forefathers' "new Rome" had been renamed Washington early in her history,

Tibers' waters still flowed into the Potomac Tibers' waters refers to Tiber Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River. The tributary was originally known as Goose Creek but it was renamed Tiber Creek following the selection of land that would become Washington D.C.. In his initial plans for Washington D.C., Pierre L'Enfant had envisioned Tiber Creek as a canal to the Potomac River that could be used for commercial purposes.



senators still convened beneath a replica of St. Peter's Dome The cast-iron dome that tops the United States' Capitol building is actually a replica of the Michelangelo's dome that was designed for St. Peter's Basilica. The dome was implemented by Thomas Ustick Walter and rises 287 feet high.
("Capitol, United States." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2010. Web. 7 June 2010 <http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9020154>.)



Vulcan and Minerva still watched over the Rotunda's long-extinguished flame In Brumidi's Apotheosis of Washington, which is painted within the dome of the Rotunda, Minerva and Vulcan are both illustrated. A flame once burned beneath the Rotunda but has long since been extinguished [See Chapter 20].

refuge...north of Washington's Tiber Creek


Freedom Plaza is located a few blocks from the White House along Pennsylvania Avenue. There are three main attractions within the plaza. At the eastern end of Freedom Plaza is a statue of Kazimierz Pułaski. Pulaski, a Polish soldier, gained recognition when he saved George Washington's life and became an army general. In the western end of the plaza is a large fountain. Within Freedom Plaza is also a large stone map depicting Pierre L'Enfant's design of Washington D.C. The plaza, "opened in 1980 as part of the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation."



the Jewish star–the Seal of Solomon The legend that describes King Solomon's seal can be found in the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths. The Seal of Solomon is more commonly known today as the Jewish star, Star of David, or the hexagram. "King Solomon's Seal, whose base is on the ground and whose tip reaches heaven, symbolizes a harmony of opposites, whose significance is manifold as much as it is multi-cultural. It reflects the cosmic order, the skies, the movement of the stars in their spheres, and the perpetual flow between heaven and earth, between the elements of air and fire." As a result, the Jewish star is symbolic of rule by divine grace and intense wisdom.


Solomon's seal on the Great Seal of the United States Conspiracy theorists or coincidence theorists have frequently connected the letters on the edges of the motto "Annuit Coeptis" and "Novus Ordo Seculorum" to spell out the word MASON on the U.S. One dollar bill. Langdon and Brown seem fascinated by the correlation that has been been previously mentioned in the Langdon series.




M-A-S-O-N According to some conspiracy theories, Solomon's Seal on the Great Seal of the United States points to the letters M-A-S-O-N.



Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter There are several models in this UH-60 series of helicopters produced by Sikorsky aircraft. The helicopter is better known by the name Black Hawk.


"My God, you're right!...I didn't see it earlier!" What hadn't he seen?



Pennsylvania and Thirteenth Street Freedom Plaza extends from 14th to 13th Street along Pennsylvania Avenue.