I travelled to Pi-Ramess periodically so I was familiar with the city and its fortifications. Not so my wife, who had spent her married life in the tranquillity of Thebes. The city was surrounded by high, thick brick walls surmounted by watchtowers and defensive revetments. From the quay, we entered through a gateway, protected by heavy wooden doors, which opened onto the heart of the fortress. Ipi was alarmed as our chariots passed armouries, barracks and workshops producing swords, spears and archery equipment.
“Are we expecting a war?” she asked when we arrived at the palace. I sought to reassure her with the glib remark that it was always better to be armed than to be caught ill-prepared. From our suite overlooking the river, she saw a fleet of warships anchored mid river. On the northern side, the view took in the royal stables I knew housed some five hundred war horses, their drivers and chariots.
“Sennefer, even I can tell this is a little more extensive than being just prepared. Is the kingdom under threat of attack?”
“No, my love, there is no need of concern. What you see is only what you would expect within the country’s greatest fortress. Ramesses must always be vigilant as our wealth is a source of constant allure to those less fortunate or uncultured. Let us take a stroll and you will appreciate why he spends so much of his time here.”
The city Seti and his son had built was much more than a garrison town. Both kings planned the city to be open, airy and less congested than the haphazard and random style of our ancient cities. The private dwellings and public buildings possessed a light, almost festive aspect and their adornments were markedly different to those in the other cities. Very early in his reign, Ramesses raised three new sanctuaries to the deities. To the west, stood the Temple of Amun, to the east the Temple of Astarte, a Syrian god and to the north, a temple to Wadjet, the cobra deity of Lower Egypt. Seti’s temple to Seth, in the southern quarter of the city, completed the quartet.
The Hittite king had written to an ally, a Syrian prince, ‘Get ready that we may hasten to Egypt and say ‘The will of God has happened’ and speak obsequiously to Ramesses. He gives breath to whatever he wills, and every foreign land exists according to his wish. Hatti is in his sole power.’ Ramesses acquired this letter from the Syrian, who ruled a client state and he basked in its fulsome import.
Merchant’s emporia offered exotic indulgences that brought a smile of delight to Ipi’s face and assured the lightening of my purse yet again. I ruefully acknowledged that our house in Thebes would see the arrival of many chests of treasures from this city. Attempting to divert her attention from these temptations, I pointed out the obelisks adorning the four temples, the vast public places planted with tropical trees, ponds and palms, the small palaces for the king’s children and spacious residences of the officials who worked in the city.
From the commercial quarter rose the babble of foreigners as many traders, skilled craftsmen and sailors had settled in Pi-Ramess. The city did not suffer the stifling religiosity of Thebes and Memphis and living here was more pleasant than suffering the perpetual heat of the river valley. The fields and orchards surrounding the city blossomed with cereals and fruit, ponds rippled with schoaling fish and the tang of salt from the Great Sea was forever present on the ocean breezes that gentled the city in sultry embrace.
We were soon invited to privately meet Queen Isetnofret and more of his children. Ipi and I had both met the queen in Thebes after the raising of the second colossus but that meeting was conducted in very formal circumstances. Casual remarks from Ramesses and his sons had intimated the queen was more reserved than the late Queen Nefertari, so we were ill prepared for the warmth of her greeting. Isetnofret was tall,slender and of regal appearance, exquisitely clothed in very fine linen and bedecked with magnificent jewellery, tokens of her husband’s generosity and her own acquaintance with the salons of the craftsmen who worked in precious stones and finely wrought metals.
As we entered her living quarters, she rose from her couch, both arms extended in a welcome of genuine enthusiasm. “Lord Sennefer, I told my husband when he mentioned that you and your wife were coming to our city that, if he did not invite you both to our residence, he would be spending more time away from the warmth of our bedchamber. For years, I have heard ‘Sennefer, this’ and ‘Sennefer, that’ so I am delighted to meet you and your charming wife again in more informal circumstances. I understand you will be staying for more than a few days?”
“Under threat of your dire punishment, Isetnofret, I have permitted the Overseer of Works a short period of freedom from his labours.” answered Ramesses, smiling broadly. Isetnofret embraced my wife. “Lady Ipi, this is welcome news. Whilst my husband and his long suffering architect go about official business, we will discover more of each other and I will introduce you to the many splendid diversions offered by the city. You are our guests and I hope you will both enjoy our hospitality and a respite from the heat of Thebes.”
We joined the royal couple at lunch. Towards the end of the meal, the queen asked if she could steal my wife away for the afternoon. News had reached her ear that a consignment of Anatolian carpets had arrived and the merchant had offered her the right of first inspection. The king gave me a look any husband would understand.
Let me explain. Egypt’s economy is based upon the exchange of produce, whether it be foodstuffs, minerals, metals or the wares of artisans. Coinage is unknown and our commerce relied upon a complicated but well regulated barter system. The entire wealth of the kingdom was owned by the pharaoh, who gave grants of land and rural produce to members of his entourage as payment for services rendered or as gifts.
I was rewarded with generous grants of much fertile acreage around Thebes and my continued prosperity was assured by these farms. My steward traded produce from my holdings for goods but this gave me nothing of value I could exchange with merchants who only accepted a medium they could, in turn, trade with their colleagues in foreign mercantile cities.
The king suffered not from this inconvenience as precious metals and minerals from the royal mines were his to do with as he pleased. Periodically, he rewarded a few favoured servants of the crown with small gold ingots of standard weight which foreign merchants would accept in exchange for their wares. So when he looked at me, he understood some of my hard earned gold would soon find its way into the hands of traders from Canaan, Syria, Byblos and other cities to the north.
Once the women retired to their afternoon’s extravagance, Ramesses and I took our leisure in the palace gardens, the inner courtyards of which were clad in glazed tiles produced in Carchemish, a Mittanian city far to the north-east. He showed me a wall faced with tiles bearing a raised motif of lotus flowers set against a dark blue faience background, admitting the cost lightened several of his purses.
The King bade me sit with him at the edge of a pool shaded by a grove of pomegranates. I spoke to him. “Whilst at Giza, you received urgent news from Prince Ramesses. My wife was somewhat concerned at the martial aspect of the city and even I can see more activity around the citadel and naval base. I have not seen so many warships moored here before.”
“I am forced to build more warships to counter the attacks of the Sea People, who continue to harry coastal cities under the Hittite king’s protection and our treaty obligations. Prince Ramesses reports a growing number of fleeting raids on the islands off the Delta. Though the raiders rarely attack in great numbers or attempt to land, Ramesses believes they are probing for weaknesses in our defences in preparation for a concerted attack. This is an opinion with which I concur. I suspect they plan to come in force one day, so I strengthen the fleet and fortifications across the Delta.”
“I will enlarge the garrison at Sile in the Eastern Delta. In the west, my soldiers keep themselves occupied beating off border raids by the Libyans but this is not a serious threat. Our wealth continues to attract envious barbarians like bees to a honey pot. Many are the heads of slain Libyans adorning stakes in the desert and carrion birds gorge on their co
rpses but they are still difficult to engage in combat, as they raid in small parties, mainly attacking villages at night. Still, they are but flies buzzing about my ears, annoying but easily brushed away.” Servants brought cooled drinks and honeyed pastries.
“Take care, too many of these and you will end up as well padded as Vizier Paser. Life here is rewarding but it tends to make you over indulgent. I am surprised you have not asked if you can move from Thebes and build a house in this city.”
“If one day, and well before I meet Osiris, you stop building, I would enjoy the life here. Ipi has queried me on this but my Master keep setting me tasks and I, like a fool, keep rising to the challenge. You know me well.”
“Your rewards in the Afterlife are enriched by your dedication. A matter I had forgotten to mention - when you were struggling with my statues in Thebes, did you chance to see an ibis?”
“Why, yes, I did. One perched on the shoulder of the first statue and just as the second raft came crashing into the quay, I noticed another sitting serenely at its end.”
“You did not consider that strange? Amidst all the noise, confusion and chaos you endeavoured to create, two ibises, birds known for their need of tranquil waters, managed to find themselves in the thick of things.”
“I was a little busy at the time but now you mention it, such avian behaviour was unusual.”
“And how is Thoth represented in the imagery of the deities? If I am not mistaken, he is shown as a human with the head of an ibis. Think on this awhile and draw your own conclusions. Now, I am deeply intrigued by your cryptic comments at Giza. What is it you mean by ‘false’ in relation to the buildings in Djoser’s enclosure and my tomb?”
“I have considered your new burial vault with care. That you insist it must be in the Great Place has made my task more difficult as there are problems with the site but these are incidental to the main issue. We know there are those in our society who care not for the sanctity of the grave nor do they live in fear of divine punishment. I am sure these men exist in all places and times and it is this type of person I must outwit.”
“I was struck by the attitude of the two Memphite criminals. No doubt, they offered devotions to the gods when required but such prayers and offerings would be false. When I saw Djoser’s false facades, a thought occurred to me we must also present a false face, not only to the thieves of today but to those who will come in the future. I am sure, now that I have looked more closely at Darshur, Saqqara, Giza and even at the necropolis at Thebes, there will always be men who will try to find not only your tomb but those of your forebears and successors and break the sanctity of the royal graves.” He knew of my escapade in Memphis and I had the satisfaction of knowing two men would labour in the turquoise mines at Sinai until they died.
“You are correct in your opinion of some of our fellow creatures. I would add in the light of attacks by barbarians from wherever they may come, such vermin will not appreciate our culture nor respect our religious beliefs. Today Egypt is mighty but in another thousand years, all we see around us may have turned into dust and upturned stone. I know this to be true as I see enough fallen statuary and masonry in my travels in parts of Canaan. The Hittites have their share of ruined monuments. It is now too late in my reign to build a pyramid, though I am certain the Kings entombed within the stone mountains are safe from any future sacrilege.”
“I believe your assessment to be incorrect, Ramesses. The very nature and prominence of the pyramids will be their downfall. Give me the cloak of time, a few strong men and some bronze tools and I could easily locate the burial chambers within those structures.”
“You surprise me. How many million tonnes of stone did you say was used to build the great pyramid?”
“Five million but the volume is not the issue. A thief will not have to remove thousands of blocks to attain the holy crypt. Let me explain. If you look at the pyramids not clad with facing slabs, you will notice the stonework is interlocked and hence, will not collapse if thieves tunnel from the side. I am confident the kings have their crypts located under the apex in either the centre of the pyramid or beneath the foundations.”
“An interesting observation. So if a pyramid is not deemed secure, in what manner do you see my tomb being built?”
“Can you order one of your servants to go to my quarters where he will find a sealed cedar chest? Ask him to bring the chest here as I have something to show you, something I think should be incorporated in your crypt.” He gave instructions to a servant who was despatched to retrieve the chest. Whilst we waited, I continued.
“There are two aspects to the problem. The first is to fashion a tomb that cannot be found at some future time. The second aspect is, should the tomb be found the discoverers, whom I must assume will be thieves, cannot break into it, steal your treasures, despoil your body and that of Nefertari. I urge you to keep in mind the first problem. No matter what I design and build, people will be involved and they obviously will know where your new tomb is located.”
“People are never a problem. I will have them killed once the tomb is complete. It is my observation dead men cannot talk.”
“Whilst I admit the idea has merit, I wish to spare your soul the burden of killing innocent men. As it is, I will need men to seal your crypt after you are entombed.”
“If you need men to work on the crypt after I am buried, how can you stop them from telling the world of its location? Surely this will defeat your purpose?”
“Not if those employed on building and sealing it know it is impregnable. It is one thing to know the location but an entirely a different matter to do anything about it.”
“I am intrigued. Has Thoth granted you magic powers? Perhaps you need to talk to Khaemwaset, who is developing a reputation as a magician.”
“A little magic is always helpful in blinding the ignorant and, if Khaemwaset can put a curse on anyone who has evil intentions, then I will ask for his assistance. However, my solutions are a little more practical.” The servant had returned with my chest and been dismissed. Opening it, I withdrew the small granite box Nebamun had given me and handed it to Ramesses.
“What am I looking at?”
“A model of your unorthodox sarcophagus. Try to open it.”
He toyed with it for a minute before examining it closely. He noticed the fine lines and finally shook the lid loose from its grooved housing.
“Very clever and exceptional workmanship but I did manage to open it. Are you training me to be a grave robber?” Ignoring his rejoinder, I produced a second box the same shape as the first. “Try to open this. It should be easy as it is identical to the first but for a small difference.” He took it and made several attempts to duplicate his success, even to the extent of tapping the box against the granite bench we sat upon.
“This is magic. What is the secret?”
“Once closed, it cannot be re-opened.” I took the lid and the body of the first box. “Look closely under the lid. You will see four small holes in the stone. Look at the groove into which the lid slides. You will observe another four holes.” From the chest, I produced four slender copper pins I had made by a jeweller in Thebes. I pushed a pin into each of the holes in the lid, where they sat flush to the surface. Then I applied a drop of pine resin to each hole from a small vial. I slid the lid into place, turned the box upside down and handed it back to him. “Now try to open it.”
Again Ramesses tried but without success. “What have you done?” he asked, genuinely puzzled.
“Bear in mind this is but a model. The copper pins in the full sized sarcophagus drop down from the lid into corresponding holes in the grooved surface. Once they are in place, they lock the lid permanently into the body of the sarcophagus. I used pine resin to hold the pins in the model as tipping it upside down would cause them to fall back into the lid. Your sarcophagus will weigh at least five tonnes and I doubt if anybody is going to pick it up and turn it upside down.”
“Remarkable but a questio
n” With that, he picked up the granite box and threw it against the nearest wall where it shattered. “You yourself reminded me my granite statues might have shattered if they suffered a defect in the stone. Granite cracks or shatters when struck.” he observed smugly, picking up the shards.
“You are right. That is elementary knowledge.” I took a third box and handed it to him. “Now, He Who has the Strength of Ten Lions, break that.” I challenged. He looked around and motioned the servants to withdraw completely from the courtyard.
“It is not dignified to have the king throwing things at walls in front of his servants.” He threw the box at the wall again and again but the box did not break. Even though he was in his middle life, he was still a powerful man and he threw with the strength of a lancer.
“Perhaps you might have more success with this?” I handed him a diorite hammer of the type used to work granite. He put the box at his feet and attacked it with the pounding tool but still it resisted his best efforts. Finally he stopped, picked it up and inspected it closely. Apart from a few blemishes and some chipped edges, it was still intact. “What is this stone?’ he queried.
“You were walking on it at Giza - basalt from a quarry near the Faiyum. The little box you hold took one man six months to produce. Can you imagine the same box shaped into a sarcophagus? Unbreakable and incapable of being opened once the lid is locked in place by the copper pins.”
“Again remarkable, but this sarcophagus has to be pulled into my tomb in the first place which means it can be dragged out again later and I am sure enough men with enough time will be able to smash it open.”
“Ah, the magic has only just begun. If I may? Please cup your hands.” I produced a leather bag of fine sand and proceeded to pour it into his hands. Once I had a small mound, I sat the box on top of the sand. “Open your fingers slightly.” I was enjoying myself. As the sand fell from between his fingers, the box settled into his palms. He handed me the box, brushed the sand from his hands and looked at me enquiringly.
The Golden Falcon Page 43