Interpreter of Hieroglyphics
January 25, 2014 by
Sink Diver
Konstantinos Simonides, perhaps the greatest foregger of the 19th century. Born around 1820 in Symi, he lived on Mount Athos from where he was an exemest with various extremely equipped rare manuscripts, a very good knowledge of ancient and Byzantine language and paleography, and the incredible audacity of his twenty years: so much so he has begun his career, in 1849, with an publication of a 13th century work, related to his homeland of Symi, and false beginning to end. It is the
(
source ) )
Symais , the history of the non-existent Apollonia school, founded
in 377 AD , where everything was invented – and preceded by an equally non-existent history of Symi, which even features a “Pelasgian inscription” with its transcription and translation (see it
here , on p. 15). There are inventions, battles, intrigues, everything that can put a person’s mind to work – a book that deserves to be republished and read on the long winter nights, as they say. One and eight-key pages of fantasy, apart from the prologue, no jokes. Here, for example, is the mystic
emigration of thesperson of Symi, Glafkos, “in 1364 BC” (pp. 12-13):
...dressed in a monstrous garment, made of dolphin skins, and having sactified the priests and their people in the temples with the blood of the, he sacrificed by the hed-based the trident in his hands... [A]fter approach they have approached the sea, Glaucus entered it and, taking water in his hand, sprinkled the multitude the seven times... Glaucus, sailing on the sea, lan.
And some of the amazing inventions of the teachers of Apollonia: the
Sebastian chart , that is, the paper, the work of that same Sebastus of Symeius who
sails from Rhodes with three of his colleagues, without masters or oars, but with mercury and steam? this miraculous ship, an an (p. 18). And not only that: . In fact, this veenerable man (The strange experiment on ar. 21-22). The Symeans seeming to have had had particular achievements in shipping, as the incredible inventions of worthy ships of Robyrus the Conqueror return to the book, such as, for example the vessel that (p. 103). Let us also say a few words about John Demetrius, who was discovered (p. 117).
a Roatian farmer crossed the sea, and walls of the sea.winds objecting, in torque
Perhaps it is no coincidence, one might say, that a large part of the miracles of the Apollonias concern painting: paintings so technically made that you took them for real. Like the forgeries of Simonides, that he is. Who, at the end of his Prologues, they are out against those who suggest such malignitys, none other than:
Be silent now and despise them, for their words are full of envy ignorance; copy, by, and the time is approaching, that you may fall when they like an axe. As for our writings, which are published by you [cry out so many other unpublished writers, who fortunate I was to have at my bedside ], you have the right to appropriate, because by saying to the saying of your scholars, you are the author and not we, and laugh at their inexcusable foolishness [...] You are an interpreter of the Hieroglyphic letters, and of the Pelasgian letters, you are a Physician, a Geographer, a Historian, an Archaeologist, a Lawyer, etc. [...] And to the teachers who said that Simonides was a teacher of reading the hard-to-read and understanding the incomprehensible, thank him, and saying to them: Well, it is good for you to learn from Simonides; and then add this, that Simonides was a teacher of these things, and that the teachers of the law were a teacher of doing evil, betraying their fatherland, and doing everything, the alienation of the nation, the melons being an apt to do for the sake of their enemies .of Simonides, and the one of the God-felt, and the smites are blown, and the blemishes are blemished. Measles the melons for the sake of these enemies are are blatant.
I don't remember ever having encountered the insulting characterization
"melons" to be around around with such seriousness. Of similar nature and inventiveness, the history and description of Egypt written by a certain Uranian: so much so that it fools even the very
Wilhelm Diedorf , who publishes it under his name, and here it is, enjoy it:
Uranii Alexandrini de regibus Aegyptiorum libri tres , Oxford 1856. Somewhat shorter, fourteen pages, but certainly more well-made (
here is the revelation of the fraud by another patriot,
Alexander Lycurgus , with a very detailed description of the life and works of our hero. Let us suffice with quoting an excerpt with characteristic "Egyptian" names (although not all of them are Simonides' invention, I daresay, as one can understand by reading Dindorf's preface):
, with a detailed description of our hero's life and works). Let us sneer to quote with "Egyptic" names (although not all of Simonides's invention, I think, as one understands by reading Diddorf's foreword):
...and he married Shammin, the daughter of Laphoth the elder, and destroyed the three cities of Arabia, the Ogygias and the Hekista Epima, Bostra and Lehara, and Thurch, destroying them, and begot Khnemacheth and Mashufin and Sftachefin [...] And the leaders of the army were as follows, Apis, Mnephis, Khnuphis, Fres, Marsaphis, Satetho, Tahommis, Pepesepho, Anukemmo, Paitnuphis, Thothoushis, Petensetis, Sabekoth, Schonis, Sonephis, Pnephthis, Hapemo, Thenis, Charmerhommis, Thmerahomi, Charsoudi, Thupfechis, Nephthyrammo, Amanthophphis, all-yonch.
I wonder with what mechanism he imagined all these names (and I resist the temptation to say that
Anukhemmo reminding me of Anouk Aimé, who, as is well known, lived well after Simonides: not even in the
Symaida is there any mention of the invention of a time machine...? they remind you of similar stories of imaginary cities that I wrote as a child, and in which, for example, King Aivysos appeared, a name that is nothing more than the inscription SOSIVIA (from a ferryboat) read backwards.
(
And more, and more. He was not only a fraud, he also sold and published genuine manuscripts.
In 1862 he's a have made a major breakthrough, after declaring that the famous Sinaitic Codex , which was had stolen and published by his great rival Tischendorf , was nothing more than a forgery of his own. A claim that was refood, etc., but how intelligent, how unexpected! This Borges before Borges, the inventor of his own worlds, tried, so to speak, to forge the world itself.
Let me not go into further details.
This is the English wiki entry (there is no Greek one!), and you can also read a related
book, quite quite disappointing (A German writing in a French style: lots of flourishes, literary exercises, use extensive of the historical present tense. In this particular case, an over-the-top attempt to fill in the gaps: it begins with an episode of sexual abuse of a minor, just enough to be fashionable, without any documentation, and with endings the assumption that what Simonides mentions in one of his letters as “Albania” could be Meteora.
From Pseudo-Artemidorus (
source ) )
presentation , for which (I hope) more in the comments.
I just want to note that I couldn't't find a photo of him anywhere.I was struck by how hard it was to find the one of him that quote at the beginning of the post, how difficult it was me to find some (and I can't say for sure) photos of his forgeries: some images from the pseudo-Artemidorus, one from the Gospel of Matthew (a papyrus "written years after the Ascension"), uncertain things.
***
Islam Ahun . Simonides'' counterpart in Central Asia: A Uyghur from Khotan, in Chinese Turkestan or Sinkiang, he began in 1895 to offer for sale, together with a partner, ancient manuscripts to the various English and Russian consuls in the region. The manuscripts great confusion in the emerging branch of Asian studies: the various scripts invented by the two partners constellecting sometimesd Indian, Chinese, sometimes Uyghur drive, to the point that they had even insilling Cyrillic elements, much to the astonishment of scholars. In fact, when the demand for manuscripts increased, atheists had made wooden printing elements, again from non-existent scripts, in order to increase production. But, whatever doubts arose, they stumbled upon the very European question:
. Simonides' in89 to be, Uyghur from Hottan, to Chinese Turkestan or Xinkiang, angent in 1895 to offer for sale, along with a partner of his, ancient manuscripts to the region's various English and Russian consuls. The manuscripts caused extraordinary conducing in the emerging branch of Asian scholars: the various scriptures invented by the two partners were sometimes resembling Indian, sometimes to Chinese, sometimes with Uguric, until they had incorporated Cyrillic elements to the great wonder of scholars. The atheists, in fact, when the demand for manuscripts increased, had made wooden printing elements, again from non-existent writings, to increase production. But here, as many doubts as they came up, they would be squeal to the very European question:
How is it that Islam Ahun and his relatively illiterate associates are credited with the ingenuity that would have required the construction of these scriptures?
(Hoernle, AF Rudolf (1899). "A collection of Antiquities from Central Asia, Part I."
Journal of the Asian Society of Bengal : 62 -from wiki).
The one who finally who is a suspected one was the great
Aurelius Stein , since in the many manuscripts that he did in the discovered cities buried of Tarim, he did not come across a single one with the strange writings that Islam Ahun was discovering. So he met him and finally forced to reveal the fraud to him. Stein characterizes Islam
as a very clever rascal, with a good deal of humor - this is something that one can imagine, after all. Among the other activities, one reminds one of the adventurers in Kipling's
Man Who Would Be King : he disguised as an English agent who wasly wasly looking for slaves, in order to blackmail the locals.
After, let's say, his interrogation by Stein, Islam Ahun why he is to take him with him to Europe. What was he thinking? The preparation of a career in Berlin and London on a par with Simonides, forty years before? In any case, Stein; and we know nothing else about Islam Ahun.
But we have a photo, and we can at least see his own forgeries.
***
In closing, let's not imply that only third-world Balkan and Central Asian people were trying to fool the, um, scientific community. Here, for example, is the
Piltdown man (will Albion be left without prehistoric man? Never!) and a whole bunch of
others . But for me to prefer Islam Ahun, the inventor of scriptures, and even more so Simonides, the inventor of worlds.
PS. Please take the time to see the contribution of my friend Alfred E. Newman about another amazing forger, Prince Rodokanakis.
Here is the text, and
here is a photo. Oh! and
here is his magnum opus, the (pseudo)history of the Justinians of Chios.
