The 13th Tablet

‘I’m still stupefied,’ Joshua said to Mina, ‘to realise that the tablet was hidden under Noah’s Ark and not in the church.

I cared for this church all my life and my father before me! Never mind, I’ll probably never be able to resolve that mystery. How do you feel about talking over your translation of the tablet?’ Joshua asked.

‘Alright,’ replied Mina.

‘OK. Unfortunately, we’ve lost the introductory elements so I don’t know how the Babylonian scientists made their predictions,’ said Daniel.

‘They weren’t really scientists, you know, Daniel,’ replied Mina.

‘Are we going to quibble about terminology?’ asked Daniel.

‘No, no. So what do we have?’

‘We have a series of omens and lots of equations. I don’t know if they are dates, astronomical precisions, places, or something else. I just can’t tell.’

At that moment, they heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

‘Jack,’ said Mina, ‘are you crazy? You should be resting right now.’

‘I’ve rested enough, and I can’t leave the three of you to figure it all out without me.’ They laughed. Daniel fetched cushions for Jack, as he fell into an armchair.

‘Man, I’m exhausted,’ Jack said. ‘So where were you?’

‘Well, we were just assessing what we’ve got so far,’ said Daniel.

‘And?’ asked Jack.

‘Not much. Have a look,’ he said, handing him Mina’s translation of the tablet.

After a few moments, Jack put the notes down, ‘I have an idea. It isn’t really my field but I think some of these are mathematical equations, a little basic, but very effective in flood management. I had no idea they were so advanced. I mean, really. Sure, there have always been floods, but we have always considered flood management to be something new.’

‘But what about ancient dams, Jack?’ said Mina.

‘There’s more to flood management than just a dam. How do you build a dam? Which material do you choose, inclinations, localisation, height, etc. and for each new variable, new equations. We’re talking about complex systems.’

‘And can you tell which equations have to do with flood management techniques?’ asked Daniel.

‘Maybe,’ said Jack.

‘Fantastic,’ said Mina, ‘could you do that while we work on the rest? But take it easy.’

‘Alright. First I will take a nap,’ he replied, smiling at Mina.

Later that evening, Jack woke up in the armchair to find Mina and Daniel’s heads almost touching, so focused were they on the translation. Mina turned around to see Jack’s pointed gaze, drilling an imaginary hole into Daniel’s skull. She gave him a look in return which said ‘You’re being silly.’

Knowing that he was still watching her, she pretended to yawn and stretched her back, lifting her arms above her head and arching her back towards Jack. He was mesmerised by the outline of her figure under her tight jeans. Had he not been recovering from a serious wound, he would have grabbed her by the waist there and then and pulled her to him. Instead all he could do was stare.

Daniel sat up suddenly, totally oblivious to what was passing between Jack and Mina.

‘We’ve made some progress, but we’ll need you to explain the equations,’ said Daniel.

‘Alright, alright. I’ll get down to it. I’ll need a pen and paper.’

‘Here you go,’ Daniel said, handing him what he needed.

Jack read through Mina’s translation and understood why they had been so transfixed. It was a maze of calculations, imbedded within the biblical flood narrative. It was very weird, but quite clearly it was done on purpose to hide their findings. An hour later, he had finished.

‘Here you go,’ he said. Mina and Daniel turned around together.

‘Can you explain what you’ve found, Jack?’

‘Well, I’ve highlighted what I think are equations to do with flood management, and what I think is astronomical data.’

‘That’s great. Astrological information could be the key,’ said Daniel.

‘I said astronomy,’ said Jack, ‘don’t go confusing science with hocus pocus astrology.’

‘What do you mean?’ asked Daniel.

‘I’ll tell you what I mean,’ replied Jack. ‘There are two hundred and fifty billion stars in our own galaxy and over one hundred billion galaxies swirling about in space. That’s a lot of stars in space to be influencing or predetermining a man’s personality, or his direction in life. How many planets and stars did Babylonian astrologers know and use at the time, and how many are used today?’

‘That’s not the point,’ said Daniel. ‘Babylonian astrology focused on predicting events that affected the entire nation and its cities. Whatever it is today, astrology then was about trying to predict future meteorological events, earthquakes, famines, wars.’

‘I still think it’s horseshit,’ said Jack, ‘the only thing this tablet does is give a few exact moments in the sky. It’s astronomical information.’

‘He’s right you know,’ said Mina to Daniel.

‘He might be right, but how did they find these dates or places, if not through astrology?’ asked Daniel.

‘That, I don’t know,’ she answered, ‘it could be through a number of different observations. We don’t have that part of the text.’

‘OK. Jack, what about dates?’ asked Daniel.