Saturday 15 September 2007

The sword of Damocles

"Tomb Raider Anniversary" (PS2, 2007)

Damocles was a real person that lived in Syracuse (Sicily) in the 4th Century BC, and was member of the court of Dionysius II. The story of Damocles has became mythic:

Damocles used to talk about how wonderful it must be to be a king. Dionysus, decided to teach him a lesson by inviting him to a sumptuous banquet. Damocles was enjoying very much, until Dionysus directed Damocles' attention upward, to where a big sharp sword was suspended directly over his head by a single thread.

This mythology embodies the tree key elements of (5335) Damocles: the sword (Mars), the thread (Uranus) and experiences away from day to day life (high orbital inclination).