The Dendera zodiac - an ancient bas-relief temple ceiling adorned with mysterious symbols of the stars and planets - was first discovered by the French during Napoleon's campaign in Egypt, and quickly provoked a controversy between scientists and theologians. This title tells the story of this incredible archeological find.

"This book makes a major contribution to European scientific, intellectual, and cultural history. Buchwald and Josefowicz have wrested from oblivion a subject that no previous author, French or English, has analyzed in this form or breadth. "The Zodiac of Paris" not only embodies interdisciplinarity at its very best, but also exposes the nineteenth-century roots of many concerns of the twenty-first century."--Darius A. Spieth, author of "Napoleon's Sorcerers: The Sophisians"

"This is an important book about an exciting topic. By tackling a subject that has largely been forgotten about--the role technical science could play in religious debates--Buchwald and Josefowicz open up new avenues for understanding eighteenth- and nineteenth-century science. "The Zodiac of Paris" provides fascinating insights into the wide-ranging debates in Napoleonic and Restoration France."--John Steele, Brown University

"[A] wonderful book that richly repays close reading."---James Evans, ISIS