‘Hector,’ Cobb said, ‘Dr Manjani is here to help you solve the problem. Ask him whatever you need to ask. Hopefully he can fill in some of the gaps.’
Manjani tentatively approached the table.
Garcia took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. ‘Doctor, I’m not challenging your assertion of a star map. I’m really not. Based on my comparisons with current charts, I agree that the markings on the dome correspond to visible stars in the nighttime sky. But my question is this: are you sure that the map is meant to point to some specific location? Is there a chance we’re reading too much into it?’
‘I believe the map will tell us where to go,’ Manjani answered as he settled into a chair. ‘The ancient priests spent their lives studying the sky above them, and their understanding of celestial bodies was truly remarkable. Not only were they able to use the stars to navigate through the barren desert, but they actually constructed many of their temples in accordance with astronomic phenomena.’
Papineau was familiar with the concept. ‘For instance, the pyramids in Giza correlate to the stars in Orion’s belt. Their size, their spacing, their alignment, all mimic what was seen in the heavens.’
Manjani nodded. ‘That’s nothing compared to the Temple of Amun in Karnak. It was built along the precise rise of the midwinter sun. It is only during that period that the structure is fully illuminated. At all other times, the angles of the inner walls prevent the light from penetrating deep into the temple.’
‘What’s your point?’ Garcia demanded.
Manjani smiled in return. As a college professor, he was used to highly intelligent students with anxiety issues. He knew the best way to calm them down was to relate to them in simple terms. ‘Tell me, are you familiar with Indiana Jones?’
Garcia grinned at the mention of one of his favorite fictional characters. ‘Of course I am. He’s the whole reason I learned how to use a bullwhip.’
‘Kinky,’ Sarah muttered under her breath.
Manjani ignored her comment and continued. ‘Remember the scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indy used a wooden staff and a special jewel to create a shaft of light that showed him where to dig?’
‘Great scene. One of my favorites.’
‘Mine, too,’ said McNutt as he rushed forward. ‘Please tell me that we’re looking for the Well of Souls. If so, I know how to deal with the snakes. Napalm.’
Manjani laughed. ‘Sorry to disappoint you, but the Well of Souls was discovered a long time ago. Furthermore, it’s located in the depths of Jerusalem, not Tanis, Egypt, but that’s beside the point. The main thing to remember is that the scene with the beam of light was based on real archaeological evidence.’
‘Really?’ Garcia asked.
Manjani nodded. ‘For instance, the Serapeum in Alexandria, which is quite near the grotto, was constructed so precisely that it did not even require a jewel. The temple was designed in such a way that the structure itself would focus a beam of sunlight into an inner chamber and onto the statue of the god Serapis as a way to honor him.’
He glanced around the lounge, making eye contact with everyone on the team. ‘As improbable as it may seem, I assure you that Egyptian priests had a masterful knowledge of the stars above and how they related to the earth below. Now all we have to do is crack their map and figure out where it’s pointing.’
67
Despite Manjani’s impassioned speech about the star map, Garcia was forced to point out the obvious. ‘I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but like I told Sarah, I don’t believe we have enough information to crack their code. In fact, I’m sure of it.’
‘Why not?’ Cobb asked.
‘Determining latitude by looking at the stars is relatively easy. Once you find the North Star, you can measure its angle from the horizon to figure out your latitude.’
‘So what’s the problem?’
‘There’s no horizon on the map. It’s just not there. And even if it were, we would run into the much larger problem of longitude. To calculate it accurately, you need to know the time difference between an event that occurs at the prime meridian and when that same event occurs where you are.’
‘Wait,’ McNutt said, obviously confused. ‘How can the same event take place twice in different parts of the world? Are you talking about time travel, or clones? Or time-traveling clones? Oh my God, I’d definitely watch that movie.’
‘Actually,’ Garcia said, ‘I’m talking about celestial events that are perceived differently all over the world.’
McNutt grimaced. ‘Somehow your explanation made it worse.’
Garcia changed his approach. ‘Think about high noon. Not noon on your clock, but solar noon — the moment at which the sun reaches the highest point in the sky. That moment happens at some point everywhere on earth, but it doesn’t happen at the same time in every location. If solar noon is at 11:56 at the prime meridian, but it occurs at 12:04 where you’re standing, then you can calculate your longitude as long as you know the difference in time. At one degree for every four minutes, you’d be two degrees west of the prime meridian.’
Cobb stroked his chin in thought. ‘Not to complicate the issue even further, but was there even a prime meridian back then?’
‘Surprisingly, there was,’ Manjani replied. ‘The astronomer Ptolemy defined the first set meridian sometime during the second century. And guess where he was from? Alexandria. It’s not the same standard used today — his line ran through the Canary Islands — but it was known throughout the educated world and it was definitely known by the priests of Amun. They would know the concept better than most.’
Garcia groaned in frustration. ‘Once again, I’m not challenging their expertise. All I’m saying is that this particular star map can’t be used to plot longitude and latitude to the level of precision that we’d require. It simply doesn’t have enough information.’
Manjani was disappointed, but not defeated. He knew that the map would lead them to Alexander’s tomb, he just didn’t know how.
McNutt cleared his throat. ‘I know this might be a little late — I kind of drifted there when you mentioned time-traveling clones — but I think you’re giving these priests way too much credit. I mean, how can they be experts if they can’t even draw the sky right?’
Cobb glanced at him. ‘What do you mean?’
McNutt pointed at the star map on the screen. ‘There are stars on here that don’t exist. You know that, right?’
‘How could you possibly know that?’ Sarah demanded.
‘This isn’t my first trip to the Middle East. I’ve spent hundreds of nights looking up at this sky, with nothing to keep me company but my spotter and my M40. We used to make a game of it — naming stars after all the things that we missed back home.’
‘You memorized the constellations?’ Papineau asked.
McNutt nodded. ‘And all the other stars, too. We didn’t know their real names, so we improvised. The Arabian Goggles. The Rusty Trombone. The Angry Dragon.’
Sarah rolled her eyes, knowing damn well that he probably learned those terms while on leave in Tijuana or Bangkok. ‘So what are you saying?’
‘A dozen of these stars weren’t on my list.’
‘You’re sure?’
‘I’m positive! I never had a chance to use the Arctic Helicopter.’
Cobb glanced at Garcia. ‘What do you think?’
Garcia shrugged as he considered the possibilities. ‘If we’re talking about a couple of stars, then there’s always a chance that they burned out during the last two thousand years or so, but if we’re talking about a dozen, there has to be another explanation.’