I think perhaps the double use of the word meridian lies at the root
of this confusion. From its antecedent word meridies - the middle of the
day - we see how it means a line for determining time of noon and that
is local noon wherever it may be situated, be it Saint Sulpice, Bologna,
or Durham. The use of a particular line of longitude where the Sun is at
its highest, noon, at the same time, as a base for measurement or prime
meridian is another matter, for that could be done without reference to
the Sun at all, for example with the required North - South line being
established by the stars from any suitably equipped place - London,
Paris, Rome, Palermo ...
In this day and age perhaps The Da Vinci Code should have a very big
notice on the cover warning that it is not entirely composed of
verifiable facts! The curious thing is that (as I understand) there are
already many books commenting on it and many reviewers - let alone
members of the public - seem to accept its allegedly historical
background and interpretations as more or less scholarly truth, however
poorly they may stand up to scrutiny. I am sure, Roger, that you are not
the only one to be confused by it but at least you can recognise an
embellishment!
Andrew James
Roger Bailey wrote:
snip The Saint-Surplice meridian is a key element in the best selling
novel The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.
snip This confused me as I expected the Paris Meridian to go through
the Observatory of Paris ... The meridians are quite different but the
novel brings them together. This is not the only fact embellished by the
author to set the plot for his novel.
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