The Golden Falcon

by David C. Clark

  We found a copper headed hammer and a long copper rod lying on the floor under the last of the sand, the purpose of which we could not determine. By the time Yousef arrived, the tomb had been fully cleared and vacuumed free of sandy residue. The stark light of site lamps revealed the extent of Sennefer’s creation - granite pillars, basalt faced floor and walls, buttressing steps and the doorway with its clay fringed holes. Dominating the whole room was the massive, glistening black block.

  Richard announced “Just like the black monolith in ‘A Space Odyssey’. Better not tell reporters too much about the monolith otherwise we are going to have alien stories everywhere. Let’s have a close look at this beastie.”

  My father pointed to the holes in the wall near the basalt door. “I think we will find a number of storerooms behind the door, which came down like a portcullis using sand hydraulics. Given what Richard said about a second shaft directed towards that part of the tomb, you can expect to find a chamber with the whole roof section and corridor filled with sand, like the burial chamber, and quite probably another time lock in its sand shaft. We may be able to fit the door with lifting bolts and draw it up and out of its housing but to get into that section, you may have to open a hole in the limestone wall, dig out the sand and try to get equipment in to lift the door. Once it is open, we should have a clear field, apart from any further surprises.”

  We looked to Yousef. “If there is no alternative,cut through the wall. Whatever damage we do can be repaired later with an insert. Once through, remove the sand and then we will see what we need to do next. Now what about this mysterious item you mentioned on the phone, the copper rod?”

  “We actually have two mysterious items, if we disregard the whole tomb we are standing in.” We all laughed. “Here, give me a flash light as I wish to show you something.” said Jean-Claude. He led us to a square opening in the lower edge of the block and turned the light on, indicating we should each look into the aperture. My father was the first to peer into the darkness. We each took our turn, finally admitting its purpose could not be identified. I suggested Richard get his camera equipment and feed the flexible cable into the hole and have a look-see. There had to be a reason for this singularity in an otherwise solid piece of masonry

  “There is one other thing that will be, I believe, of considerable interest.” said Jean-Claude. “Have a look at this.”

  He turned his torch onto the corner opposite the entrance. Engraved into the basalt were two cartouches, one with the throne name of Ramesses and other of Queen Nefertari. Both had been filled with gold foil. “Mes amis, I believe we are in for a greater surprise as I suspect lying in the middle of this sarcophagus there are two bodies, not one. I believe Ramesses and his queen were re-united when he was entombed here and if I am correct the entire front tomb was part of an elaborate charade to fool potential tomb robbers. That would explain why the corpse in the Cairo Museum is not a blood relative of anyone of the Ramesside family. The real king is right here beside us and the storerooms will contain his funerary goods.”

  My father said “If that is correct, you have uncovered possibly the greatest find in archaeology. You tell me you cannot prise any of the paving blocks out of the floor or wall?”

  “We drilled holes into one of the pavers in a corner, glued in threaded sockets, put in eye bolts and tried to lift it out. It would not budge. Reginald, the precision with which these plates were cut is incroyable. Just to design the plate grid would have been a major feat of mathematics and drafting skills. There is no discernible pattern or duplication and frankly, I am a bit concerned that, if we prise off one of the vertical tiles, the whole lot may come crashing down on us. Sennefer’s ingenuity is beginning to un-nerve me somewhat.”

  Richard returned with his remote camera and a lap top computer. He set it up, then fed the flexible cable into the square aperture. Slowly, the head approached its end and the image on the monitor showed what looked like a jagged piece of pottery. He swivelled the head around until its light illuminated a layer of sand below the jagged edge.

  “Good God” my father exclaimed. “Do you have an overall tomb schematic on that computer? If you do, please pull up a view showing what is underneath this mass”

  Richard found the folder, opened it and put a side projection on the monitor.

  “Revolve it around on the same plane, please.”

  Part of the image was obscured by rooms at the lower level of the original tomb but it showed a discontinuous and hazy area below the block’s white bulk. Consulting Marc’s written synopsis, Richard said there was no definitive analysis of this part of the hill other than an abnormally high degree of unnatural fractures in the limestone under the tomb.

  “Gentlemen,I believe you are looking at another ingenious piece of ancient engineering. The long copper rod was thrust into this hole where it smashed a clay pot. Sand ran out into pits or tunnels under the floor, allowing one half of this block to descend and completely seal the sarcophagus. Before any of you tell me it is impossible to suspend hundreds of tonnes of basalt, I will further suggest the top came down in sections in a sequence to make up the entire upper half. If that is the case, I have serious doubts we will even be able to break into this block, short of using laser cutters or dynamite. The man who designed and built this device was an engineering marvel.”

  “Look here. Each face is an irregular mosaic of basalt plates. When the top half descended, the upper plates meshed with corresponding but random edged plates on the lower half. Where would you start to prise it open without smashing up a lot of the surface? If the top came down in sections then, after you dismantle one face, you will be confronted with the next fashioned in another random pattern. If we succeeded in dismantling the shells, we will have ruined the lot. Dennis, you’re a civil engineer, what do you think?” he queried.

  “Frankly, at the moment I don’t know what to think. I am still trying to work out why Jean-Claude could not pull a paving plate out of the floor. As to the block, whatever Sennefer built another man can pull apart.”

  Yousef spoke up. “Dennis, forgive me but I have two comments to make at this moment. The first is the Council will not permit the destruction of such a monument. I am sorry, but we have suffered enough at the hands of people smashing open tombs. The second consideration is one of greater gravity. It is one that may engender external debate but the outcome will be the same as I now state. I am a Muslim living in a Muslim country and hence I have no belief at all in the gods the Ancient Egyptians worshipped. However, you will find all Muslims respect the dead as much as the people who developed our ancient civilisation. If Ramesses and his builder went to this much trouble to effect a burial that could not be despoiled by tomb robbers should we not put ourselves in the same frame of mind? In this country,we permit the excavation of tombs but we do not permit the removal of bodies from burial grounds unless there is an overwhelming possibility of a body being stolen. To Muslims, it is of no consequence Ramesses was interred three millennia ago. He deserves the same respect as though he was buried yesterday. You may take it as an absolute, the Council and our government will not permit the opening of this sarcophagus.”

  My father, who had been kneeling on the floor and looking at the computer screen, stood up and shook Yousef’s hand. Still holding his hand he said,

  “That is one of the finest sentiments I have heard in all the long years I have been an archaeologist. I agree wholeheartedly, as it accords with one of the strongest concepts motivating our Society. Too much of your country’s heritage is scattered around the world in museums and galleries and too many of the dead of your ancient times sit in glass cases for the curious to gawk at. I appreciate it is important to undertake research on ancient bodies and buildings so we can learn more about our past but, in this case, we should go no further. Maybe we will never be able to open this sarcophagus without damaging it and the real mystery of Ramesses will remain as we witness it now, a mystery. If indeed he lies entombed with his wife w
ithin this basalt crypt, we should respect the effort he put into denying us, tomb robbers or archaeologists, access to his body.”

  Jean-Claude extended his hand to both my father and Yousef.

  “Bravo, mes amis, I agree with everything you have both said. As a Frenchman, I carry on my conscience many of the sacrilegious acts committed by my forebears in the course of discoveries here. Their work was magnificent, and we all owe them much for their labours, but I will not be party to the desecration of this sarcophagus.”

  All three looked at me in anticipation. I suddenly realised the yawning differences between the worlds of civil engineering and archaeology and how far I had yet to travel on my road of personal discovery. Silently, I shook each man’s hand and we left the king and his queen to their eternal peace.

  Later, upon leaving the tomb I saw, high up on the eastern escarpment, a falcon, gilded wings spread out wide, shining in the rays of a golden sun. The falcon wheeled over the Great Place in a slow arc, hovered for a moment before turning westward and, as I followed its path, it flew straight into the sunlight and beyond.

  Chapter 35 - THE PHARAOH’S TRIUMPH

  Egypt – Present Day

  The discovery of Ramesses’ new tomb generated almost as much media coverage as an American Presidential campaign with a veritable swarm of journalists, television crews and commentators invaded Egypt. Political leader’s opinions were sought at their press conferences and every documentary produced about Ancient Egypt commanded prime time on television networks.

  Cranks had a field day because they thought they had proof positive of alien intervention. ‘No Egyptian could have built the sinister crypt’, ‘Too cunning for human hands’, ‘Too complex for simple Egyptian architects’, ‘Burial place of alien ruler discovered’ exemplified screaming headlines in the tabloids. Typically, the American National Examiner published a four page article stating unequivocally, when the crypt was opened, archaeologists would find bodies identical to the humanoids at the Roswell space ship crash site. Books on the healing powers of pyramids, the curse of the pharaohs and the wisdom of ancient Egyptian astrologers were urgently re-published and torrents of new works on ancient mysteries flowed from the presses. It was ‘Chariots of the Gods’ all over again. Given enough time, we would have Druids camping in Luxor.

  Within the scientific community, opinions were just as fervent, though couched more intelligently, even when proponents of various viewpoints became almost vicious in their intensity. Debate became hot and hostile in academia with professional journals filling hundreds of pages on the issue of whether or not the sarcophagus should be opened or remain untouched. Once technical details were published by the CEA, engineering and architectural magazines devoted themselves to trying to unravel the question of the tomb’s construction methods whilst moral issues got lost in a declared need to expose, for study and comment, ancient techniques.

  Strident opinions were voiced in France, where some archaeologists argued vociferously that, as Jean-Claude d’Argent and his team had made the discovery, they owned exclusive rights to open the tomb. An English tabloid claimed there was serious dissension between the British and French project leaders which led to one French newspaper printing a story claiming Jean-Claude and I had been involved in a punch-up in a Cairo nightclub. This fiction then made it to television screens throughout the world. Jean-Claude rang, asking if he could he come over to our site cabin. When he called, Richard and I were engaged in working out, with his engineers, the least damaging method of breaking into the storage rooms. Richard poked his head outside our cabin and gave Jean-Claude the all-clear sign. The Frenchman sprinted over, closed the door behind him and slumped into an empty chair.

  “Mon Dieu, Dennis. What are we going to do?” he asked, clearly exasperated and pointing to a television playing silently in a corner. Everyone involved in the project was following the media coverage, initially with amusement when the alien’s stories appeared and then, with a growing sense of despair as the reporting became more ridiculous and increasingly intrusive. No matter where any of us went, we were besieged by reporters, had cameras and microphones stuck in our faces and saw our private lives turned into a shambles. One of the French archaeologists complained there was a TV van parked outside his house in Luxor and his wife was at the point of fleeing back to Paris.

  Tamaam could not go to the shops without instantly attracting attention from the Egyptian media, all of whom clamoured for her views on their ardent claims about the foreign domination of the project. After a particularly nasty and explosive argument in a supermarket, she broke into a meeting I was having with Jean-Claude, sobbing her heart out. Clearly embarrassed, he left the office whilst I calmed her down. That incident occurred the same day the punch-up story broke. Yousef rang and said he was on his way over.

  He was clearly agitated when he arrived. “You have seen this rubbish in the media? It is time all this is stopped so Abdullah is discussing a response with the President. You will soon see the advantage of living in a country that does not enjoy freedom of the press. We can control these idiots and I am hopeful that, by the time the President has made our country’s policy clear, some of the heat will go out of the debate. Is your wife still upset?”

  “You know about the shopping incident?”

  “I have spies everywhere! No, seriously, my wife was in the supermarket and she is disgusted with what she witnessed. The reporter involved has received a new assignment in the Sinai, one designed to keep him busy for a few years.” he said with relish. “My colleagues in the Communications Ministry do not take kindly to reporters harassing women. Jean-Claude, please tell Jacques the TV van parked outside his house is no more. We have expelled the journalists and we will throw out anyone else who interferes with people working on this project.” We both thanked him.

  “The President will issue a directive under which any media representative found in the Valley without government accreditation will be expelled. More police are being assigned today to protect you from harassment. KV7 is now off-limits to the public until we decide what has to be done about the treasure rooms and the tomb itself. I expect President Kamal will issue a statement on key issues within the next few days.” He paused to take a phone call and briefly left us. Returning, he continued,

  “That was Abdullah. The President is calling a press conference to make it totally clear that under no circumstances will the basalt sarcophagus be opened by anyone now or in the future. This is an Egyptian government sponsored project and the decision has been made to leave the crypt as we found it. President Kamal will stress that Ramesses, an Egyptian king, who resolved to remain untouched in death, as amply demonstrated in the manner of his entombment, will have that intention honoured. Any speculation in the press or the scientific world about opening the basalt vault will be condemned as idle conjecture.”

  “Bravo, my congratulations on your government’s fortitude.” exclaimed Jean-Claude.

  “Thank you. Now, to more practical matters. What progress on opening the treasure chambers?”

  Richard said “As expected, there was another time delay mechanism in the second shaft employing the same devilish principle. It’s been isolated for later investigation. We have decided that the best way to get into the treasury is through this secondary shaft as it is just wide enough to allow men to descend with lifting equipment and lights. If successful, it means we don’t have to cut through any walls. As far as we can tell, most of the sand behind the main portcullis has drained out of the holes drilled through it.”

  I added my observations. “We know the basalt door sits in a grooved housing. If we drill holes in its top, insert eye bolts and attach cables, it can be drawn up using a frame mounted electric winch. It’s probable all the internal doors operate on the same principal. Once the main door is open and the area cleared of sand, they can be raised.”

  Jean-Claude said “We expect to find the treasury stocked with artefacts similar to those found in Tutankhamen�
�s tomb. If that proves correct, the CEA will have to decide whether the contents stay and are made accessible to the public or are removed and shipped to the Cairo Museum. There is another issue concerning the second tomb. At the moment, access is either by ladder from the top of the hill through the sand chute or via the well shaft. Limestone in this section of the Valley is poor quality and this militates against the idea of any further quarrying so we won’t attempt widening the chute as this could bring down part of the roof and I doubt anyone would approve modifying the well shaft entrance.”

  I said, “We discarded the idea of driving a shaft through the hillside direct to the burial chamber as that would destroy part of the basalt cladding and buttressing. If the double tomb is going to be opened to the public, access should be strictly controlled by high entrance fees and restricted numbers of people, as it is in Tutankhamen’s tomb”

  “How long before the protective canopy is installed?” asked Yousef. I replied “Tamaam’s team should have it in place in a few months.”

  Yousef responded. “Good. So, until then, use only the top shaft as I do not want any damage to the first tomb seeing Jean-Claude has laboured hard enough already and he still has much work to undertake without our impeding his progress. I agree there should be absolutely no new quarrying in either tomb. The idea of a limited number of tourists paying a high fee is, as you would expect, tantalising. It’s our view that everything found should be moved to the safety of the new museum but let’s see if there is anything in the rooms. Remember, it took Carter’s team years to catalogue, photograph and conserve the contents of Tutankhamen’s tomb. No-one is in a hurry. Ramesses and his possessions have been lying there for a very long time and a few more years will make no difference.”