Saturday, July 15, 2006

Pythagoras


Recently I mentioned that a Star of David can be built inside the tetraktys by connecting the 6 points that surround the central point and by leaving the 3 outer points untouched. Here we have a totally different suggestion: to merge two tetraktyses (ten points arranged in four rows: 1 point in first, 2 in the second etc.) and build from these points two triangles: one that starts from the point at the top and ends in a base made from the four points at the bottom and the other starts from the point at the bottom and ends in a base made from the four points at the top.
These two interpretations strengthen the theory that the Pythagoreans who invented the tetraktys might have influenced this Jewish symbol.

1 comment:

zeevveez said...

IMHO the 13 stars on the Great Seal of the United States and on the one dollar bill are arranged in the unique shape of the "two interlocking tetraktyses".
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Seal_of_the_United_States