Difference between revisions of "Pillar 7"
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35.2742 149.1373 | 35.2742 149.1373 | ||
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35.2984 149.1312 | 35.2984 149.1312 | ||
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35.3180 149.0926 | 35.3180 149.0926 | ||
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35.3778 149.1040 | 35.3778 149.1040 | ||
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35.3536 149.0764 | 35.3536 149.0764 | ||
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35.3461 149.0974 | 35.3461 149.0974 | ||
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35.3636 149.0957 | 35.3636 149.0957 | ||
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35.2268 149.0519 | 35.2268 149.0519 | ||
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35.2486 149.1635 | 35.2486 149.1635 | ||
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35.4710 149.0974 | 35.4710 149.0974 | ||
</tt> | </tt> |
Revision as of 17:44, 18 March 2013
Pillar 7 is the shortest pillar. It contains a numerical cipher (Unsolved), a Caesar/Vigenere cipher (Solved) and a series of numbers around the bottom which probably form part of a cipher (Unsolved).
It also explains the method it uses to encrypt the alphabetic text. It is presumably a pillar to introduce participants to the concepts of encryption.
Numerical Grid
At the top of the pillar is a grid of numbers of 5 rows and 26 columns. A triangular glyph surrounds a number (rather than pointing as in other pillars).
35248614916353547101490974 24725391509414892533731941 14909573522681490367353636 41635353213194116435346709 81491040353180149092635377 |
Decoded labyrinth style by Neonsignal to read as a series of numbers that resemble geographical coordinates of the Canberra area:
35.2742 149.1373 35.2984 149.1312 35.3180 149.0926 35.3778 149.1040 35.3536 149.0764 35.3461 149.0974 35.3636 149.0957 35.2268 149.0519 35.2486 149.1635 35.4710 149.0974 |
When plotted onto a map, the coordinates point to 10 locations in the Canberra urban area specifically:
Transposition (Caesar) cipher - Solved
The remainder of the pillar is filled with a simple cipher - the Caesar cipher.
At the top is a plaintext which makes an obvious reference to Caesar:
A LETTER SHIFT A CIPHER MAKES A FAMOUS ROMANS NAME IT TAKES |
Then below that, it pictorially depicts a letter shift. In this example, A>B, B>C, C>D and so on, with Z>A.
Below this is a cipher text:
B MFUUFS TIJGU B DJQIFS NBLFT B GBNPVT SPNBOT OBNF JU UBLFT
DWV QVJGT OQXGU C EQFG ECP OCMG
D NXID PDQ FRXOG ILQG WKHP RXW
INGY PZBZIE XROZA OPK RNQV SA ENMPL XVZIZ GBHV ERIQIF |
Using a simple online Caeser cipher calculator, this decrypts using various shifts to read
(With a shift of 1) A LETTER SHIFT A CIPHER MAKES A FAMOUS ROMANS NAME IT TAKES
A SHIFT OF TWO YOU NOW CAN BREAK BUT OTHER MOVES A CODE CAN MAKE
HOWEVER THEY BE SWAPPED ABOUT A KUFA MAN COULD FIND THEM OUT |
Kufa most likely refers to Kufa, Iraq which was home to famed Arab cryptanalyst al-Kindi who pioneered frequency analysis.
The final four lines resist any number of simple shifts. It is possible that it is encoded using something like a Vigenere cipher.
An analysis using an online Vigenere breaking tool conducts frequency analysis to try to determine a key. It responds with a lot that start with "VIG", leading me to guess "VIGENERE".
(Using the Vigenere cipher with a key of "vigenere"): WHEN DIFFERENT SHIFTS EACH LETTER TAKES (and resetting at the end of the two lines) THE NAME OF WHICH GREAT CODE AWAKES |
Base
A string of numbers runs around the base.
10 11 9 11 9 12 13 17 28 29 15 17 11 12 11 12 11 13 20 24 9 13 11 11 7 93 11 11 14 17 |