His innocent question afforded me an opportunity to voice my not inconsiderable knowledge. “The opening of the first copper mines, which led to the casting of metal chisels. These permitted the exploitation of limestone, a task considerably more complex than producing mud brick. Royal builders learnt how to manager smelters and quarries, shape, transport and place stone and marshal manpower in numbers not previously employed. At least 40,000 men laboured on the principal pyramids and staff the ancillary services involved in construction on such an enormous scale. The encampments adjacent to the pyramids would have resembled small cities. Managing the execution of the commission was the true miracle of the pyramids.”
“Spoken just like a builder.” said the king. “Forget the pharaonic visionary grandeur and concentrate on the organisation. You and my treasurer must have some stimulating meetings.” The remark created much laughter from my audience.
Next, we drove to King Djoser’s curious stepped pyramid – the first built in the kingdom.
“Pray, let me continue to expand on the skills of my noble profession. This remarkable monument was built 1,300 years before our Lord and Master was born and, as you can see, the quality of the work is so good, only a close inspection shows some minor erosion of the stonework. Even the replica city which Djoser’s architect, Imhotep, built around the pyramid is relatively unscathed. We builders justly revered Imhotep for his inventive use of stone and the leap he took in moving tomb architecture from the semi-buried rectangular style to the pyramidal form. This gifted architect deserves the recognition that still honours his name to our times.”
Laughing, Ramesses said “Lord Architect, are you trying to tell me something? Did I not allow you to engrave your name on the temple at Pi-Ramess? Have I been remiss in not building a temple to your guardian god, Thoth? If there is more I can do to honour your name, you know you need only ask and I shall obey.” This brought more good humoured laughter from all of us. The day’s pleasure increased. He queried. “I am at a loss to understand why Djoser built these subsidiary buildings when all he needed was a mortuary temple. The rest are false and appear to be unusable. Most are little more than solid facades.”
Khaemwaset was explaining they were merely symbolic of the buildings Djoser knew in his lifetime and nothing more than part of the funerary goods to sustain him in the Afterlife when I was struck by the word ‘false’. False meant deceptive or not true. I sat down on a wall, my mind racing.
“Has our laughter discomforted you?”Ramesses enquired, appearing solicitous. “Perhaps the sun is too hot and makes you ill. You are an elderly man and we must take care of you. We will rest a while.”
“What do you mean elderly man? First laugher and now insults. Please let me sit in silence and develop my thoughts. Perhaps Imhotep and his works have given me an idea.”
The royal party moved on to continue their investigation of the complex. When they returned, I drew the king aside and said to him quietly, “I believe I have found the solution to the problem of your new crypt, though this is not the place to explain what I have in mind but my thoughts will be of interest. When we come to discuss this matter, remember your remarks about the falsity of the buildings you see around you.” He looked quizzically at the buildings and returned his gaze to me.
“We will talk of this when we reach Pi-Ramesse. I see your hands are in need of ink and papyrus. Is there anything more you wish to see at Saqqara?”
“No, but if it is your pleasure, tomorrow I promised my wife we could visit Giza to see the most impressive monuments in the kingdom again, apart from your mortuary temple, of course.”
He smiled “Royal architect, take care. I still feel the blood coursing in my veins and there may yet be time left in the span of my years for you to build me a pyramid much bigger than Khufu’s edifice. Those three pyramids will still be standing when Osiris gives his last judgement and many are the times I have thought about commissioning such a monument but, thankfully for you, I believe it is now too late in my life and you would not be equal to the task, my aging friend.”
He looked at the vista before him, the smile gone. “This place is strangely unsettling. Look around you. What do you see? Millions of tonnes of masonry worked, a few finished pyramids but many incomplete and each for a man who carried the burden of rule upon his shoulders. Yet, Khaemwaset tells me we know almost nothing of the kings who built so lavishly, so expensive of men, wealth and materials. Some stellae, a few engraved words - the sum of their lives these piles of stones. Their names are known but what of their achievements? Djoser, Sneferu and the others are names long erased from the memory of most men. Let us leave this miserable place and return to Memphis where you can concentrate on protecting my humble body for eternity.”
As Re’s barque headed toward the western horizon, we left the field of pyramids. The plumes of dust thrown up by our chariot wheels settled as only a little more burden on the ancient stone piles now casting lengthening shadows across the desert wastes in the dying rays of the afternoon sunlight. That night as we lay in bed I said to Ipi, “Ramesses becomes reflective of late. There are days when he is seized with melancholia as though he thinks on his life too heavily. Today at Saqqara, he sounded like a man who begins to taste the dust of mortality in his mouth.”
“My dear, you forget he, like you, is approaching the crypt and neither of you will see another fifty summers. He is worn with the concerns of rule and the death of Nefertari and so many of his children weighs heavily. So much of his life has been devoted to building the image of himself being a god, he must now question if the deities will measure his life and find it worthy. I still wonder if he is truly a god or merely a mortal like us.”
“Only Osiris can answer that question. Do you worry about dying, Ipi?”
“No, Precious. I enjoy a full life, you are a loving, faithful husband and we have three beautiful children. I want for nothing, although the emporia in the Delta may remind me of some small item I need. My heart is happy in the knowledge we have shared a wonderful life together and will share our companionship and love in eternity. And, my darling man, what are your thoughts about your death? The king continues to impose heavy burdens on you. There must come a time when you put down this burden before your allotted time passes.”
“The work he gives me is a blessing. It sharpens my mind and keeps my body vital. I may have lost the youthful spring in my step but I still find working on his commissions a challenge. Today, I saw and heard something at Saqqara that may unlock the mystery of how to fulfil the king’s final task.”
“Hush, enough, you must sleep. We have more than sufficient time to discuss how clever you are.” She blew out the oil lamp, snuggled into me and thoughts of tombs fled into the night.
The king finished his business in Memphis, we bade farewell to our family and embarked on the voyage to Giza. The river was still in flood and our vessel sailed swiftly northwards. The captain bought the royal barque up to the quay that marked the beginning of the causeway to the great pyramid. We alighted and walked to the mortuary temple. Merenptah invited me to describe the architectural aspects of the monuments promising no-one would laugh at my discourse, a remark that instantly provoked none too subtle chortles. “I wonder if the architects who designed and built these brilliant examples of our skills suffered this much disrespect from their kings, princes and their wives?” Ipi kissed me on the cheek. “There are times, my love, when you are adorable.”
“Away with you, woman, and let me bring illumination to this barely cultured group. All three tomb enclosures followed a similar layout. A causeway from the riverside mortuary temple leads to a small votary temple in front of each pyramid. You will not detect any entrance to a pyramid as the sides are a seamless façade of Tura limestone. Surrounding the structures are wide courtyards of basalt, a stone of particular hardness.” I looked at Ramesses with special emphasis, casting me eyes down to the basalt paving. He followed my gaze and then looked at me quizzically.
&nb
sp; “Of the internal corridors and chambers we know nothing. However, the accuracy of the measurements of any aspect of all three structures is almost faultless. The bases are square to a millimetre and the sides are equidistant. I am not sure I could build with such diligence.”
“It is good to see the garment of modesty fits you so well, royal architect” said Ramesses, provoking more laughter at my expense.
Much of the riverside temples were in ruins having suffered the erosive force of hundreds of inundations and there was ample evidence of the theft of stone from the causeways. Behind Khufu’s tomb, lay the squat tombs of his courtiers and nobles. Kharfre’s nobility was entombed in front of his pyramid but, inexplicably, there were no tombs adjacent to Menkaure’s pyramid.
My wife was greatly surprised by the immense statue of a crouching lion with a human head sitting in front of Khafra’s tomb. The sandstone figure measures seventy two metres in length, stands twenty metres high yet the human head with its nemes headdress bears no likeness to any of the images or statues in the temples of the three kings. Khaemwaset said the figure was now venerated as a representation of Horus of the Horizon since Thutmosis IV set up a stele devoted to the god between the lion’s paws. Whoever commissioned the mythical beast certainly left us a most enigmatic monument, one quite easily duplicated in soft stone anywhere in the kingdom, though I thought better of mentioning this to the king lest he issued another decree.
Perhaps discerning my thoughts, Ramesses paid close attention to the crouching lion. “How many men do you think worked on building these pyramids?”
“If the evidence at Dashur and Saqqara can be relied upon, I am fairly confident the internal structure is solid limestone block. I estimate between 30 to 50,000 men including labourers, masons, bargees and sundry others. When apprenticed, my Master asked me to do some calculations to test my knowledge and we thought the great pyramid took between twelve to fifteen to build.”
“And how long do you think it took to carve this beast and how many men?” I sensed a trap opening.
“More time was spent on cutting away the stone around the animal than on its actual carving. The work is not sophisticated and the stone here is relatively soft.” The creature lay in a vast rectangular court cut out of the surrounding rock which probably started as a large sandstone outcrop before being assailed with chisels and hammers.
“You are avoiding my question. How long and how many men?” he repeated.
“Possibly no more than one hundred masons, many labourers to cart away the spoil and not more than three to four years.”
“And nobody knows which king commissioned it, nobody knows whom the head represents and there is not a single inscription, devotional image or dedication anywhere near this curious figure? I think we are looking at work undertaken to remove an unsightly lump of rock from this necropolis of kings in a project to keep people busy because they were available with nothing better to do during the inundations. A king’s plaything. I may be wrong as there was probably a stele or small shrine now swept away or destroyed. Now, if you had sculptured this for me my name would be suitably and deeply inscribed on the monument as has been done at Abu Simbel.”
“The king who commissioned this beast may have been a modest man.” I suggested.
“The rulers who built these pyramids had a greater opinion of themselves than I do of myself and as you well know, I am a very humble fellow not given to boasting or self-worship.”
“Your modesty is well known to all, Master.” I replied, moving aside quickly to avoid the blow he aimed at my arm.
“Those defensive walls in the Syrian Desert we once mentioned still have not been built and they remain a challenge to your undoubted skill. Possibly your few talents have been wasted on building my temples and you might be better engaged on wall construction.” he jested.
“I remain, as always, at your command. Do you consider building another recumbent lion with your image on its shoulders?”
“No, in deference to your age and feebleness, I wish you to only concentrate on my tomb though I remain in slight envy of the kings who built these fortresses for their remains. We neglect your wife and it is time we departed for Pi-Ramess. I am in receipt of a report from Prince Ramesses noting some new incursions along our western coastline. Tonight, we stay in Heliopolis, then leave for the Delta early in the morning. You and Ipi can always re-visit Giza on your journey back to Thebes.”
The King thoughtfully provided us exclusive use of a luxurious barque for the journey. Each vessel boasted a complement of rowers and hoisted the blood red sails so favoured by Ramesses in honour of Seth. The days and nights quickly settled into a pattern. At day’s end we stopped at a convenient river bank, encamped, dined and slept in linen pavilions under the stars. In the morning, during a simple meal, the tents were folded and we re-boarded our vessels to continue the voyage. Dotted along the river were towns offering the convenience of a temple for more comfortable accommodation when we felt the need.
Ramesses was a peripatetic ruler, travelling the land, dispensing justice, enforcing prudent administration and offering devotions at any temple in his path. A constant stream of new works flowed from these travels and I was perpetually in receipt of instructions to build anew at some town, modify or extend a fortress anywhere near the frontiers or have another statue erected within such and such a temple.
In the first decades of his reign, no settlement was left untouched by the king’s commissions as he seemed driven to build more lavishly than earlier rulers. Now in his fiftieth year, he no longer expanded his building campaign and was content to merely ennobling his monuments and commissioning minor works whilst concentrating on strengthening our northern fortifications.
Gold arrived each year from the Nubian mines on heavily guarded treasure ships as did ingots from the gold and copper mines in the far off eastern mountains.The quarries in the Faiyum, Aswan, Thebes, Tura, Giza, Hatnub and others continued to yield up thousands of tonnes of basalt, granite, softer stone and alabaster. Turquoise, carnelian, lapis lazuli, diorite, greywacke, gneiss, azurite and malachite filled the treasury with impressive wealth. Increasing numbers of foreign craftsmen took up residence in the Delta under the aegis of Egyptian peace, bringing with them new and exotic styles in furniture, jewellery and weaving. The empire fairly shone in the radiance of its gods and mighty ruler.
Wherever possible, Ramesses stopped to meet his subjects in riverside villages and towns or to worship in temples new or ancient. Greetings from his subjects were enthusiastic and the king clearly enjoyed their adulation.
This was the pharaoh at his greatest - mature, wise, devout and benevolent. True, he travelled as a king and expected due homage from his subjects but, after deference was given and ritual greetings exchanged, he moved freely amongst his people. Provisioning vessels followed the fleet and from these the king dispensed appropriate gifts to mark his jubilee – sacks of flour, millet or wheat, small statues to be left within shrines, pottery - and if those he met were of the nobility, he selected items of furniture, carved vases or jewellery. When he spoke publicly, his utterances were full of praise for our gods though he was not shy of proclaiming his divinity and achievements.
Scribes noted when the king made commitments relevant to my office and the papyrus scrolls delivered to my vessel keep me gainfully occupied. The Osiride Temple at Abydos required two more statutes – one of the god and another of the king. The provincial governor’s office at Qis needed a new roof, at Zawty the Nilometre was in need of repair, quays at Nubt demanded re-facing and the Khem granaries had to be extended. Rarely did he refuse to agree to the repairs and modifications requested although, when the governor of Iunet Province dared to ask for an extension to his personal residence, he was firmly rebuffed by the king.
Our destination, Pi-Ramess, was earlier the site of the Hyksos capital. Their kings enclosed the city in wide brick walls and built a citadel to guard against sporadic attacks from the south. When Ahmose secured
the city, he systematically destroyed most of the civil work the Hyksos had commissioned and commenced an extensive rebuilding programme. Seti changed its name from Dja’net to Per-Ramesse-Aa-nakhtu or The House of Ramesses and established it as a base from which to launch campaigns against the kingdom’s foes. Amongst his many commissions was a temple dedicated to Seth, the local deity with whom the Paramessu family had strong loyalties
Historically, Dja’net had become a wealthy city as the point of departure for merchants travelling between Egypt and the trading centres to the north and the years of peace under the Hittite treaty increased its prosperity. Its proximity of the great fortress at Sile and an insouciance air made the city a residence beloved of the king. However, nothing could disguise its principal importance as a garrison town. In these peaceful times this appeared to be a paradox until the king told me more about our relationships with the wider and barbaric world outside our northern borders.
An ominous threat had arisen on the far northern fringes of the Great Sea where a coalition of diverse Asiatic nationality was attacking the settlements along the coastline up to the limits of our influence at Ugarit. The sporadic attacks caused little damage but their frequency was increasing, so much so that Prince Ramesses and his fleet was busy fending off these incursions under the terms of our alliance with the Hittites. Having once suffered under a foreign yoke, Ramesses was preparing to repel another possible attempt at conquest by these barbarians he called the Sea People. Egypt’s wealth remained a tempting prize to those unable to create economic prosperity themselves.
The Golden Falcon Page 42