Egyptian Enigma

by LJM Owen

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘Okay, forty-three times two point four seven…’

  ‘All right.’

  ‘Plus fifty-four point one.’

  ‘It comes to a hundred and sixty.’

  ‘So, plus or minus three centimetres or so, our princess here was one point six metres tall, a fair height for a woman of the New Kingdom.’

  ‘Which is about five feet three inches?’ Henry said.

  ‘I guess so…’ Elizabeth clucked at the screen. ‘The rest of the world converted to metric, oh, about a century ago, y’know!’

  Henry rolled his eyes at his laptop camera. ‘Don’t start.’

  The height of the woman rang a faint bell in the back of Elizabeth’s mind. She was certain it held some importance, but she couldn’t bring it to mind.

  Alice bent over the cervical vertebrae of the replica skeleton. ‘Is this a mark on her neck, or a glitch in the printing?’

  Both Nathan and Elizabeth bent forward to look and bumped heads. ‘Ow,’ he said, and backed away.

  ‘Sorry!’ Elizabeth said and reached out to touch Nathan’s shoulder. She then ran a finger over the mark in the vertebra. ‘I saw the same damage to the wet anatomy of the mummy in some of the scans.’

  The others in the room looked at her blankly.

  ‘Wet anatomy means flesh, blood…anything but bone.’ Elizabeth smiled apologetically at Nathan, who had blanched again. ‘There was extensive wrapping around the neck of this mummy, and in the scan it looked as though her throat had been sliced. If it was deep enough to leave a mark on the bone, and it occurred while she was alive, then she was most certainly murdered.’

  ‘This is gruesome,’ Nathan said, crossing his arms over his chest.

  ‘Are you okay to continue?’ Alice asked him.

  ‘Yes…’ Nathan looked around the room. ‘If all of you are fine with this, I am too. It’s just more confronting than I thought it would be.’

  ‘Was murder common among the royals of ancient Egypt?’ Llew asked.

  ‘The politics were murky,’ Rhoz said, ‘although I thought it was unseemly to murder someone. More often, if someone of high status was going to be executed, they were offered poison as a means of committing suicide.’

  One notable exception sprang to Elizabeth’s mind. ‘Except,’ she held up one finger, ‘Ramesses the Third! The second Pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty was famously murdered in a vicious attack coordinated by one of his wives and his sons, alongside something like forty other co-conspirators.’

  ‘Early Twentieth Dynasty?’ Henry said. ‘That fits with the timing for our Golden Tomb, yes?’

  ‘Yes!’ Elizabeth said.

  ‘It’s as good a lead as any,’ Nathan said.

  ‘You’re taking that detective thing seriously, aren’t you?’ Rhoz teased him.

  ‘Give me a second,’ Elizabeth said, tapping her laptop keyboard. Henry’s face shrank to a small square in the corner of the screen. ‘Henry, you still there?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  Elizabeth hit a few more keys. ‘Here on the left is a photo of the face of our mummy. And on the right is a photo of the face of Ramesses the Third’s mummy.’ She gave everyone a chance to look at both photos. ‘There are distinct similarities.’

  ‘The features of our mummy are smaller, though,’ Nathan said.

  ‘That could be gender differences,’ Elizabeth said, ‘but notice the overall proportions – a long face, prominent chin, high cheekbones. It doesn’t necessarily mean they were related, but I think it will be possible to tell if they were in a comparison between the remains of these individuals and a population sample for the same time period.’

  Llew had returned to sitting on the stairwell, looking thoughtful. ‘While we’re tracking down data for the other Golden Tomb mummies, should we also see if there’re scans available for Ramesses the Third?’

  ‘Well, we know where he’s located,’ Henry said. ‘He was in the Cairo museum when we were there.’

  ‘Yes,’ Rhoz said. ‘I’ll see what I can do. If he’s already been scanned for another project – and I’m sure he will have been – I’ll see what I can do about getting hold of the data.’

  And with that, their investigation into the origins of the Golden Tomb was under way.

  As she helped Alice pack up the plastic skeleton on the table in her grandfather’s library, Elizabeth couldn’t help wondering what would happen if they discovered that the Golden Tomb mummies had been murdered or executed as part of one of the most famous assassinations in ancient history. Think of the papers! She’d be at the forefront of Egyptology – along with her fellow sleuths, of course – just a few years after completing her PhD.

  Huzzah!

  —

  Elizabeth sat bolt upright in bed, startling multiple cats, who plopped resentfully onto the floor. She had been dreaming of the Egyptian underworld, being chased past noseless statues by the crocodile-headed Ammit, his jaws snapping at her heels as she tried to outrun him.

  The hungry god reminded her of the men who had snatched at her belly, her hips and her bottom whenever she’d tried to pass them on the streets of Egypt after dark. Not every woman experienced the same level of harassment, but unfortunately for Elizabeth she had just the wrong colouring and degree of plumpness to attract the worst kind of attention there. In the brutal honesty of three-a.m. thinking, Elizabeth admitted that she was secretly glad she was investigating the occupants of the Golden Tomb in the relative safety of Australia, rather than Cairo or Luxor.

  Plumping her pillows and resettling her furry bed companions, Elizabeth lay down again to try to snatch a few more hours’ sleep before she had to get up and earn her salt. It might not have been all that exciting, but at least the Library was a harmless place to work.

  —

  As everyone settled into their seats for the Wednesday-night tutorial, Elizabeth observed the interaction between James, David and Carol closely. She had noticed a pattern emerge during the term. David always waited for James to choose his seat, and James always ensured he was next to Carol. There didn’t seem to be any romantic intent behind either behaviour, but Carol’s body language indicated she was uneasy about the arrangement.

  ‘So, this week’s readings focused on Olmec visual culture,’ Elizabeth began. ‘Who would like to start us off?’

  Carol raised her hand. Mad keen on archaeology, and eager to discuss every aspect of Mesoamerican societies, Carol quite often reminded Elizabeth of her undergraduate self.

  ‘I loved going back to basics,’ Carol said, ‘putting aside my prior assumptions to see what the art and monuments of the Olmec might truly represent. The idea that it’s actually women and foetuses at various stages of development…’

  ‘I completely disagree,’ James cut in.

  Carol frowned.

  ‘Exactly which aspects of this week’s reading are you questioning?’ Elizabeth asked.

  James leant back in his chair, startlingly white teeth flashing. ‘I didn’t agree with any of it, that’s all.’

  Elizabeth forced herself not to grit her teeth. ‘Of the three Chapters you were required to read, specifically which points do you disagree with?’

  ‘As I said, all of it. The author could be making it up for all we know.’

  ‘James. Please explain, point by point, what you think the professor of archaeology was making up.’

  He glared at her. ‘The point of this class is to debate the readings, isn’t it? So, I’m debating.’

  ‘Dismissing the readings wholesale is not debating.’ Incensed as James drew breath to answer back, Elizabeth held up a hand. ‘Let’s move on. Thank you, Carol, anyone else?’ Elizabeth pointed to a student at the other end of the room who had raised his hand.

  Elizabeth did her best to hide her irritation, but silently fumed for the rest
of the class. She couldn’t figure out a way to neutralise James’ impact on the room. Every time she attempted to get a discussion going he would talk over the top of the other stu­dents. It rankled that it was usually the female ones. David was almost as bad, grunting in support of James’ blather­ing, rarely contributing anything himself. Elizabeth strongly suspected they weren’t completing the designated readings and that – at most – they were skimming them for keywords.

  She needed help in working out how to deal with the situation. A topic for her next chat with Taid? No. Grandmère Maddie was more likely to have practical advice.

  At her catch-up with Dr Marsh later that day, Elizabeth remained as positive as possible. ‘Almost everyone in the group has attended every session.’ Elizabeth passed her attendance record to her supervisor. ‘The only exceptions are these two people,’ she pointed to the names, ‘who have both provided explanations.’

  ‘Excellent. And how are you finding the class? Any problems?’

  ‘Well, a couple of difficult students, but nothing I can’t handle.’

  ‘What do you mean, exactly?’

  Elizabeth pointed to James and David’s names on the class register. ‘These two.’

  ‘It looks like they’ve attended every session.’

  ‘Yes…’

  ‘But?’ Dr Marsh clearly expected an explanation.

  ‘James in particular has a tendency to talk over others when they’re answering questions, though I’m making a concerted effort to curb his interruptions and keep the class on track.’ Elizabeth was certain she’d kept the emotion out of her voice.

  ‘Does he interrupt everyone?’

  ‘Ah…not everyone. Mostly the women in the group.’

  ‘I see,’ Dr Marsh said. ‘I’m sure you’ll be fine, but I want you to keep me in the loop on this. Okay?’

  Relieved, Elizabeth was glad to agree. ‘Okay.’

  ‘Now, how is your marking of the latest assignment going?’

  Leaving Dr Marsh’s office a short time later, Elizabeth was hit with a wave of deep exhaustion. Between tutoring, work at the Library, writing her and Alice’s papers, and leading the Golden Tomb investigation, she was certainly feeling the pressure.

  Chapter Seven

  Elizabeth held the door open for her fellow sleuths.

  Glancing around the room as they filed in, she realised her subconscious probably had little choice in the shape it gave to her phrenic library, given her grandfather’s penchant for inbuilt floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. There were thousands of books in the room. Closing the door behind Alice, Elizabeth wondered idly if Taid had read them all. Quite probably.

  She dialled Henry into the group, and waved hello. ‘Success!’ she began. ‘Llew negotiated the release of CT-scan data for two more mummies from the Golden Tomb. One is purportedly a male, the prince from the sarcophagus, and the other a female servant.’

  ‘The original record showed three Golden Tomb mummies imported for the Petrie,’ Llew said, ‘but the museum records show only two arriving. We’ll have to keep searching for the third.’

  ‘Perhaps it was mis-archived?’ Rhoz suggested.

  ‘That does happen,’ Llew admitted, ‘particularly in large collections.’

  ‘Still, these two are wonderful additions to our collection,’ Elizabeth said.

  Llew took a bow.

  ‘We still have our little problem, though,’ Henry said, from the other side of the world.

  Elizabeth’s brow creased. ‘What’s that?’

  ‘We don’t have a name for our group.’

  ‘How about Team Archaeology?’ Alice suggested.

  ‘The A-Team?’ Llew said.

  ‘As chauvinist a bunch of characters as there ever was?’ Rhoz looked annoyed.

  ‘Hmm, I see your point,’ Llew conceded.

  ‘Still, it might be fun to be Hannibal,’ Elizabeth said.

  ‘I love it when a plan comes together!’ Nathan added.

  ‘Speaking of,’ Elizabeth continued, ‘thank you for manipulating the data again to create the instructions for our skeletons, and thank you to Alice for printing the bones.’

  ‘My pleasure,’ Nathan said, with a mocking tone, copying Llew’s bow.

  ‘Claps all round,’ Henry commented. ‘The Petrie collection also holds the outer stone sarcophagus, which is covered with spells and incantations, as well as quite a few more scrolls from the Tomb.’

  ‘Speaking of the person in the sarcophagus, shall we?’ Alice asked.

  Elizabeth looked eagerly at the boxes containing the next two printed skeletons. ‘Definitely!’

  It took quite a while for Alice to unwrap each faux bone and hand it to Elizabeth, who placed it in its appropriate location on the large, bare table in Taid’s study.

  ‘Have you had a chance to look at the other scrolls yet?’ Elizabeth asked Henry.

  ‘Briefly,’ he replied. ‘I’m still working on the scroll from the Cairo museum.’

  ‘I don’t mind translating them,’ Elizabeth said, as she laid out the skeleton.

  Henry shook his head. ‘It’s all right, I want to do it. I already had a basic grasp of Egyptian hieroglyphics but my hieratic wasn’t so crash hot, so I’m learning a lot by translating them.’

  ‘What’s the difference?’ Alice asked, passing a set of leg bones to Elizabeth.

  ‘Hieroglyphics were clear and standardised,’ Rhoz explained, ‘They could be written in rows or columns, from right to left or left to right.’

  ‘The clue is in the direction the animals and people inside the writing face,’ Henry added.

  ‘Hieroglyphics are beautiful, but they take a long time to write down. So hieratic was developed at about the same time. It’s more like handwriting and could be quite illegible depending on the individual scribe.’

  ‘Thankfully, whoever wrote the texts in the Golden Tomb wrote quite legibly,’ Henry said. ‘I’m excited to say I’ve also found out that there were names written on the linen that at least one of these two mummies was wrapped in. They’re incredibly faint, but I’m going to keep working on the images the Petrie has sent through to see if I can figure them out.’

  ‘Excellent!’ Elizabeth said, placing several tiny hand bones next to each other.

  ‘What have you found so far in your translations?’ Llew asked.

  ‘As you’d expect, it seems to be sections from the Book of the Dead,’ Henry said.

  ‘It’s mentioned in so many movies, but what was the Book of the Dead?’ Nathan asked. ‘Spells, curses?’

  Elizabeth warmed to one of her favourite topics, the mortuary rituals of ancient Egypt. ‘Oh, it was so much more than that. As the dead person inside a tomb you needed to know lots about where you were headed in the afterlife, the trials you’d have to pass, and the spells and incantations you’d have to recite to enter.’

  ‘So they were written down for you on every surface,’ Henry added. ‘That’s what’s usually on the walls of tombs, sarcophagi, coffins and the scrolls in tombs.’

  ‘There were two main sets of texts: the Amduat, or Book of Night, and the set we know as the Book of the Dead,’ Elizabeth continued. ‘They weren’t books as we understand them but loose collections of spells, stories and ritual chants. Together they’re called funerary texts, and they were a kind of travel guide for the dead.’

  ‘The Amduat, which literally means “that which is in the underworld”, described the twelve regions of the underworld that Ra journeyed through every night. Each region was an “hour”. If he made it out he would re-emerge the next morning pulling the sun behind him.’

  ‘There’s a lot of Amduat on the walls of the Golden Tomb.’

  ‘And the other set of texts – what the Egyptians called the Spells for Going Forth by Day, but we call the Book of the Dead – was about two hundred
different images, passwords and spells that you might need to get through various tests and trials in the underworld in order to make it to the afterlife.’

  ‘The sarcophagus from the Golden Tomb is covered with fairly typical spells from the New Kingdom version of the Book of the Dead.’

  ‘Speaking of the sarcophagus,’ Elizabeth said, placing a humerus next to a row of ribs, ‘after our first session, something to do with the height of our first mummy niggled at the back of my mind.’

  ‘She was around one point six metres tall?’ Nathan recalled.

  Alice clicked her fingers. ‘The cartonnage!’

  Elizabeth nodded. ‘Exactly. I went back through the records from Cairo museum, and the height allowed for inside the cartonnage, which was built directly on the wrapped mummy, was around one point five five metres…’

  ‘Hang on,’ Henry said. ‘So that’s five feet one inch.’

  ‘Allowing for some extensive bandaging on both the top of their head and the soles of their feet,’ Elizabeth continued, ‘the person inside the sarcophagus had to have been around one point five metres tall.’

  ‘Which means that not only was our ostensible prince mummy from the Cairo museum not male, she was too tall to fit inside the cartonnage, meaning she wasn’t the mummy from the sarcophagus at all,’ Nathan said.

  ‘Exactly,’ Elizabeth said.

  Alice paused in her unwrapping of bones, frowning. ‘It’s one thing not to know the sex of the person inside the mummy wrappings, but surely it’s another altogether to say the mummy you have is the one from inside the sarcophagus when it’s not?’

  ‘The pressures of putting together a marketable exhibition?’ Henry suggested.

  There were murmurs of agreement from around the room. ‘I guess it’s an age-old problem for museum and library workers, exacerbated by the modern obsession with maximising profit,’ Rhoz said.

  ‘We’ve taken a step backwards in the investigation, haven’t we?’ Llew said.

  ‘I guess now we hunt for the true mummy from the sarcophagus,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Okay, we’re ready with today’s first skeleton.’