Archimedes’
Mysteries
A daring tale of genius
that saved the lost work of
the great mathematician
If you’ve ever rocked on a teeter-totter, then
you already are familiar with Archimedes,
one of the most brilliant mathematicians in
history. And though we know and use some of
his inventions (the Archimedean screw still
pumps water at locations around the world),
his greatest writings, until recently, were
thought lost, because of the recycling efforts
of a 13th-century monk.
The monk, needing material for a prayer
book in an age when materials were scarce,
cut apart the parchment pages from an old
book and scraped off the ink, then reassembled
the pages and wrote over the previous text,
obscuring forever, it was thought, the last of
the best from Archimedes.
ave
Date
CHARLES VILLAGE
the
Print by
Print
Ongoing
An exhibition of 30
print series (350 prints
in all) by European and
American artists from
the late 1500s to the
present. The exhibit,
“Print by Print: Series
From Dürer to Lichtenstein,” is at the Baltimore Museum of Art.
443-573-1700; artbma.org
HAMPDEN
The Miracle on
34th Street
Nov. 25–Jan. 1
The denizens of 34th
Street light up their
street like, well, a
Christmas tree. A
tradition for more
than 60 years.
christmasstreet.com
CITY GUIDE
Baltimore
The monk’s palimpsest, as such recycled
books are called, survived. But could the erased
writing be resurrected from under a layer of ink
and more than 2,000 years of decay?
The Walters Art Museum, renowned
worldwide for its specialists in ancient manuscripts, has been working on that problem for
more than a decade, and the gripping story of
its detective work is told in “Lost and Found:
The Secrets of Archimedes,” an exhibit on
view through the end of the year. It’s a fascinating story stretching far beyond what can
be said here. 410-547-9000; the walters.org.
The Archimedes Palimpsest in 1999, bound and
open to fols. 103v-105r.
Copyright the owner of The Archimedes
Palimpsest.
A Parting Glance at
the Civil War
Camden Station
was a major player
in transportation
and communication throughout
the Civil War.
President Lincoln
passed through
here four times,
at Camden Yards,
which mostly
focuses on Mary-
land sports figures.
However, during
this 150th anni-
versary year of
the Civil War, the
museum is featur-
ing a special exhibi-
tion (closing at the
end of December)
dedicated to Cam-
den Station and
containing many
artifacts from
Baltimore’s partici-
pation in the war.
410-727-1539;
baberuthmuseum.
com.
MOUNT VERNON
Lighting of the
Washington
Monument
Dec. 1
This year is the 40th
annual lighting of the
Washington Monument,
which stands 178 feet
tall. This is a special
night of activity, ending
with fireworks.
410-244-1030; bop.org
WASHING TON VILLAGE
Festival of
Trains
Dec. 1–31
The B&O Railroad
Museum sets up a
display of toy and
model train layouts.
410-752-2490; borail.org
DOWNTOWN
The Lion King
Dec. 7–Jan. 8
Here’s a chance to catch
the Disney musical that
changed Broadway and
the musical genre itself.
Shows nearly every day
throughout the month.
The Hippodrome
Theatre. 410-547-7328;
france-merrickpac.com
