The left bank of the Neva River turned out to be occupied by very famous sculpture group “Theseus and Minotaur”. In the article it was said, that Minotaur is a monster – bull-man – in ancient Greek mythology. Apparently, his mother, Pacifae, decided to cuckold her husband, Minos, who ordered to imprison the fruit of forbidden love between “shining” courtesan (Pacifae in Latin means “shining”) and “Cnossus ladies’ man” (fire-breathing bull – Pacifae’s lover from Cnossus) to the maze, built especially for him; there Minotaur was killed by Theseus, because he endeavoured annually seven most beautiful Athenian girls and youths given him as a tribute. Theseus, who put the end to this tyranny, might be the first democrat thus.
On the right bank of the Neva River there was a sculpture group by Athenian sculptor Antenor “Tyrannicides” (Harmodius and Aristogiton). I wondered whom did they struggle with? The Lexicon said, that “Tyranny” as a form of state power appeared in Greece by the end of VII century B.C., while struggle between deteriorating aristocracy and increasing people mass went on; it appeared mostly in cities with highly-developed economy; legislature was almost always formally kept, although polis was actually under individual ruling. Tyrants lead policy of improving conditions of demos; they were supporting crafts and trade, arts and poetry. Naturally, it was for the first time estimated negatively during the period of democratic ruling, rejecting the fundamental principle of tyranny – individual governing. Among Greek tyrants the two of Syracuse (again Syracuse!) were noticed especially in the “Lexicon”: Hieron I and Hieron II. Do the «murderers of tyrant» mean very bellicose democrats?
Beside the “Tyrannicides” in the Lexicon there appeared a plan of a very strange building from the third “picnic”, where it was called the “White House”. In fact it was the plan of ancient Greek city Tirinth with a fortress, in Argolide, built in the second half of II millennium B.C., to the south from Mycenae. The first edifice was dated by III millennium B.C., the last – by XIII century A.D., as the lexicon said. Every edifice on the plan had its number, and by number 11 was marked … the public bath.
If “Tirinth” for the author of the “Post Historical Picnic” was a symbol of New York, then he was very precious in indicating the place of “blood bath” – towers of WTC. It’s interesting, that hardly noticeable number 11, indicating the bath, presents on the picture of “picnic”, and, on the contrary, well-seen number 17, marking the Western Gates on the plan of Tirinth, is absent in “picnic”. But in the final scene of “Queen of Picks” by Pushkin, Hermann goes mad, and sitting in the room №17 in the hospital, doesn’t answer any questions and mutters very swiftly: ”Three, seven, ace! Three, seven, queen!..” May be, Pushkin wanted to show this way that number 17 holds sway over Western world? And authors of “picnic” don’t like it?
The picture representing the “fighting elephant”, with the inscription “place of the most important meetings”, was as well found in the lexicon, with the explanation, when and how the fighting elephants were used. It was explained, that they were appreciated for their strong force, cleverness and psychological effect they made on enemy’s infantry and cavalry. It was noticed, that elephants were used by Alexander Macedonian in his battles, and that he was somehow stopped in Afghanistan, and at that moment I suddenly remembered that “elephant” is the symbol of Republican Party in USA. Today Republicans rule in the country and strive to penetrate into the “place of the most important meetings”.
There was no picture of Coliseum in the lexicon, but I’ve learnt from the article that this ancient building was called after colossus of Nero standing beside the amphitheatre. Naturally, I remembered about “Colossus of Rhodes” from the first “picnic” and learnt that being considered one of Seven Wonders of the World it represented the bronze statue of Helios, 37 m high, which stood above the entrance to the harbour with his legs pulled apart. Haret from Lind created it in 285 B.C. 58 years later, in 227 B.C. (the sum of numbers is again the fatal 11) it was completely ruined by the earthquake, because its frame was made of iron and stone. The colossus of Nero, made in 58 A.D. by Zenodor, was two meters higher than the “Colossus of Rhodes”. The Emperor Vespasian ordered to turn this colossus into the statue of Helios, and the Emperor Adrian moved it to the Flavius amphitheatre, which since those times has been called Coliseum. But, frankly speaking, after all these researches the aim of strange inscription under “Coliseum” – “Toilets, occupied by putschists” – didn’t become clearer for me.
It was well past midnight when I decided to stop my investigation. All the more, I had to confess, that although the trip along “Lexicon of Antiquity” has enriched my knowledge of history and even helped to maintain some important informational interlinks between “picnics”, it hasn’t made the solution of the rebus closer.
The night was uneasy. I couldn’t fall asleep for long, and when at last dozed off heavily, shortly before dawn, the pictures from “picnics” were winding in my half-dreams, like in kaleidoscope, reflecting some “struggle of ideas” in the depth of my sub-consciousness. And gigantic towers of WTC turned into the legs of Rhodes Colossus, each standing on its bank of harbour mouth before the ancient port, or into Spasskaya Tower and some church in Petersburg, unknown to me; and appeared strange name from somewhere – “Church on the blood”. May be, it was the dome of St. Basil’s Cathedral? All the next day I must resemble Hermann from Pushkin’s “Queen of Picks”, for I answered not in the point and added numbers, expecting to get the fatal 11 in result. It might be telephone numbers, car numbers or house numbers.
September 23 – 24. “Matrix”
On Sunday, after supper, I decided to have a break and shifted to big notes from Holmes’s file. The first article that attracted my attention was a note about the film “Matrix”, printed from Russian site www.dotu.ru. The translation was rather good, though it was clear that it was made not by Englishman but by Russian, who spoke English rather well, diluting it with American slang. The note was called “Matrix” is different to “Matrix”. I‘ve seen this film the last year. Then it seemed to me simply one of hits, may be a little more eccentric than other contemporary hits, and so I started reading the note supposing easy-reading text. And how great was my surprising when after finishing the first chapter with brief rendering of the main events of film, I realized that I could understand almost nothing of what I’ve read. I stopped and thought: what’s the matter? I understood each particular word, but the sense of the whole phrase eluded from me. I had a feeling, that this was some unknown language, resembling English but formally. By the end of the evening I have coped two first chapters, and stuck in the third finally. It was called rather unusually: “Mathematics and God’s Providence”. The clock stroke midnight, and I gave up and went to bed. In spite of hard work with unusual text, I felt vigorous and energetic in the morning.
I’m to see the film anew, or it will be very hard to understand the note.
Thinking about this, I went to editorial office, and bought on the way the videocassette with “Matrix”. Having finished my business, I tried to watch “Matrix” in the evening by the eyes of the author of the analytical note. Either it was for good sleeping this night, or for yesterday work with the hard text, but I had a feeling, that I’d never seen this film. Or, did I get the new look on habitual things? Encouraged with this thought, I started reading again and reached the forth chapter “‘Matrix’ ruling”. This chapter turned out to be the key, because it made me understand the existence of new kind of power, different from any known before – conceptual power. I re-read thoroughly the part of chapter, especially interesting for me: