  The present essay aims at investigating whether and how far an algebraic
analysis of the Zeta Function and of the Riemann Hypothesis can be carried out.
Of course the well-established properties of the Zeta Function, explored in
depth in over 150 years of world-wide study, are taken for granted. The chosen
approach starts from the recognized necessity of formulating an extension of
the Zeta Function which is defined for Re(s) = X < 1. A particular form of
extension, based on a Euler-McLaurin integration procedure, is chosen and an
algebraic appraisal is made of the conditions required to make the expression
of this extension equal to zero. Imposing the zero-condition on this extension
of the Zeta Function implies the nullity of the sum of three terms with
different properties. This can be obtained only if certain compatibility
conditions between the three terms are satisfied. One of the terms is endowed
with a high degree of symmetry with respect to the Critical Line (C.L.) X =
1/2, and from the compatibility conditions it follows that either the other two
terms possess the same type of symmetry or any complex-conjugate (c.c.) pair of
zero-points should lie on the C.L. Since the symmetry properties of the first
term are not shared by the other two terms, it appears that the only allowed
c.c. pairs of zero-points must belong to the C.L.
