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AROUND THE WORLD 4: Real-Life DaVinci Code?

Some of the best code breakers in the world are turning their attention to ten letters that have baffled historians for centuries: D.O.U.O.S.V.A.V.V.M. This code is etched on a marble monument nested in the gardens of an English country estate called Shugborough House, and thought to originate in the 1700s. Some experts even say the inscription may have something to do with the Holy Grail, which is the cup Jesus supposedly drank from at The Last Supper, according to the Bible.

Those working on this code are the same code-breakers that attacked Nazi codes from World War II Germany. One of the most famous cases was that of the Enigma, a machine that the Germans used to set up U-boat attacks on Allied forces. Now they will gather at an intelligence center called Bletchley Park to work on this inscription. Among the experts will be mathematicians, chess champions, crossword-puzzle leaders, and people highly skilled in ancient languages like Greek and Latin.

There are a couple of reasons people think the letters might be a clue about the Holy Grail. For one, the family who built the estate back in the 17th century were very interested in the Knights Templar, a secret group from the middle ages that claims to protect the Holy Grail. Also, it may have something to do with a painting by a French artist; the picture above the inscription is a mirror image of the painting, but with a few minor and possibly significant changes. For example, one of the shepherds pictured points to something different in the etching, and whoever made the inscription added an extra sarcophagus in the picture.

Then again, the letters might be nothing more than the beginning of a poem or a private message from one person to another. After all, it could turn out to be exactly what it looks like--a simple puzzle.

--Written by Kari Elassal

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Read AROUND THE WORLD 1: Tomb In Mayan Site