspiracy of the past 2,000 years." Perhaps, but anyone who is interested in conspiracy theories won't find anything new here.
The basic thesis is that Da Vinci was a member of a secret society charged with protecting the true history of Christianity until the world is ready to hear it. This theme has been explored in depth in other books such as Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Messianic Legacy, both written by Michael Baigent, Henry Lincoln and Richard Leigh.
Where The Da Vinci Code does shine -- brilliantly -- is in its exploration of cryptology, particularly the encoding methods developed by Leonardo Da Vinci, whose art and manuscripts are packed with mystifying symbolism and quirky codes.
Story continued: Wired News
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