by K. T. Tomb
* * *
In the morning, Chyna’s team took all their luggage and equipment down to the ferry docks and waited to cross the river to the city. It didn’t take long before they saw the boat approaching, Dr. Nassir was waving happily at them from the deck. Ferry crew and attendants loaded their things onto the spacious flat vessel and Chyna carefully drove their Jeep on board as well. When it was secure, she jumped down from the driver’s seat and turned to hug her friend.
“You’re brown as a bean, Doctor,” she said to Nassir. “Not enough sunscreen and, as usual, I see you are not wearing your hat.”
“Chyna,” he replied, smiling widely, “hats are for tourists, but you are right about the sunscreen. I ran out weeks ago.”
They laughed and hugged again. As Chyna was introducing Nassir to the rest of her team, the ferry was launched and they began their trip towards Luxor. From the river, they could see the well preserved ruins of the temple and the palace but the modern buildings that housed the many businesses and residents that kept the metropolis buzzing dominated the background. It was a stunning contrast but strangely, the old and the new fit neatly together, neither one crowding in on the other. The valley stretched out beyond the edge of the structures in verdant belts towards the hills and then there was the stark white of the dunes in every direction beyond that.
“How long is the ferry ride Nassir?” Chyna asked.
“It will be about forty-five minutes to get across, Chyna,” He replied.
“Very well, then please take the opportunity to fill me in, Doctor,” she said.
“Thousands of years ago, the ancient Egyptians would only make the journey across this holy river when a very important person had died and they were to be buried in the great necropolis which we now call the Valley of the Kings. The funeral and burial of a royal, ancient Egyptian was a complex process. The preserved body in its sarcophagus would lie in state on a palanquin inside the great temple of Amun-Ra for several days, at the end of which the family would offer judgments on the character and behavior of the king to the city’s officials, making their case why he should be allowed into the Afterlife. When the officials were satisfied, the sarcophagus would be borne out of the temple on the palanquin and the people who would be attending the body would form up around and behind it accordingly. At the front were mourners, usually women, who were paid to cry loudly and sob while covering their heads with dust. Behind the mourners came the family of the deceased and various officials. The procession then made its way to the edge of the Nile where all the participants were required to board boats and cross the river to the western side, the favored location for burials.
“All the boats, excepting that which bore the pharaoh’s body would remain at the river bank; the funerary boat would be dragged all the way to the tomb. It would have been shaped somewhat like a barge, over 100 feet long and weighing as much as 45 tons. To navigate the Nile in one of these required 12 oarsmen, six on each side. When a pharaoh was buried, ancient Egyptians believed he would need a boat in the Afterlife, so they buried at least one funeral boat either inside or near the tomb.
“Having crossed, relatives were positioned at either end of the barge, which was usually drawn by oxen, with two of the female relatives or priestesses acting the roles of goddesses Isis and Nephthys; other participants carried canopic jars and other grave goods, while hired mourners, dancers, musicians and priests would follow. The concluding funerary rites took place in front of the tomb. The mummy was raised upright for the ‘Opening of the Mouth’ ceremony. This was an elaborate ritual performed by priests so the dead person could use all their senses in the afterlife. The practices involved in this ceremony included purification, anointing and the reciting of prayers and spells, as well as touching the mummy with ritual objects to restore the senses. Then, food and clothing were offered to the dead person and mourners participated in the funerary banquet. The mummy was then placed in the burial chamber of the tomb, fully prepared for the Afterlife.
“Because it was customary for Egyptians to bury west of the metropolis, it has become easier, as we gained more knowledge of their customs, to locate the burial places of their time. A year ago, when geologists began studying satellite images of the eastern hills and the wadi below, they came across some strange formations in the sand. They had been in search of new aquifers to help reclaim more farmland, but what they found was a series of underground passages which they thought were part of the ancient city.”
“What have you deduced so far, Dr. Nassir?” Oscar asked eagerly.
“It seems we have found evidence of an underground citadel that Akhenaten’s Grand Vizier, Ay, is said to have constructed,” he replied. “Such a structure had been made mention of on a papyrus scroll found among the Amarna Letters. Those papers were thought to be a collection of Akhenaten’s, Nefertiti’s and Tutankhamun’s diplomatic correspondences. Perhaps they were in agreement with Ay over the construction of the chambers. He possibly passed off the idea of a hiding place for the family in case of a revolt against their unpopular religion of the ‘one god’ Aten. The royal family was proud and firm in their new faith but they were also quite astute when it came to the feelings of the people. It was true that there had been several times when the possibility of rebellion against them had seemed imminent.
“The letters had gone on to suggest that when the chambers were complete, certain priceless artifacts of their religion might be stored there for safe keeping. It is a well known fact that after the death of an unpopular king, whether by their own accord or on the order of the new pharaoh, the Egyptians would launch a campaign of damnatio memoriae in which a good deal of artifacts and images of that reign are damaged or destroyed. This is another reason why Akhenaten’s role and that of the entire Amarna Period is so pivotal to the history of Ancient Egypt.”
“Why is that, Dr. Nassir?” Chyna asked, fascinated.
“Because, it was near the end of this period and at the close of the eighteenth dynasty, that the Egyptian Book of Life disappeared from them. In fact, it would have disappeared from antiquity as well if it had not been mentioned in a letter from Akhenaten to Ay in which he instructed the vizier to ensure that when the secret place had been completed, the book should be ensconced there for safe keeping,” he replied.
“Doctor, please elaborate,” Lana chimed in finally. “What exactly is this Book of Life? I’ve never heard of it before.”
“In the third dynasty of Ancient Egypt, the Pharaoh Djoser moved the capital north to Saqqara, also known as Memphis. The central portion of the country was ravaged by civil war and the old capital of Thinis was all but destroyed. At the beginning of a new dynasty, the young king was urged to rebuild the nation and promote prosperity and security. He instigated the construction of the first pyramid there, the Step Pyramid, and brought farmers from the south to extensively cultivate the fertile belt on both sides of the Nile. To appease himself, he instructed the High Priests to begin the recording of all the names of the men and women who had ever ruled the country. They were to add to each name; the names of their wives or husbands, their consorts and important lovers, their sons and daughters, the location of their home and their capital and of course, their accomplishments. When it was done he instructed them to maintain the record and to always record meticulously about each ruler; it was to be an unbiased and complete record, but most importantly an indestructible one. So, Djoser’s book was created and it was kept in the library of the Holy Temple in whichever city was the capital at the time. The priests maintained the record and the pharaoh was the only other person who knew of its existence.”
“Ard’,” the ferryman cried out, as they approached the dock.
He went from the front of the deck to the back, punching return tickets and collecting fares for the one-ways. When he stopped at their group, Dr. Nassir handed him his ticket and a one hundred gihneih note.
“Keep it,” Dr. Nassir said to him, as he started to rummage for the change in his bag.
“Shukran, Sayyed,” he replied.
Chyna climbed into the driver’s seat of the Jeep and when the ferry gate was lowered, she backed it out onto the dock. Oscar and Lana began to load their equipment and suitcases into the trunk while she studied a map with Nassir. He pointed out the main archaeological attraction of the city and then showed her the route out of town towards the dig site.
“It’s on the very first wadi, not far from that last farm there,” he said, pointing to the last patch of green in that direction on the map.
As soon as the last bag was onboard, they drove from the dock and into the city of Luxor. The pillars and statues of ancient ruins towered over them, fascinating and stimulating to their senses. Even the blend of the modern architecture couldn’t seem to compete with the weathered pieces of gigantic stone that seemed to be everywhere within the city. They got on the main road and drove straight out of the town into what quickly became a suburb and that just as quickly became farmland. Soon the green gave way to brown and the wadi stretched out in front of them. At the rim of the valley, they saw the compound. A chain-link perimeter fence surrounded several container buildings like the one they had seen at the base camp the night before; a few were even two-storied. Guards were stationed at the main gates; when they saw Dr. Nassir, they swung them open to let the vehicle inside.
As was customary on the base of an archaeological dig, there was a designated area for everything. Sanitary conveniences were always to the rear of the camp with the residential units in front of that. Office, research, storage and sanatorium spaces were on one side while recreational spaces were on the other. Those usually included a mess hall, a common room and a communication center. The labs and the analytical center for this operation were under a huge dome that also covered the entryway to the underground chambers. The labs were completely sterile and climate controlled to enable around the clock study of the pieces that were coming up from underground one by one. The Doctor and his team did not want any out of season rain to flood the site. Neither did they want any prying “eye in the sky” snapping photographs of what they were uncovering.
“Now, what I haven’t had the chance to tell you all is the biggest piece of this puzzle and also the most important find in modern Egyptology for the past ninety years,” Nassir told them over dinner. “The Great necropolis is an obvious enough place to discover mummy after mummy, however we have found one in the East of the city and that has created more questions than there are answers. That’s the reason I asked you and your team to join me here Chyna, I need there to be as many answers as there are questions.”
“Nassir,” Chyna said, nodding in agreement, “tell us about the mummy you found.”
“We found it in a central chamber within the maze, Chyna…” he started. When he saw the puzzled expression on her face, he realized he had to do a little backtracking.
“I apologize, in my hurry to tell you about the mummy and the item we hope to find next, I have neglected to share some of the details. What we have found and carefully covered over with that dome is a maze of pathways that interlock and branch off into each other in a series of concentric shapes. Some are squares, some are other shapes, but they create confusing alleys and chambers. It was inside one of these chambers we found the alcove carved into the wall. The sarcophagus was fitted inside it, containing the mummy.
“We found it with an intact brain, but no heart and there were amulets woven into the wrappings which signified that the body was that of a high priest of the Sun God. To remove the organs, the embalmers had created a hole through the peritoneum and removed the intestines, stomach, liver and even the heart. Spices and lichen were spread over the head and abdomen, and the body was wrapped and then put in the coffin. The scans revealed that it was a mummy of the end of the eighteenth dynasty which means he lived during a portion, if not all, of the Amarna Period. That was particularly strange since Akhenaten had killed all the priests of Amun-Ra in order to properly establish his “one god” religion which worshiped the Aten. Plaques bearing his name repeatedly were also placed on several places on the body. When we studied the name, we realized that they may have been intended to ritualize a reincarnation of that person’s soul.”
“Whose mummy is it, Nassir?” Lana asked.
“The name we found attached to the body so many times on the amulets and the plaques was ‘Imhotep’,” he finally revealed.
They all gasped.
“We can only presume that the priesthood of Amun-Ra had a cult of their own, which we as archaeologists and historians were never aware of before. They seemed to believe that Imhotep, who was the original High Priest of the third dynasty, was reincarnated over and over again to lead the temple through the years.
“If that is the case, my theory of the existence of the mythical Egyptian Book of Life has even more credibility. It would make sense that if the book was commissioned by the pharaoh Djoser, he would have given his High Priest, Imhotep, precedence over it and the priesthood would have wanted to be sure that there would be someone of the lineage to always ensure the work of keeping those records current and safe.”
“So you are saying that you think the book is here as well, Nassir?” Chyna asked.
“That is exactly what I am saying Chyna,” he replied. “The legends say that when Ay betrayed Ankhesenamun to usurp the throne, she stole the book and hid it within the place that he had imprisoned her. If that prison was within these chambers, then the book is here.”
When they had finished their conversation, it had been dark for hours but the team felt that they had a good understanding of what they were getting into. They were excited at the idea of possibly turning everything the world knew about the ancient Egyptians completely upside down with Dr. Nassir’s new discoveries.
“Tomorrow’s going to be a long day,” Chyna said to them, as they stood in front of the dormitory. “Oscar, I want you to get set up in the data control center over by the office building. They’ve got a good internet connection and all the other resources you should need.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied.
“Get in touch with Sandra at Head Office and also, Sirita in India; let them know that we arrived safely and that the dossiers are on the way. They should be on standby to offer assistance as needed.”
Oscar nodded.
“Lana,’ she continued, “I’m going to want you with me in the chambers tomorrow but before we go down to the dig site, I want you to check out the office spaces Dr. Nassir reserved for us. We might need a place to meet and also to analyze our clues if this turns into anything remotely as huge as I think it will.”
“Okay, Boss lady,” she confirmed.
“We’re giving Dr. Nassir the two weeks we promised him; his time starts tomorrow at oh-eight-hundred hours. I’ll see you two at the front of the compound at seven. Sleep well.”
“Good night,” Oscar said, turning towards the men’s dorms.
Good night,” the ladies replied, heading inside.
The next morning, Chyna was up before dawn. She put on a pair of leggings, a tank top and her sneakers and went for a run. Normally, she would have taken her sidearm with her but she thought the SIG Sauer® pistol would be too heavy to cope with on the serious jog she was planning to take; besides there were armed guards everywhere. As she ran out the compound gates towards the valley, Chyna was smitten by the beauty of the desert. The yellows, pinks and oranges of the sunrise were bursting over the horizon and already the air was warming up. Desert rodents darted here and there, trying to drink from the dew on the plants and gather one last morsel of food before the heat drove them underground for the day. She ran two miles out along the main road and then turned around and ran back. When she got back to the camp, the sun was up and everyone was busy getting ready for the day. She went into the women’s dorm and bumped into Lana leaving for the office building.
“Had a good run?” she asked, wrinkling her nose at Chyna’s sweat soaked body.
; “It sure was,” Chyna replied, grinning. “The desert is so beautiful in the morning.”
After Lana left, Chyna took her things and went over to the wash house to take a shower. The water was cold and refreshing which was perfect to cool her off after her exhilarating run. Showered and dressed in a white tank top and khaki cargo shorts, she went to join Lana, Oscar and Dr. Nassir in the mess hall for breakfast. Though she didn’t usually eat much in the morning, Chyna decided it would be a good idea to have something substantial since she didn’t know what the day would throw her way. The kitchen steward handed Chyna a bowl of steaming semolina porridge, over which he spooned fragrant wild honey and sprinkled slivered almonds and dried fruit. She selected a slice of brown toast, a wedge of cheese and an apple to add to her tray before she went to sit down at the table. They all agreed that the food was extremely satisfying and should do them good in tackling the tasks that lay ahead.
Nassir had joined them and was busy with his porridge when Lana, decided to press him for more details.
“How many people are working with you under that dome, Doctor?” she asked.
“Hmmm, let’s see,” he began. “I have Abdul and Zohar who have been mapping the chambers using a device that mainly functions on the principles of G.P.S. It collects data about their position and when they upload it into the software, the angles of their turns, the distances they walked and the directions they walked in all gets calculated and a diagram of the tunnel is produced. This technology has cut down the time needed to map the underground structure tremendously. We actually believe that we have almost covered the entire thing.