I was not to know that Ramesses stopped at Memphis and asked Khaemwaset to call me to assist him in that city. In due course, a message arrived from the prince enjoining me to visit him for an undisclosed reason. Thinking little on the request but happily seizing on an excuse to leave Thebes, I took passage northwards. As the vessel neared Memphis, my thoughts turned to Khaemwaset, the second born of Isetnofret. Whilst the king’s other sons sought careers in military affairs or the undemanding realm of provincial administration, Khaemwaset cleverly managed not to get embroiled in a martial life and evaded being ensnared in the coils of bureaucracy. I knew Ramesses recognised in Khaemwaset a difference that marked him out from the royal progeny. In my opinion, he was the most impressive of the princes.
He had been schooled, as was every royal son, in the arts of war. Indeed, he is dignified in a relief carved at Lower Kush, mounted on a chariot fighting beside his father in a minor campaign but this was a fiction, although the prince told me he took part, as a princeling, in the celebrations to extol the victory at Qadesh. He admitted being more impressed with the priestly rituals than he was with the display of arms, when called upon to tender campaign spoils to the gods.
The man who greeted me in Memphis shared many similar physical characteristics with his father. A handsome man - tall, fine featured though lacking his father’s muscularity. The prince gave the appearance of being wholly content with the role of high priest at the Temple of Ptah and, whilst there was ritual and duties to meet, he found time to undertake strategic assignments for his father. Where Merenptah and several other princes were impetuous by nature and inherited their father’s overt vigour, Khaemwaset adopted a more measured attitude to the vicissitudes of life and the complex tasks his father assigned him. More than once, Ramesses expounded on what manner of ruler Khaemwaset would make if he succeeded to the throne. Beneath the aestheticism lay great strength and wisdom, attributes the king valued deeply.
The prince had many achievements to his credit. The Temple of Ptah was the cult centre of the sacred Apis Bull. A young bull was carefully selected from amongst the kingdom’s herds after the death of its predecessor. It was then pampered and worshipped as an earthly manifestation of the god Ptah. Upon its death, the body was embalmed, swathed in fine linen, en-coffined and interred at Saqqara in a service initiated by Amenhotep III. Khaemwaset went further in building a vast underground mausoleum with a mortuary chapel, where elaborate funeral rituals were observed before the remains of the sacred bull were delivered to an individual vault.
Our paths oft crossed as he increased his commitment to the preservation of ancient royal tombs in the Memphite necropolis, an obligation that led to the exchange of information during my investigations into the religious aspects of his father’s new tomb. Like his father, he was not averse to claiming credit for good works and engraved somewhere near his restorative labours, there will be an inscription or stela erected to commemorate his activities. He had a particular fascination with the chain of pyramids scattered throughout the necropolis and, whilst little work was required on the principal structures themselves, workmen laboured on rebuilding broken walls, replacing fallen or damaged masonry and removing drift sand. Time and responsibilities did not weigh heavily on our shoulders when we met to discuss the summons to Memphis. The prince’s first consideration was the building his own tomb, a matter he had neglected.
“I become aware of my mortality. So many of my brothers and sisters have left us and, with the passing of the king’s wives and your own, I am compelled to consider the circumstances of my demise. The discussions about my father’s new crypt put me in mind to think upon the inevitability of my own passage into eternity and how best to ensure the sanctity of my remains. All these ghastly revelations about the indecency of a few of our fellow creatures exposed a degree of naivety, which surprised me. A life spent in proximity to the gods had led me into a false belief all men were as sanctified as those with whom I share my daily intercourse. The thought of some dirty handed peasant ripping open my funeral shrouds, thrusting his hands into my corpse and strewing my bones around like so much rubbish, has caused me great consternation.”
“Yes, I cannot say my descent into the ways of grave robbers has overly enamoured me of my fellow men. Until these shocking discoveries surfaced, I lived in a world of permanence and order where life had an immutable structure. I accepted whatever I built for your father would suffer the ravages of time and crumble. You cannot be a builder and close your eyes to the evidence of decay in the monuments and tombs we have witnessed and expect that, with the passage of years, these piles of stone will remain perpetually pristine. What I could not countenance was the possibility that our earthly remains would be sought out and pillaged. Now we have discerned the reality of that prospect, I have taken certain steps to ensure Ipi’s body and my own will be well protected. I suspect these considerations weight heavily on your mind as well?”
“Yes, very heavily indeed. My father has offered me a chamber in the family mausoleum in the Great Place but I prefer to be interred at Saqqara. I have spent the better part of my life in Memphis in the service of Ptah and it is here I wish to lie, near the graves of the kingdom’s earlier rulers and in a place from where I may overlook their monuments or should I clarify, my ba can hover amongst the vestiges of past glories as it flies between the Field of Reeds and my tomb. I have chosen a site which we will visit and you can advise me on what must be built.”
“Lord, I have thought deeply on this matter in my concern for my remains. Bakenkhons long ago showed me an obscure papyrus about the tomb of Queen Hatshepsut. The reference is oblique and neither he nor I could adequately decipher the meaning of the cryptic notes on the scroll. Now he has assumed the duties of high priest, I did not have far to go to seek permission to enter her tomb as you can imagine Bakenkhons is also interested in the protection of his remains. Considering the queen was entombed over two hundred years ago, I was not surprised to find the doors to her tomb in a state of decay.”
“You would not believe how arduous the descent into her tomb was. It plunged steeply downwards into the bowels of the earth and if it was not for the strong arms of the priest who accompanied me, I would still remain at its end. The crypt is almost devoid of decoration as it was dug through shale which cannot carry inscriptions. In the flicker of the oil lamps, we reached the burial chamber, saw two sarcophagi therein, looked into the treasure rooms and left as soon as possible. The meaning of the note on the papyrus became clear as it read in brief, ‘The depth of my search for eternity will bring its own reward’.”
“I am a little surprised Bakenkhons sanctioned your entry into a royal tomb. However,what did you learn from this adventure?”
“I made several practical observations. We know that using timber doors offers no protection at all. Bakenkhons is renewing the doors at all the ancient entrances, and although I cautioned him to build in stone, he said he lacked the authority to emplace anything more substantial. Khaemwaset, if I was an evil man, I could have left Queen Hatshepsut’s tomb with my hands filled with valuable jewellery as the storerooms at the rear of her crypt are replete with magnificent funerary goods. However, the greatest observation I made was, if she had instructed her tomb’s corridors filled with sand, it would be impossible to gain access to the crypt.”
‘And now you suggest what?”
“Quarry deep into stone and have your tomb filled with sand. My burial place will be at the end of a very deep tunnel driven straight down through limestone with two small chambers at its bottom. My son will move Ipi’s coffin and place it next to mine in the new crypt I am building. After our internment the lower level of the shaft will be plugged with granite blocks and sand fill the rest. Whilst I cannot afford the degree of protection I now offer your father, robbers will have to work very hard to gain access to my crypt. I have also chosen a site remote from the Theban necropolis. We will be interred in an area in the Hills little visited now, difficult to access and
, I suspect, it will remain so for millennia.”
“I will think on this matter and we will discuss it again. However, this is not the reason I asked you to join me in Memphis. I know your sorrow is great at the moment. The king discussed your future when he broke his voyage here on his return to Pi-Ramess. He said you had firmly rejected his plan to build a pyramid in his honour, so you should have your mind engaged in another task worthy of your skills. What is this story about a pyramid for my father? He has never mentioned the idea to me.”
I told him of our perennial joke about a pyramid or the alternative of building walls in the wastes of the Syrian Desert. Khaemwaset has the same engaging smile as his father and he enjoyed the nature of our jest. “I have something a little less onerous in mind but, hopefully, almost as mentally challenging. You are aware of my interests in our necropolis?”
“Yes, of course.”
“This area has been a burial ground for more than 1,400 years. Can I interest you in writing a history of the Memphite necropolis? You will have access to every archive here in the temple and The House of Life. I will also provide you with living quarters and all the scribes you need to undertake this important assignment. You are free to complete your work in Thebes, which I believe is now almost limited to the preparation of my father’s second tomb and some minor works in the temples and Ramesseum. Moving from Thebes may assuage the pain arising from memories of Ipi and the city. My father intimates you do not as yet wish to return to your home in Pi-Ramess and its close association with your married life. He hopes a move to Memphis will bring you nearer to him as the distance between the cities is easily travelled.”
What Khaemwaset offered was an answer to many of my present difficulties. It was true I did not wish to live in Thebes and a move to the Delta would not lessen my pain. My work as the king’s builder had diminished appreciably as he found little interest in new monuments. Apart from the secret tomb, my commissions involved embellishing the royal reputation, repair work and minor buildings, all of which could be managed from Memphis.
“You appear hesitant.” He stood up. “Royal architect, I am commanded to make you an offer you cannot refuse. The king decrees I make quarters available to you in the palace in Memphis as he desires more be done to enhance the Temple of Ptah. He doubts you are ready to discard the tools of your trade to spend your time climbing over old graves and scribbling away in the temple’s scriptorium. Of course, you may need to time to consider the decree, as your independent nature is well known to the Pharaoh, but my father is concerned for your happiness and seeks a way in which he can demonstrate his gratitude and affection despite, and I quote,’an on-going unwillingness to instantly obey the commands of a most benevolent ruler’.”
Laughing with him, I replied “My Lord, I need no time to make up my mind. The offer is accepted with heartfelt gratitude. I must return to Thebes and make arrangements to re-locate my office to Memphis.”
Thus began the next chapter of my life. I am always drawn to Thebes, a city where the light of Re causes the great monuments I built for Ramesses to gleam and shimmer. But more than anything, still nestled into the Theban Hills, lay my beloved Ipi waiting patiently for me to re-join her.
Chapter 32 – BROKEN DREAMS
Egypt -1211 BC
Masons steadily chipped away at the two protruding blocks on Khufu’s pyramid whilst we walked over to the paved area in front of Khafre’s pyramid where labourers had prised up enough pavers to reveal a stairway filled with rock chips. Leaving them to dig out the rubble, we skirted King Menkaure’s pyramid. The granite blocks facing the lower courses and the upper Tura limestone facing appeared undisturbed and it was decided his pyramid had not been violated.
The surrounding temples and causeways were in good condition and would require minimal restoration. Sand had drifted into the buildings and banked up around the noble’s tombs. To the east and west of Khufu’s pyramid lay symmetric rows of semi buried tombs and behind Khafre’s tomb there was a single line of identical tombs faced in limestone. We walked along the rows, reading the chiselled inscriptions. Most were family tombs of men who had served the pharaohs.
At first glance, none appeared to have been disturbed as their cladding was intact. The area around them was paved in limestone slabs precisely fitted into a mortar foundation. Once sand was swept off the paving, it became obvious sections had been crudely prised up and re-laid without care.
“Am I to assume that disturbed paving indicates robbery?” asked Ramesses.
“I believe that a safe assumption but until we lift more paving I cannot be certain. These tombs are all of a similar construction. A large pit was carved out of the rock with an entrance way and chambers created by laying brick walls within the pit. The ceilings are timber plank overlaid with clay and rubble, then that layer was covered in brickwork and faced with limestone. There are several variations of the basic design but the concept is well known and still widely used in the burials of our nobility. Although more substantial, Queen Isetnofret’s tomb is of a similar style and, unfortunately, just as vulnerable as the ones we now inspect.”
“If these tombs have been plundered, I will immediately commission a more secure tomb for the queen in Saqqara. Whilst I will have Nefertari beside me at Thebes, I cannot forsake Isetnofret as she was a loyal, devoted wife and mother and her remains deserve to remain inviolate.”
“It would be my honour, Ramesses. Ipi treasured her friendship with Isetnofret and it would not be difficult to build her a more secure tomb. In this style of tomb, the entrance is filled with stone and the doorway blocked with a portcullis of granite or limestone. The builders did their best but the design was fatally flawed.”
“How do you mean?” asked Khaemwaset.
“Well, consider this.” I picked up a large piece of limestone and threw it against the side of tomb where it shattered into pieces. “limestone is an excellent building material. Its softness makes it easy to shape, engrave and excavate but its principal virtue is its downfall. Determined robbers can cut through this soft stone and gain access to the interior very quickly. Using a granite portcullis was a waste of time as thieves would simply quarry around it and one man can gouge a hole big enough to permit entry in a few days. Depending on what they wished to steal, they need nothing larger than a manhole. If the plunder was bigger, all they have to do is chip more of the stone away from around the portcullis and let it fall backwards into the corridor.”
“What you are saying is there is nothing we can do to permanently protect these tombs?”
“Nothing. Look around you. We are a great distance from the nearest habitation and priests tending the dead can be bribed to look the other way or even share in the division of spoils. We can open all the tombs breached, make good any internal damage and re-seal them. If the remains of their occupants have been disturbed, priests can effect whatever is necessary to restore the dignity of the dead.”
“Otherwise, you can rest assured whatever we do by way of repairs can be undone sometime in the future. I am afraid we will uncover the same situation in every burial ground in the country. You know how I seek to armour your tomb but few have a king’s resources at their command. I doubt I am the first architect to concern himself with trying to shield his patron’s body and possessions. We may find, when we venture into the pyramids, their architects employed every method they knew of to protect their masters.”
“This nefarious business is a terrible affront to the gods and an act of unimaginable evil. Let me think on this awhile.” He walked along the rows of tombs, making a count as he proceeded. We waited until he returned.
“Open every tomb adjacent to the pyramids that evidences disturbance. Khaemwaset, send to Memphis and Heliopolis for priests and those who prepare the dead to effect the restoration of despoiled bodies and the re-consecration of tombs breached. Sennefer, enlarge the fort outside Memphis and build small garrisons at the extreme ends of the necropolis. I will assign additional soldiers to guar
d this sacred ground. What happens after my death is a matter for my successors to consider but I ask you, Khaemwaset, as my heir, to maintain vigilance over the necropolis. For now it is my divine obligation to assist Anubis and Sokar in protecting the dead.”
“What of the other cemeteries in the Kingdom?”
“Let us finish this business here, then move through the Memphis necropolis systematically. I must give considerable thought to the problem of not only the other cemeteries in the land but to the fundamental problem of tomb robberies. At the moment, I am not sure if we can do anything other than to ensure priests attempt to frighten as many of my subjects with the consequences of sacrilege. To educate my people widely is not possible and probably undesirable. If I make an issue of the problem, I may cause more scum to consider the rewards of tomb robbery.”
Within the day, masons forged entrances into both pyramids and then stood down, forbidden to venture further. I pointed out to Ramesses how short a time and how few men were needed to break into a tomb as, effectively, that is what our workmen had done. It was no easy matter to ascend to the opening high on the side of the great pyramid whilst preserving our dignity. Having no way of knowing the plan of the pyramid’s internal arrangements, I had bundles of cedar oil torches sent up to the entrance so we could explore at our leisure. Before we made our way into the corridor, the prince offered up a brief prayer and we began the descent through a particularly narrow passage that took us to a junction which offered a choice of a lower or upper pathway. Looking up, I noted access to the upper passageway was blocked by a large, seemingly intact slab of sandstone so we continued our descent. Just after the point where the corridor cut into the pyramid’s rock foundation, it took us to a gloomy chamber.
“What is this? There is nothing here except an empty, crudely fashioned room. The floor is natural rock and bears little imprint of mason’s chisels. Surely this cannot be the burial chamber of the king?” exclaimed Ramesses.
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