Lupercalia the Ancient Origin of Valentines Day Essay Example

Lupercalia the Ancient Origin of Valentines Day Essay Valentines Day and February equal love and romance. In Ancient Rome, this time of year had similar connotations, but they were celebrated very differently. In modern times, the month of February and St. Valentines Day has come to symbolize love and romance, and has been celebrated in this gentile way since the days of courtship and wooing of the Middle Ages. But the origin of February can be connected with love and fertility by be tracking back to the roots of ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a fertility celebration celebrated on February 15. The Lupercalia festival was celebrate to honor Lupercus, a god of fertility and farming, and it was celebrated with annual sacrifices and feasts. One of the aims of the festival was to purify the land and the young women of child-bearing age. During the Lupercalia, two priests, called lupercis, sacrificed two male goats and a dog at the sacred cave where Romulus and Remus were supposedly nursed by the she-wolf. After a feast, the young men dressed in nothing but a belt with goats skins, running through the city streets, whipping people (mostly young girls and women) with thongs cut from the sacrificial goat skins. We will write a custom essay sample on Lupercalia the Ancient Origin of Valentines Day specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Lupercalia the Ancient Origin of Valentines Day specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Lupercalia the Ancient Origin of Valentines Day specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This act was thought to purify the girls, ensure their fertility, and lessen the pain of childbirth. Names were also drawn from an urn to pair up young men and women as part of the festivities. This was intended to lead to marriages and children. February occurred later in the ancient Roman calendar than it does today so Lupercalia was held in the spring and regarded as a festival of purification and fertility. It is implied that purification is how the month of February gets its name (February comes from the latin Februare meaning to purify). The Lupercalia occasion was happy and festive. Another unique custom of Feast of Lupercalia was the pairing of young boys and girls who otherwise lived a strictly separated lives. During the evening, all the young marriageable girls used to place a chit of their name in a big urn. Each young man used to draw out a name of a girl from the urn and became paired with that girl for the rest of the year. Quite often, the paired couple would fall in love and marry. As Christianity began to slowly take over the pagan pantheons, it frequently replaced the festivals of the pagan gods with more Christianity celebrations. It was easier to convert the local population if they could continue to celebrate on the same days, the only difference was they would just be instructed to celebrate different people and ideologies. Lupercalia, with its lover lottery, had no place in the new Christian order. In the year 496 AD, Pope Gelasius did away with the festival of Lupercalia, citing that it was pagan and immoral. He chose Valentine as the patron saint of lovers, who would be honored at the new festival on the 14th of every February. The church decided to come up with its own lottery and so the feast of St. Valentine featured a lottery of Saints. After learning the true origin of Valentine’s day, I began to see that many of the gentile ways we show love and romance also goes back to Ancient Rome. Every February 14 since 496 A. D people across the United States and in other places around the world, chocolate, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. However, after learning about the Lupercalia festival of Ancient Rome, I can see how it all influenced to our modern day Valentine’s Day. In most cases on Valentine’s Day, the male is the one that chooses a Valentine and approaches her with a gift of flowers or chocolate, just as in the Lupercalia festival the male approaches the female with a whipping of goat skin. To modern day society the whipping of goat skin is seen as a wrongdoing. However,women would gladly received the whipping, as they believed that the touch of the goatskin would render them fruitful and bring easy childbirth. It is important to understand that each religion and culture has its own ways of â€Å"seeing† things. Love is one of the main concerns that each religion sees differently. Ancient Romans saw love through their festival of Lupercalia that contributed to mating, fertilizing, and uniting a man and a woman. Our modern day, Christianized society sees love through celebrations of Valentine’s day and the affectionate ways of buying gifts such as flowers and chocolate. I do not believe that either religion is right or wrong with their celebrations and festivals. In my opinion, each religion should have its own unique celebration of love and romance.

Compare And Contrast Language Essay Example

Compare And Contrast Language Essay Example Compare And Contrast Language Essay Compare And Contrast Language Essay Both text A and text B are published online Each text describes cultural misunderstandings They each describe cultural misunderstandings *Students would benefit from reading either text A or text 8 Students would benefit from reading either text *Neither text A nor text B gives enough evidence to support their claims Neither text gives enough evidence to support their claims *Note the either or neither nor structure Form Three Sentence connectors to link two independent clauses Comparison Contrast too but also although similarly however likewise whereas while in contrast on the other hand Start or middle position Although / whereas / while text C is the longest, text A uses more complex language. Text C is the longest, although / whereas / while text A uses more complex Middle position Text C is the longest but text A uses more complex language. Text C focuses on cultural communication. Likewise/ Similarly text B looks at intercultural communication. Text C is the longest. In contrast,/On the other hand,/However, text A uses more complex language. Text C is the longest; in contrast,/on the other hand,/however, text A uses Middle or end position Cultural communication is the focus of text B and also text C. Cultural communication is the focus of text B and text C also. End position Cultural communication is the focus of text B and text C too. Text C focuses on cultural communication. Text A looks at intercultural communication too.

When the Antibiotics Quit Working Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

When the Antibiotics Quit Working - Assignment Example An antibiotic is a medication that is used to cure pathologic conditions of the body that result mainly due to bacterial infections. This group of drugs has the capability of restricting the growth of bacteria by many mechanisms and they are particularly very useful because these drugs possess the specificity of mainly attacking the bacteria. This property makes them very useful because this allows them to specifically target the microorganisms and not the host cells. Antibiotics are drugs which are prescribed by the doctors for the treatment of severe infections which are caused by bacteria. These drugs are not useful against viral infections because they are not effective in that case. The use of antibiotics has greatly increased over the years. With this rise in the prescription of these medications, there has also been a rise in their ineffectiveness. This incompetence of the drugs results due to the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria. The reason behind this is that when the bacteria come under attack by these drugs, they have the capability to undergo certain changes via many mechanisms which make them resistant to that particular drug. After the development of one strain of resistant bacteria, there is a quick spread and if the same bacterium infects another person, it will still be resistant to the antibiotics. This can be very harmful and it is via this mechanism that the antibiotic resistant tuberculosis has resulted. Hospitals serve as pools for the generation of these resistant strains. Also the immediate prescription of antibiotics without an initial treatment with alternative medications can be counted as a reason for leading towards this prob lem. Antibiotic overuse with animals also results in resistant bacterial strains within animals and when these are consumed by humans, they also result in diseases by bacteria which do not respond to certain

HD paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

HD paper - Essay Example The choice of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development was based on the fact that there is always a change in human’s mental processes due to environmental experience and biological maturation. The TV episode shows that human beings undergo changes in the way they think as they change their environment and mature with time. The characters in the TV episode have undergone changes in the way they think and their characteristics, which clearly show that mental capacity of human being, keep on changing with time (Goswami,2003). There are two major assumptions in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development that are evident in the TV episode. One of the assumptions is that there is a big difference in the way children and adults think and that intellectual growth is a process that involves adaptation to changes in the environment or situations. The way children think is different from that of adults as it is well represented by the TV episode where young Sydney refuses to acknowledge the adoption of Victor. Unlike other characters who celebrate the adoption ceremony, young Sydney feels that Victor is not part of the family and so the plan of adoption does not auger well with her conscience. The reunion between Amber and Ryan clearly show that situation may make people to change. After offending Amber, Ryan makes a point of apologizing to her. Amber tells Ryan that a few years ago, she was drunk and had a car accident but the situation marked the turning point in her life as it had allowed her to mature a nd grow. The two reconcile in a manner that fulfills the assumption that situation or environment has a direct effect on individual’s ability to undergo biological maturity (Wadsworth, 1996) The vital concepts presented by Piaget’s theory of cognitive development are egocentrism and Assimilation. Assimilation takes place when people are faced with unfamiliar and new information and may refer

History of Womens Rights in Britain

History of Womens Rights in Britain British society has undergone many changes in the period before the 1st World War, the industrialization that changes in womens life promoted womens independence and emancipated them from the patriarchy (June Purvis, Jane Humphries, 1995, P86). During that time British society has undergone a radical change in employment levels and composition of social classes. While the men were at the front, the English women participated massively in the war effort in the arms industry the munitionnettes, and the political struggle to conquer the right to vote was conducted by the suffragettes. The year1918 is considered a transitional year in the acquisition of voting rights given to English women. ONeil W.L described the vote as a reward gave to women for their dedicated service during the war. (Their performance on the home front won English women to vote, 1969, p79) However, it appears obvious to ask why the vote in 1918 under the Representation of the People Act gives the right to vote only to women over 30 years and excluded young women who worked in munitions factories. The economic and social role played by women during the First World War has helped give them the right to vote, however, other factors must also be taken into account. We first explore the time period before the 1st World War that led to electoral reforms of 1918 and the years of struggle and activism. Similarly, we show the action undertaken by the suffragettes before and during the war but also the social and economic role of women. Finally, we analyze the consequences of granting the right to vote. The British suffragist did not plead equality of gender, but instead justified their claims by the difference between men and women (M.Pugh 1992, p3). It is judicious to remember what the political rights of English women were especially before 1918. Women have not always been excluded from parliamentary elections. The following years show, however, through the action of the first organizations suffragists, slight changes in the legislation for women: in 1869, the taxpayers and single women won the right to participate in municipal elections (Borough election), the Education Act of 1870, opened the school boards to women (June Purvis, 1995, p280), the Municipal Corporation Act of 1882 allowed them to elect representatives to the Municipal Council. The law on property rights for married women ( Married Women Property Act) (June Purvis, 1995, P283) was also significant in that it represents a clear recognition of legal emancipation, because before a married womans property was owned by her husband (June Purvis, 1995, p76). The Married Womens Property Committee (J. Purvis, 1995, P282) founded in 1865 by Dr. Pankhurst had always believed that before fighting for the right to vote, women should have control of their own money ( married women had no legal existence from their husbands, they had no rights over their property). It was done in 1882. In 1894, the government gives the right to vote to married women. No more reforms came after 1894 in favour of the improving of the women situation. The suffragist movement starts with two majors rivals ideological organisations: The National Union of Womens Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) and the Womens Social and Political Union (J. Purvis, 1995, P296). In 1861, on 10380558 women in England and Wales, there were 2293752 bachelors and widows (A. Rosen, 1974, p3). Employment opportunities for women of the middle class were also very limited: education except universities comprised 72.5% of women (Lee Holcombe, 1973 P203) but very poorly paid, and domestic work. This difficulty of single women to find a job paying enough incentive to Ladies of Langham Place (J. Purvis, SS Holton, 2000, p59) to begin a series of campaigns from 1850 and was certainly one of the reasons led to the emergence and expansion of the feminist movement. First suffragist organised movement appeared in 1867, when a new electoral law voted by the Liberals, widened the electorate to male workers in cities and nothing to women. The indignation of women increased when the electoral reform of 1884 by Conservative gave the vote to agricultural workers and nothing to women. In 1897, the movement was reorganised and consolidated within National Union of Womens Suffrage Societies, chaired by Millicent Garrett Fawcett (J Purvis, S S Holton, 1995, p285) who claimed the parliamentary franchise for women on the same terms as it is or may be granted to men. The NUWSS directed his efforts by conversion of the public opinion and adopted a neutral attitude with political parties. The main militant and most famous suffragist movement is the Womens Social and Political Union, founded in October 1903 in Manchester by Emmeline Pankhurst in order to promote, through social and political work, interests of workers. Christabel, the eldest daughter of Emmeline Pankhurst noticed how constitutional action of Mrs. Fawcett is unsuccessful decided to participate in a political meeting, harassing MPs. Deed not Words was their permanent motto (J. Purvis, Sandra Stanley, 2000, P111). On October 13, 1905, at a Liberal Party meeting in Manchester, Christabel and Annie Kenney (youngest member of the WSPU) attempted to question Sir Edward Gray on the future intentions of the Liberal government on the issue of womens suffrage, Will the Liberal Government, if returned, give votes to women?(June Purvis, 2000, p112) They received no reply, they were forcibly evicted by policemen, and Christabel committed the technical offense of spitting at a policeman in order to be arrested. They did not pay the fine and were sent to jail for three days (S. Pankhurst, 1931, p189-191). Across the country, the suffragettes began to disrupt meetings and prosecute ministers who appeared in public. Imprisonment multiplied, made of a suffragette as a martyr (J. Purvis, M. Mulvey-Roberts, 2000, P159). In June 1906, Christabel took the head of the party and announced that WSPU will adopt an impartial attitude towards all the other candidates. On October 12, 1907, a constitution written by Teresa Billington was adopted (Andrew Rosen, 1974, p72), is providing the primary objective of obtaining the right to vote, which was used to establish equal rights and opportunities. Six strategies were considered, including the main lines: opposition to all government, Participation in Parliamentary Elections in opposition to the Government candidate and independently of all other candidates, vigorous stirring and education of public opinion. In 1909, began the second phase of militant action, with hunger strikes (J Purvis, 2000, p160) (to obtain the status of political prisoners) and new methods more violent, which the government responded with repression. The demonstrators were brutalized, arrested, and the hunger strikes were controlled by ordering to force suffragettes to feed (J Purvis, 2000, P145). After 1911, however, activism became increasingly violent; methods of WSPU did not generate support from the public opinion and politicians. The suffragists had begun to break windows, cause arson, setting fire to letterboxes, thereby attracting the growing hostility of the population. A significant number of suffragettes left in 1907, the WSPU, and follow direction of Mrs. Charlotte Despard, with the Womens Freedom League, which advocated passive resistance, for example, tax-resistance, to refuse that single women to pay tax (J. Purvis, 1995, P291-292) or to participate in the census. The suffragettes actions have seriously undermined the unity and the strength of the suffrage movement. By transgressing the laws, the suffragettes knew to seek attention to womens demands by refusing to obey the laws made by men only, to discredit the government by revealing its inability to respects laws and to pressure the government in order to have positive answer to their request. The militant activities were attributed to hysteria activist hysteria (J. Purvis, SS Holton, 2000, p159), they went against the goals they set themselves. In1908, was created the Womens National Anti-Suffrage League, headed by Mrs. Humphry Ward, and their objectives where, first to resist the proposal to admit women to the parliamentary Franchise and to parliament and, to maintain the principle of the representation of women on municipal and other bodies concerned with domestic and social affairs of the community (J Purvis, 2000, P208). Even if inequalities still existed, we must recognize that progress has been made since the mid-nineteenth century with the Matrimonial Causes Act (1857) (J. Purvis, 1995, p76), the custody of Children (1873), the property rights for married women (1870 and 1882), the right to vote in municipal elections (1869). We must also remember that the idea of womens suffrage is in the minds of the population. The WW1 and the departure of men to the front emphasized the female workforce, with highlighting condition of work, prejudices, and discriminations at work. The declaration of the war cause important unemployment especially for women. In September 1914, 44% of women workers were unemployed against 27,4 % for men (MN Bonnes Raud, 1992, p357). In January 1915, 2 million of men in a total of 10, 6 million of men joined the army (M Pugh, 1992, p19). In March 1915, the Ministry of Commerce called to any woman wishing to participate in the war effort by working in industry, agriculture or commerce, to register on Register of Women for War Service . First, it was individual initiatives; women replace their husbands in shops, in offices. The women learned to perform in difficult factories, thus ending the reluctance of employers to hire them. Women held positions reserved for men (bus drivers, inspectors, window cleaners) and worked in munitions factories needed for the war. Women worked not only in the army industry but also in administration, and banks. Women had lower wages against men, before 1914, women worked and earned less than the half of men wages. The Treasury Agreement of 1915, did not stop the wage discrimination between men and women. The agreement ensured equal pay for work piece without mentioning hourly wages. In 1906, the female wage in textile was 58,5 % lower then mens wages, the average female wage was 43,7% less than men. (AL Bowley. Wages and Income in UK since 1860 (CUP 1937): MN Bonnes Raud p333). Between July 1914 and July 1918, the number of employed women rose from 4.93 million to 6.19 million, an increase of 1.26 million (M Pugh, 1992, p20). The war enabled women to access a greater number of jobs, sometimes better paid and more rewarding. The office work was more successful than agriculture for which we recruited many women (note 30 P66) but the conditions were not only harsh but also very similar to domestic service (M Pugh, 1992, P23). In October 1918, the Parliamentary gives to the right to vote for English women over the age 30. Women over 21 years waited until 1928 to get the right to vote equal to men. Laws counted many injustices in 1918 and to causes to defend were still numerous in divorce, succession, inheritance, right to vote, laws on nationality, child custody, employment opportunities and wages. Regarding wages, in 1970, the parliament voted a law on equal pay Equal Pay Act. Ten years after 1918, were characterized by numerous laws that change the legal and the personal status of the English women. Married women and mothers obtained to be treated with more justice and humanity. The Property law of 1922, Law and property Act recognized the equality of husband and wife, father and mother, son and daughter when a parent or a child died. Three laws dealing with divorce, the custody of children aim to more equality: the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1923 correct the Act of 1857 and made adultery a reason for div orce, The Summary Juridiction Act of 1925 increased the number of reason for women to separate from her the husband, and abolish the obligation for a women to leave her husband before initiating proceedings against him; The Guardianship of Infant Act granted to both spouses equal rights for custody of child in the case of divorce or separation. Regarding the status of single mothers Affiliation Orders Act of 1918, increased alimony to pay by the father for an illegitimate child, The bastardy Act of 1923, The Legitimacy Act of 1926, legitimized the born of the children outside of the marriage in the case of previous marriage, and Illegitimate Children Scotland Act of 1930. In 1926, a law of adoption Adoption of Children Act gave more security to the adopted child and parents that enable to increase the number of adoption. In 1925, the Widows Orphans and Old Age Pensions Act gave more social justice for widows, orphans, old-age people. Finally in 1925, the Criminal Justice Act ended the presumption that married women who committed crimes in the presence of her husband did it under duress of him. Conclusion: The traditional conception of women in Britain was strengthened by the First World War, with improvement in social policy and especially, in getting the right to vote and to be in the workplace. Indeed, if the right to vote should be considered as reward given to women, the first awarded were mothers but no young women who worked in factories because law established a minimum age of 30 years. Failures by the suffragist movement before 1914 show the little interest of politicians in women claims. However, they were able to use propaganda to attract women to work in industries. The pres showed pictures of women wearing trousers fashioning shells, or a post-office worker with a uniform driving trucks post. Once the war ended, in 1920, two thirds of women who had entered the workforce between 1914 and 1918 had left. A year later, the number of working women was slightly higher than in 1914 (A. Marwick, 1977, p 162). In February 1919, the number of workers had declined overall by 12.9% to -44.1% in the metallurgical industry, and -78.6% in the national armaments factories, the positive figures include clothing and food (MN Bonnes Raud, 1992 p447). The work of women proved that it was temporary propaganda supported by the government and the press. Inequalities among women in the workplace existed (type of job, wages), and they were not integrated like men. Women became certainly more aware about their values and men discovered that their wives, mothers, and young women are able to play an important role in the British history. References: A. Marwick, Women at war, 1914-1918, London : Croom Helm (for) the Imperial War Museum, 1977. Andrew Rosen, Rise up, women! : The militant campaign of the Womens Social and Political Union, 1903-1914: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1974, P3. E. Sylvia, Pankhurst, The suffragette movement: an intimate account of persons and ideals, London: Longmans, Green, 1931 P189-191. Jane Purvis, Womens History: Britain, 1850-1945. An Introduction. 1995. Jane Purvis and S.S. Holton (eds.) Votes for women, 2000. Lee Holcombe, Victorian ladies at work: middle-class working women in England and Wales, 1850-1914, Newton Abbot: David and Charles, 1973. M. PUGH, Women and the Womens Movement in Britain 1914-1959, Basingstoke: Macmillan Education, 1992. MN Bonnes Raud, Les femmes au service de linstitution militaire en Grande-Bretagne pendant la Premià ¨re guerre mondiale (Doctorat, Bordeaux 3, 1992), P357. ONeill, William L, The woman movement: feminism in the United States and England, London: Allen Unwin, 1969, P79.

The Racial Debate of Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Es

The Racial Debate of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, throughout the years, has provoked many debates pertaining to racism. A variety of individuals believe that Mark Twain expressed apparently racist ideas. The reason being, this novel shows the relationships between blacks and whites in the nineteenth century and all the ugliness that accompanied these associations. However, this novel is not a racist novel; it shows these situations not to promote racism, but to bring a better understanding of the subject and how one can overcome individual prejudices and grow from these experiences.   This novel shows Huck Finn, a product of this insufferable society, coming to the realization of how uncivilized and ignorant his white peers have become.   By showing these situations and the transformations Huck goes through, the reader sees racism and its effects in real life settings.   It is imperative for the reader to recognize the ideas and repulsiveness of the South at that time in history; and Twain with his writing of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn attempts to challenge these ideas throughout the novel. Twain shows the irony and hypocrisy of treating people as property through Huck's eyes, and uses Huck to educate us in the immorality of this practice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For many of Twain's critics, this novel is racism with a face on it and for the most obvious reason; the word "nigger" is used throughout.   But seeing the novel takes place in the Deep South about twenty years before the Civil War, it would be highly unusual if they didn't use this word. James M. Cox wrote, The language is neither imprisoned in a frame nor distorted into a caricature; rather, it becom... ...laude M Simpson. Englewood Cliffs,N.J. 1968. Fishkin, Shelley Fisher, Phd. "Teaching Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finn", 1995, July Summer Teachers Institute, Hartford, Connecticut @1995 http://www.pbs.org/wgbn/cultureshorck/teachers/huck/essay.html Leavis, F.R. "Introduction to Pudd'nhead Wilson". (London: Chatto and   Windus, Ltd., 1955) Rpt. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Ed. Claude M Simpson. Englewood Cliffs,N.J. 1968. Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001. Zwick, Jim. "Civil Rights or Book Banning? Three New Approaches to Huckleberry Finn" http://www.boondocksnet.com/twainwww/essays/civil_rights9809.html Hentoff, Nat. "Expelling Huck Finn". Jewish World Review   29 Nov. 1999. www.Jewishworldreview.com/cols/hentoff/12999.asp

The Lost Symbol Chapter 62-66

CHAPTER 62 I'm under Second Street. Langdon's eyes remained tightly shut as the conveyor rumbled through the darkness toward the Adams Building. He did his best not to picture the tons of earth overhead and the narrow tube through which he was now traveling. He could hear Katherine breathing several yards ahead of him, but so far, she had not uttered a word. She's in shock. Langdon was not looking forward to telling her about her brother's severed hand. You have to, Robert. She needs to know. â€Å"Katherine?† Langdon finally said, without opening his eyes. â€Å"Are you okay?† A tremulous, disembodied voice replied somewhere up ahead. â€Å"Robert, the pyramid you're carrying. It's Peter's, isn't it?† â€Å"Yes,† Langdon replied. A long silence followed. â€Å"I think . . . that pyramid is why my mother was murdered.† Langdon was well aware that Isabel Solomon had been murdered ten years ago, but he didn't know the details, and Peter had never mentioned anything about a pyramid. â€Å"What are you talking about?† Katherine's voice filled with emotion as she recounted the harrowing events of that night, how the tattooed man had broken into their estate. â€Å"It was a long time ago, but I'll never forget that he demanded a pyramid. He said he heard about the pyramid in prison, from my nephew, Zachary . . . right before he killed him.† Langdon listened in amazement. The tragedy within the Solomon family was almost beyond belief. Katherine continued, telling Langdon that she had always believed the intruder was killed that night . . . that is, until this same man had resurfaced today, posing as Peter's psychiatrist and luring Katherine to his home. â€Å"He knew private things about my brother, my mother's death, and even my work,† she said anxiously, â€Å"things he could only have learned from my brother. And so I trusted him . . . and that's how he got inside the Smithsonian Museum Support Center.† Katherine took a deep breath and told Langdon she was nearly certain the man had destroyed her lab tonight. Langdon listened in utter shock. For several moments, the two of them lay together in silence on the moving conveyor. Langdon knew he had an obligation to share with Katherine the rest of tonight's terrible news. He began slowly, and as gently as he possibly could he told her how her brother had entrusted him with a small package years earlier, how Langdon had been tricked into bringing this package to Washington tonight, and finally, about her brother's hand having been found in the Rotunda of the Capitol Building. Katherine's reaction was deafening silence. Langdon could tell she was reeling, and he wished he could reach out and comfort her, but lying end to end in the narrow blackness made it impossible. â€Å"Peter's okay,† he whispered. â€Å"He's alive, and we'll get him back.† Langdon tried to give her hope. â€Å"Katherine, his captor promised me your brother would be returned alive . . . as long as I decipher the pyramid for him.† Still Katherine said nothing. Langdon kept talking. He told her about the stone pyramid, its Masonic cipher, the sealed capstone, and, of course, about Bellamy's claims that this pyramid was in fact the Masonic Pyramid of legend . . . a map that revealed the hiding place of a long spiral staircase that led deep into the earth . . . down hundreds of feet to a mystical ancient treasure that had been buried in Washington long ago. Katherine finally spoke, but her voice was flat and emotionless. â€Å"Robert, open your eyes.† Open my eyes? Langdon had no desire to have even the slightest glimpse of how cramped this space really was. â€Å"Robert!† Katherine demanded, urgently now. â€Å"Open your eyes! We're here!† Langdon's eyes flew open as his body emerged through an opening similar to the one it had entered at the other end. Katherine was already climbing off the conveyor belt. She lifted his daybag off the belt as Langdon swung his legs over the edge and jumped down onto the tile floor just in time, before the conveyor turned the corner and headed back the way it came. The space around them was a circulation room much like the one they had come from in the other building. A small sign read ADAMS BUILDING: CIRCULATION ROOM 3. Langdon felt like he had just emerged from some kind of subterranean birth canal. Born again. He turned immediately to Katherine. â€Å"Are you okay?† Her eyes were red, and she had obviously been crying, but she nodded with a resolute stoicism. She picked up Langdon's daybag and carried it across the room without a word, setting it on a cluttered desk. She lit the desk's halogen clamp lamp, unzipped the bag, folded down the sides, and peered inside. The granite pyramid looked almost austere in the clean halogen light. Katherine ran her fingers over the engraved Masonic cipher, and Langdon sensed deep emotion churning within her. Slowly, she reached into the daybag and pulled out the cube-shaped package. She held it under the light, examining it closely. â€Å"As you can see,† Langdon quietly said, â€Å"the wax seal is embossed with Peter's Masonic ring. He said this ring was used to seal the package more than a century ago.† Katherine said nothing. â€Å"When your brother entrusted the package to me,† Langdon told her, â€Å"he said it would give me the power to create order out of chaos. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I've got to assume the capstone reveals something important, because Peter was insistent that it not fall into the wrong hands. Mr. Bellamy just told me the same thing, urging me to hide the pyramid and not let anyone open the package.† Katherine turned now, looking angry. â€Å"Bellamy told you not to open the package?† â€Å"Yes. He was adamant.† Katherine looked incredulous. â€Å"But you said this capstone is the only way we can decipher the pyramid, right?† â€Å"Probably, yes.† Katherine's voice was rising now. â€Å"And you said deciphering the pyramid is what you were told to do. It's the only way we can get Peter back, right?† Langdon nodded. â€Å"Then, Robert, why wouldn't we open the package and decipher this thing right now?!† Langdon didn't know how to respond. â€Å"Katherine, I had the same exact reaction, and yet Bellamy told me that keeping this pyramid's secret intact was more important than anything . . . including your brother's life.† Katherine's pretty features hardened, and she tucked a wisp of hair behind her ears. When she spoke, her voice was resolved. â€Å"This stone pyramid, whatever it is, has cost me my entire family. First my nephew, Zachary, then my mother, and now my brother.And let's face it, Robert, if you hadn't called tonight to warn me . . .† Langdon could feel himself trapped between Katherine's logic and Bellamy's steadfast urging. â€Å"I may be a scientist,† she said, â€Å"but I also come from a family of well-known Masons. Believe me, I've heard all the stories about the Masonic Pyramid and its promise of some great treasure that will enlighten mankind. Honestly, I find it hard to imagine such a thing exists. However, if it does exist . . . perhaps it's time to unveil it.† Katherine slid a finger beneath the old twine on the package. Langdon jumped. â€Å"Katherine, no! Wait!† She paused, but her finger remained beneath the string. â€Å"Robert, I'm not going to let my brother die for this. Whatever this capstone says . . . whatever lost treasures this engraving might reveal . . . those secrets end tonight.† With that, Katherine yanked defiantly on the twine, and the brittle wax seal exploded. CHAPTER 63 In a quiet neighborhood just west of Embassy Row in Washington, there exists a medieval-style walled garden whose roses, it is said, spring from twelfth-century plants. The garden's Carderock gazebo–known as Shadow House–sits elegantly amid meandering pathways of stones dug from George Washington's private quarry. Tonight the silence of the gardens was broken by a young man who rushed through the wooden gate, shouting as he came. â€Å"Hello?† he called out, straining to see in the moonlight. â€Å"Are you in here?† The voice that replied was frail, barely audible. â€Å"In the gazebo . . . just taking some air.† The young man found his withered superior seated on the stone bench beneath a blanket. The hunched old man was tiny, with elfin features. The years had bent him in two and stolen his eyesight, but his soul remained a force to be reckoned with. Catching his breath, the young man told him, â€Å"I just . . . took a call . . . from your friend . . . Warren Bellamy.† â€Å"Oh?† The old man perked up. â€Å"About what?† â€Å"He didn't say, but he sounded like he was in a big hurry. He told me he left you a message on your voice mail, which you need to listen to right away.† â€Å"That's all he said?† â€Å"Not quite.† The young man paused. â€Å"He told me to ask you a question.† A very strange question. â€Å"He said he needed your response right away.† The old man leaned closer. â€Å"What question?† As the young man spoke Mr. Bellamy's question, the pall that crossed the old man's face was visible even in the moonlight. Immediately, he threw off his blanket and began struggling to his feet. â€Å"Please help me inside. Right away.† CHAPTER 64 No more secrets, thought Katherine Solomon. On the table in front of her, the wax seal that had been intact for generations now lay in pieces. She finished removing the faded brown paper from her brother's precious package. Beside her, Langdon looked decidedly uneasy. From within the paper, Katherine extracted a small box made of gray stone. Resembling a polished granite cube, the box had no hinges, no latch, and no apparent way inside. It reminded Katherine of a Chinese puzzle box. â€Å"It looks like a solid block,† she said, running her fingers over the edges. â€Å"Are you sure the X- ray showed it was hollow? With a capstone inside?† â€Å"It did,† Langdon said, moving next to Katherine and scrutinizing the mysterious box. He and Katherine peered at the box from different angles, attempting to find a way in. â€Å"Got it,† Katherine said as her fingernail located the hidden slit along one of the box's top edges. She set the box down on the desk and then carefully pried open the lid, which rose smoothly, like the top of a fine jewelry box. When the lid fell back, Langdon and Katherine both drew audible breaths. The interior of the box seemed to be glowing. The inside was shining with an almost supernatural effulgence. Katherine had never seen a piece of gold this large, and it took her an instant to realize that the precious metal was simply reflecting the radiance of the desk lamp. â€Å"It's spectacular,† she whispered. Despite being sealed in a dark stone cube for over a century, the capstone had not faded or tarnished in any way. Gold resists the entropic laws of decay; that's one of the reasons the ancients considered it magical. Katherine felt her pulse quicken as she leaned forward, peering down over the small golden point. â€Å"There's an inscription.† Langdon moved closer, their shoulders now touching. His blue eyes flashed with curiosity. He had told Katherine about the ancient Greek practice of creating a symbolon–a code broken into parts–and how this capstone, long separated from the pyramid itself, would hold the key to deciphering the pyramid. Allegedly, this inscription, whatever it said, would bring order from this chaos. Katherine held the little box up to the light and peered straight down over the capstone. Though small, the inscription was perfectly visible–a small bit of elegantly engraved text on the face of one side. Katherine read the six simple words. Then she read them again. â€Å"No!† she declared. â€Å"That can't be what it says!† Across the street, Director Sato hurried up the long walkway outside the Capitol Building toward her rendezvous point on First Street. The update from her field team had been unacceptable. No Langdon. No pyramid. No capstone. Bellamy was in custody, but he was not telling them the truth. At least not yet. I'll make him talk. She glanced back over her shoulder at one of Washington's newest vistas–the Capitol Dome framed above the new visitor center. The illuminated dome only accentuated the significance of what was truly at stake tonight. Dangerous times. Sato was relieved to hear her cell phone ring and see her analyst's ID on the screen. â€Å"Nola,† Sato answered. â€Å"What have you got?† Nola Kaye gave her the bad news. The X-ray of the capstone's inscription was too faint to read, and the image-enhancing filters had not helped. Shit. Sato chewed at her lip. â€Å"How about the sixteen-letter grid?† â€Å"I'm still trying,† Nola said, â€Å"but so far I've found no secondary encryption scheme that's applicable. I've got a computer reshuffling the letters in the grid and looking for anything identifiable, but there are over twenty trillion possibilities.† â€Å"Stay on it. Let me know.† Sato hung up, scowling. Her hopes of deciphering the pyramid using only a photograph and X-ray were fading fast. I need that pyramid and capstone . . . and I'm running out of time. Sato arrived at First Street just as a black Escalade SUV with dark windows roared across the double yellow and skidded to a stop in front of her at their rendezvous point. A lone agent got out. â€Å"Any word yet on Langdon?† Sato demanded. â€Å"Confidence is high,† the man said, emotionless. â€Å"Backup just arrived. All library exits are surrounded. We even have air support coming in. We'll flush him with tear gas, and he'll have nowhere to run.† â€Å"And Bellamy?† â€Å"Tied up in the backseat.† Good. Her shoulder was still smarting. The agent handed Sato a plastic Ziploc bag containing cell phone, keys, and wallet. â€Å"Bellamy's effects.† â€Å"Nothing else?† â€Å"No, ma'am. The pyramid and package must still be with Langdon.† â€Å"Okay,† Sato said. â€Å"Bellamy knows plenty he's not telling. I'd like to question him personally.† â€Å"Yes, ma'am. To Langley, then?† Sato took a deep breath and paced a moment beside the SUV. Strict protocols governed the interrogation of U.S. civilians, and questioning Bellamy was highly illegal unless it was done at Langley on video with witnesses, attorneys, blah, blah, blah . . . â€Å"Not Langley,† she said, trying to think of somewhere closer. And more private. The agent said nothing, standing at attention beside the idling SUV, waiting for orders. Sato lit a cigarette, took a long drag, and gazed down at the Ziploc bag of Bellamy's items. His key ring, she had noticed, included an electronic fob adorned with four letters–USBG. Sato knew, of course, which government building this fob accessed. The building was very close and, at this hour, very private. She smiled and pocketed the fob. Perfect. When she told the agent where she wanted to take Bellamy, she expected the man to look surprised, but he simply nodded and opened the passenger door for her, his cold stare revealing nothing. Sato loved professionals. Langdon stood in the basement of the Adams Building and stared in disbelief at the elegantly inscribed words on the face of the golden capstone. That's all it says? Beside him, Katherine held the capstone under the light and shook her head. â€Å"There's got to be more,† she insisted, sounding cheated. â€Å"This is what my brother has been protecting all these years?† Langdon had to admit he was mystified. According to Peter and Bellamy, this capstone was supposed to help them decipher the stone pyramid. In light of those claims, Langdon had expected something illuminating and helpful. More like obvious and useless. Once again, he read the six words delicately inscribed on the face of the capstone. The secret hides within The Order The secret hides within The Order? At first glance, the inscription appeared to be stating the obvious–that the letters on the pyramid were out of â€Å"order† and that their secret lay in finding their proper sequence. This reading, however, in addition to being self-evident, seemed unlikely for another reason. â€Å"The words the and order are capitalized,† Langdon said. Katherine nodded blankly. â€Å"I saw that.† The secret hides within The Order. Langdon could think of only one logical implication. † `The Order' must be referencing the Masonic Order.† â€Å"I agree,† Katherine said, â€Å"but it's still no help. It tells us nothing.† Langdon had to concur. After all, the entire story of the Masonic Pyramid revolved around a secret hidden within the Masonic Order. â€Å"Robert, didn't my brother tell you this capstone would give you power to see order where others saw only chaos?† He nodded in frustration. For the second time tonight, Robert Langdon was feeling unworthy. CHAPTER 65 Once Mal'akh had finished dealing with his unexpected visitor–a female security guard from Preferred Security–he fixed the paint on the window through which she had glimpsed his sacred work space. Now, ascending out of the soft blue haze of the basement, he emerged through a hidden doorway into his living room. Inside, he paused, admiring his spectacular painting of the Three Graces and savoring the familiar smells and sounds of his home. Soon I will be leaving forever. Mal'akh knew that after tonight he would be unable to return to this place. After tonight, he thought, smiling, I will have no need for this place. He wondered if Robert Langdon yet understood the true power of the pyramid . . . or the importance of the role for which fate had chosen him. Langdon has yet to call me, Mal'akh thought, after double-checking for messages on his disposable phone. It was now 10:02 P.M. He has less than two hours. Mal'akh went upstairs to his Italian-marble bathroom and turned on the steam shower to let it heat up. Methodically, he stripped off his clothes, eager to begin his cleansing ritual. He drank two glasses of water to calm his starving stomach. Then he walked to the full-length mirror and studied his naked body. His two days of fasting had accentuated his musculature, and he could not help but admire that which he had become. By dawn, I will be so much more. CHAPTER 66 â€Å"We should get out of here,† Langdon said to Katherine. â€Å"It's only a matter of time before they figure out where we are.† He hoped Bellamy had managed to escape. Katherine still seemed fixated on the gold capstone, looking incredulous that the inscription was so unhelpful. She had taken the capstone out of the box, examined every side, and was now carefully putting it back in the box. The secret hides within The Order, Langdon thought. Big help. Langdon found himself wondering now if perhaps Peter had been misinformed about the contents of the box. This pyramid and capstone had been created long before Peter was born, and Peter was simply doing as his forefathers had told him, keeping a secret that was probably as much a mystery to him as it was to Langdon and Katherine. What did I expect? Langdon wondered. The more he learned tonight about the Legend of the Masonic Pyramid, the less plausible it all seemed. I'm searching for a hidden spiral staircase covered by a huge stone? Something told Langdon he was chasing shadows. Nonetheless, deciphering this pyramid seemed his best chance at saving Peter. â€Å"Robert, does the year 1514 mean anything to you?† Fifteen-fourteen? The question seemed apropos of nothing. Langdon shrugged. â€Å"No. Why?† Katherine handed him the stone box. â€Å"Look. The box is dated. Have a look under the light.† Langdon took a seat at the desk and studied the cube-shaped box beneath the light. Katherine put a soft hand on his shoulder, leaning in to point out the tiny text she had found carved on the exterior of the box, near the bottom corner of one side. â€Å"Fifteen-fourteen A.D.,† she said, pointing into the box. Sure enough, the carving depicted the number 1514, followed by an unusual stylization of the letters A and D. â€Å"This date,† Katherine was saying, sounding suddenly hopeful, â€Å"maybe it's the link we're missing? This dated cube looks a lot like a Masonic cornerstone, so maybe it's pointing to a real cornerstone? Maybe to a building built in 1514 A.D.?† Langdon barely heard her. Fifteen-fourteen A.D. is not a date. The symbol , as any scholar of medieval art would recognize, was a well-known symbature–a symbol used in place of a signature. Many of the early philosophers, artists, and authors signed their work with their own unique symbol or monogram rather than their name. This practice added a mysterious allure to their work and also protected them from persecution should their writings or artwork be deemed counterestablishment. In the case of this symbature, the letters A.D. did not stand for Anno Domini . . . they were German for something else entirely. Langdon instantly saw all the pieces fall into place. Within seconds, he was certain he knew exactly how to decipher the pyramid. â€Å"Katherine, you did it,† he said, packing up. â€Å"That's all we needed. Let's go. I'll explain on the way.† Katherine looked amazed. â€Å"The date 1514 A.D. actually means something to you?† Langdon winked at her and headed for the door. â€Å"A.D. isn't a date, Katherine. It's a person.†