Historical Cryptography & Texts
Investigations into problematic historical documents alongside highly disputed interpretations of coded systems. We look at the precise way these old records were originally written and subsequently transmitted over time. This approach helps us establish exactly where the intended meaning began to slip.
The Abbess’s Code – Testing Hildegard’s ‘lingua ignota’
Hildegard of Bingen left a 1,011-word ‘unknown language’ and a distinct alphabet. We test what survives: glossary, hymn and letterforms. Does it scale beyond a naming list, and what do the numbers say?
Cardan Grille Anachronism – Can a Sixteenth-Century Mask Fit the Voynich?
Does the Voynich Manuscript hide text written through a Cardan grille? We test the dates, the device’s history, and the text’s behaviour to see if a sixteenth-century mask could plausibly fit a fifteenth-century book.
The Voynich’s Two Voices – A Field Guide to A and B
Statistical fingerprints in the Voynich Manuscript split the text into two dialect families, Currier A and Currier B. We map where each sits in the book, which hands wrote them, and what that distribution implies.
The Antikythera Paradigm – The Ghost of a Lost World
Found in a Roman-era shipwreck, the Antikythera Mechanism is a machine that shouldn't exist. It contains gearing technology that wouldn't be seen again for 1,400 years. We investigate the lost world that built it.
The Voynich Paradox – When Evidence Points Both Ways
Evidence suggests the Voynich Manuscript is a meaningless hoax. Yet statistical analysis proves its text behaves like a real language. This investigation isn't about deciphering the book, but exploring the paradox at its heart.
The Derveni Papyrus – Europe’s Oldest Book and Its 44-Year Secret
Europe's oldest book, a philosophical text arguing for a single god, was found in a warrior's tomb. Kept secret by academics for 44 years, its contents challenge our understanding of ancient Greek religion, science, and ritual.
The Book of Enoch and the Legacy of Forbidden Knowledge
Once revered, then suppressed, the Book of Enoch tells of angels who taught forbidden arts and sowed the seeds of corruption. Its warnings linger: what dangers arise when knowledge is gifted from the wrong source?
The Cosmic Serpent Connection – Vision, DNA, and Mystery
Why do serpent entities appear in visions across cultures and psychedelics alike? From ayahuasca ceremonies to the DNA double helix, this article explores the enduring enigma of the cosmic serpent and what it might know.
The Case of the Akhmim Fragment – Following the Contradictory Evidence
In 1886–1887 a codex surfaced at Akhmim, reportedly from a monk’s grave. We test that discovery story, Serapion’s heresy charge, and the ‘talking cross’ scene to weigh dependence on Matthew against an earlier Gospel of Peter tradition.