In 1864, Charles Piazzi Smyth, Astronomer-Royal for Scotland, set out to measure the Great Pyramid of Giza in order to prove that its design had been devised by none other than God himself. Smyth’s actions and conclusions were informed by the work of John Taylor, a book publisher who sought to thwar...

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1. Verfasser:	Hornstein, Stéphanie (VerfasserIn)
Format:	Artikel
Sprache:	English
Veröffentlicht:	2024
Schlagworte:	Smyth, Charles Piazzi > 1819-1900 Methode Metrologie Dia Archäologie Wissenschaft Cheopspyramide
Zusammenfassung:	In 1864, Charles Piazzi Smyth, Astronomer-Royal for Scotland, set out to measure the Great Pyramid of Giza in order to prove that its design had been devised by none other than God himself. Smyth’s actions and conclusions were informed by the work of John Taylor, a book publisher who sought to thwart Britain’s adoption of the French metric system by demonstrating that the Great Pyramid was a storehouse of sacred measurements from which the English inch originated. As an eccentric but otherwise respected scientist, Smyth was no stranger to the procedure of having a theory vetted by the academic community. In addition to authoring several books on the subject of Pyramid Metrology, he employed the photographic lantern slide to disseminate the boldest idea he had ever proposed. Initially performed before learned societies, Smyth’s lectures became so popular with fringe movements, such as British-Israelism, that he eventually engaged a Manchester photographer to reproduce his slides for public sale. Through a study of extant lecture transcripts and glass slides, this article examines how Smyth’s photographs were imbricated in a rhetoric of persuasion that was grounded in the performance of scientific knowledge.
Beschreibung:	Illustrationen
ISSN:	0308-7298