Daniel stroked a trail on one of the glyphs, following the tail of one spiral to it's end, losing himself in the journey. Didn't he just tell Howard he could? "Yes, read them and speak Ancient Egyptian," he muttered, sounded like he was only half paying attention. And a number of other languages, none of which were going to help them here. There was no equivalent to this writing back on Earth.
Reading hieroglyphs wasn't big a deal, at least not to Daniel. Plenty of people in the field could read it, it was whether they could make an accurate translation or not that was the cincher. Not referencing Budge helped. The Ancient Egyptian though, that was something different. The language was long extinct on Earth, but flourished under Ra's rule on Abydos. As far as he knew, he was the only person on Earth who could speak it.
Considering the wall and door before them, Daniel had a feeling that Ancient Egyptian also wasn't going to help this time, which was a shame, because it was one of his favorite languages. Daniel waited patiently as Howard worked at the door, listening quietly as he put forth his hypothesis. The swirls all represent water? It could be, but Daniel privately thought Howard was over-simplifying a more complex issue. You rarely saw a mechanism on a door that just said the equivalent of Big Red Button, Here. Push it. These were arranged more like words or numbers. Daniel was leaning towards a numerical system based on threes himself. One-three, two-six, three-nine and so on.
"Maybe. Or they value water so much that it's become an integral part of their culture, even seeping into the basis of their writing," he pointed out. Howard was surprising, not just in his determination on the door, but the almost obscure knowledge he pulled out of the air. If anything, he knew a lot about water and how to get it to the surface, which wasn't something the average person his age knew.
Daniel took his place. With any lucky, he wasn't about to lose a few fingers, but if he did, he was sure Stacy was more technologically advanced than the SGC. They could reattach limbs.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
Daniel depressed a switch before he could over think his chances. He pulled his hand back quickly. Nothing happened at first. Then a low gurgling sounded through the wall. Seconds later, water flowed into the drain that Daniel had mentally labeled as three-nine. Something shimmered out of the corner of his eye and he turned to look. The door had shifted colors, now a faint rose-black color.
Re: Daniel Jackson || Sub Temple B
Reading hieroglyphs wasn't big a deal, at least not to Daniel. Plenty of people in the field could read it, it was whether they could make an accurate translation or not that was the cincher. Not referencing Budge helped. The Ancient Egyptian though, that was something different. The language was long extinct on Earth, but flourished under Ra's rule on Abydos. As far as he knew, he was the only person on Earth who could speak it.
Considering the wall and door before them, Daniel had a feeling that Ancient Egyptian also wasn't going to help this time, which was a shame, because it was one of his favorite languages. Daniel waited patiently as Howard worked at the door, listening quietly as he put forth his hypothesis. The swirls all represent water? It could be, but Daniel privately thought Howard was over-simplifying a more complex issue. You rarely saw a mechanism on a door that just said the equivalent of Big Red Button, Here. Push it. These were arranged more like words or numbers. Daniel was leaning towards a numerical system based on threes himself. One-three, two-six, three-nine and so on.
"Maybe. Or they value water so much that it's become an integral part of their culture, even seeping into the basis of their writing," he pointed out. Howard was surprising, not just in his determination on the door, but the almost obscure knowledge he pulled out of the air. If anything, he knew a lot about water and how to get it to the surface, which wasn't something the average person his age knew.
Daniel took his place. With any lucky, he wasn't about to lose a few fingers, but if he did, he was sure Stacy was more technologically advanced than the SGC. They could reattach limbs.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
Daniel depressed a switch before he could over think his chances. He pulled his hand back quickly. Nothing happened at first. Then a low gurgling sounded through the wall. Seconds later, water flowed into the drain that Daniel had mentally labeled as three-nine. Something shimmered out of the corner of his eye and he turned to look. The door had shifted colors, now a faint rose-black color.