CYPHERS IN THE WORK
OF DAN BROWN
How the author Dan Brown uses
cyphers in his books
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
1
The Da Vinci Code
• While in Paris on business, Harvard
symbologist Robert Langdon receives an
urgent late-night phone call: the elderly
curator of the Louvre has been murdered
inside the museum. Near the body, police
have found a baffling cipher.
• Langdon joins forces with a gifted French
cryptologist, Sophie Neveu.
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
Source: http://www.danbrown.com/
2
• Together Robert and Sophie have to solve
various coded clues in order to open the
Codex and find out the secret of the Holy
Grail.
An adventure that takes them around
Paris, London and eventually to Scotland.
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
3
Angels and Demons
• When world-renowned Harvard
symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned
to a Swiss research facility to analyze a
mysterious symbol -- seared into the chest
of a murdered physicist -- he discovers
evidence of the unimaginable: the
resurgence of an ancient secret
brotherhood known as the Illuminati...
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
Source: http://www.danbrown.com/
4
• Robert and scientist Vittoria Vetra join
forces to decode the clues that lead to the
Path of Illumination and find the baddie.
• The chase takes them all over Rome and
finally ends with a dramatic scene at The
Vatican.
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
5
The Lost Symbol
• Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is
summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening
lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within
minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a
bizarre turn. A disturbing object--artfully encoded
with five symbols--is discovered in the Capitol
Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an
ancient invitation... one meant to usher its
recipient into a long-lost world of mysterious,
ancient wisdom.
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
Source: http://www.danbrown.com/
6
• Robert, and Katherine Solomon, have to
solve coded clues in order to find and save
her brother from a hideous death at the
hands of a madman.
• The chase takes them all over the centre
of Washington D.C.
• Along the way they find hidden clues and
messages left by the builders of the
American capital city.
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
7
The Masonic Cypher
• The Masonic
cypher is the
main clue in the
story that sets
Robert Langdon
off on his hunt to
save his friend
Peter Solomon.
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
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You’ll need
some paper
and a pencil
for the next bit
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
9
How to crack the cypher – Step 1
First, draw a grid –
like a tic-tac-toe
grid.
Then add the
letters A - I
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
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How to crack the cypher – Step 2
Then draw another
tic-tac-toe grid
and add the
letters J – R,
adding a to
each cell in the
grid.
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
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How to crack the cypher – Step 3
Now draw a large
X and add the
letters S - V
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
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How to crack the cypher – Step 4
Finally, draw
another X and
add the letters
W – Z and add
a
to each
letter.
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
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Reading the code…
We can now see
that the code
symbol
The symbol
Represents the
letter
Represents the
letter
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
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Reading the code…
The symbol
Represents the
letter
The symbol
Represents the
letter
…and so on…
Until you end up with this…
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
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The code cracked!
Of course, in
typical Dan Brown
fashion there is
more code
breaking to be
done to unravel
the meaning of
this grid!
You’ll have to read the book!!
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
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The next few slides
show the full code
de-crypted.
Row 2 coming up!
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
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The symbol
The symbol
The symbol
The symbol
Represents the
letter
Represents the
letter
Represents the
letter
Represents the
letter
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
18
Row 3 coming up!
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
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The symbol
The symbol
The symbol
The symbol
Represents the
letter
Represents the
letter
Represents the
letter
Represents the
letter
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
20
Row 4 coming up!
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
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The symbol
Represents the
letter
The symbol
Represents the
letter
The symbol
Represents the
letter
The symbol
Represents the
letter
Year 9 Cryptography – Dan Brown
22