Reflections in the Nile (65 page)
Read Reflections in the Nile Online
Authors: Suzanne Frank
T
here are as many theories about the Exodus, the path the Children of Israel took through the desert, the pharaoh at the time, and the number of people who went as there are archaeologists and theologians. According to the Bible, Solomon built his temple 480 years after the Exodus from Egypt. This places the Exodus in the eighteenth dynasty during the life time and reign of Hatshepsut.
Pharaoh Hatshepsut ruled as a man, though she was a woman. She co-reigned with her half-brother, and after he died she entered a co-regency with the child Thutmosis HI, whom she quickly usurped, crowning herself Hatshepsu I. She-historically brought a period of peace and prosperity, restoring old monuments and establishing new ties with other countries. Apparently she had the priesthood and the nobles behind her, a powerful political statement in any day and age.
Factually, no one knows what happened at the end of her reign. There is no body, and her tomb is empty. All that is known is that Thutmosis, for whatever reason, during his reign sought to eliminate her from the King's List and to erase every good thing she did. Why? Jealousy is an easy answer, but for the type of ritual destruction Thutmosis—and probably other kings—endorsed it is too shallow.
A reasonable explanation is that something happened during her reign that was such anathema, the only way to rebuild and restore Egypt was to repudiate her and her reign completely. Only under those conditions would the accepted and systematic destruction of her monuments occur. Combining this with the Exodus timeline … and the reported miraculous or just frighteningly fierce and prompt plagues that destroyed the countryside… we have a possible explanation.
Yes, the plagues are easily explained by science. Bloody water is red algae; fish die, and frogs go on land. Lack of food leads to their deaths, generating flies and gnats and lice. They infect the cattle; the cattle infect the people. An eclipse, a locust plague—common enough in Africa—hail, men fear make the Egyptians sacrifice their own children, trying to win the favor of their gods. The slaves get to leave. But even with a rational, scientific explanation… the timing mystifies. The duration and control of the plagues is something Pharaoh and all his court could not explain, and neither can we.
Senmut is also lost in history. Five years before the end of Hatshepsut's reign, he vanishes. No comments. No body. His pets, of which there were many, were mummified and buried. His family was buried in the tombs he had built for them. But of the grand vizier, architect, and
erpa-ha
we know nothing. Was he murdered in a palace coup? Or was he, a firstborn son, caught in the final plague?
Moses is known from the Bible and revered as a prophet in all three monotheistic religions. As a former prince through adoption, he alone of the Israelites had the position, authority, and ability to negotiate with Pharaoh. Certainly he understood and spoke the high, flowery Egyptian of the court, something few Israelites could claim. But whom did he kill that he fled his adopted father's wrath? My supposition is certainly one possibility, but who knows?
Very little is known about the religious practices of ancient Egypt, though it stands to reason that eating a calf in its mother's milk, so strongly forbidden by the Hebrew God, could have been a religious ritual. Was HatHor, seen as a cow and the goddess of dancing, music, and love, the “golden calf” that caused Moses’ great wrath when he smashed the first copy of the Ten Commandments?
To my knowledge human sacrifice was not an Egyptian concept, though I am certain that, as in every culture, darker cults existed. Of all the ancient world the Egyptians were by far the most hygienic, the happiest natured, and the least bloodthirsty. Their gods liked beer and bread, and everyone in both this world and the afterworld sought to live peaceably with their family in a tree-laden garden.
Egyptian medicine, from the papyri we have, is exactly as portrayed. The Egyptian mind was so interrelated with magic and religion that taking “medicine” or undergoing surgery alone would not suffice. For every physical action there was a concurrent spiritual one. The Egyptian equivalent of “take two aspirin and call me in the morning” was “have an enema, get an amulet, and call me in the morning.” The Egyptians were also known for their sophisticated techniques. Brain surgery and cataract surgery were both done—though no one knows how the patients fared.
The land bridge between the Sinai peninsula and the Arabian coastline exists, and in the passage of seventy days, it would be possible for a group moving at seven to ten miles a day to reach the coastline from Avaris. Unleavened bread baked in the sand beneath a fire, limestone as an indicator of water, the mountains, and scarce wildlife are all as true today in the Sinai desert and of its dwellers as in Moses’ time.
Chloe's military background and reservist assignment are possible. In Denton, Texas, a mere thirty miles from Dallas, the Federal Emergency Management Agency guards, watches, and reacts to national disasters. Though the military aspects of the agency are confined to terrorism alone, the “uniforms” may volunteer to assist in any disaster. The air force group based there is minuscule, but as an air force brat myself, I couldn't place Chloe in another branch of the military.
Like many of the other characters in
Reflections in the Nile,
Jean-Francois Champollion
le jeune,
the father of Egyptology, actually existed. He was born December 23,1790, although, in contrast with my book, he did not travel to Egypt until 1828. It is documented that he had a strikingly Oriental appearance, with dark skin and “yellow” eyes. It is also documented that speaking to him was like “speaking to an ancient Egyptian come back to life.” After learning more than twenty languages, he discovered the key to the hieroglyphs through the Rosetta stone.
A note on sources and spellings. Having “grown up” in the British Museum, I used E. A. W. Budge's
Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionaries
for many of the ancient words in
Reflections.
As this book is a culmination of a lifetime of study, I cannot possibly give a full listing of the articles, books, maps, stories, illustrations, and other materials I have used.
However, my constant guides during the writing of this book were John Anthony West's
Traveler's Key to Ancient Egypt,
a wonderful guidebook and insight to all things Egyptian; Ian Wilson's
Exodus: The True Story,
which inspired and instructed me; Peter Clayton's
The Rediscovery of Ancient Egypt;
and, most important, the original story of the Exodus from the Bible in three different translations, including Hebrew.
Did the Exodus actually happen? Though there is no “accepted” proof for it outside of the Bible, something similar must have happened for it to become the bedrock of Judaism and the foundation of the nation of Israel: “Hear O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one … be careful that you do not forget the LORD who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” (Dt. 6:4,12)
So, the journey continues.
J. S
UZANNE
F
RANK
Denton, Texas, June 1996
A word of thanks to a group of people whom I cannot thank enough. To Melanie and Dwayne, who unfailingly read through countless versions and gave their critiques and enthusiasm; to Joe, Laura, and Rene, who proofed and polished; to Dr. Phillipe A. Dubè for verifying how to cauterize; to Dr. Diane Boyd for the French translations; to Anne Henehan and Pat Sprinkle for the last-minute Latin; to Lynn Job for insight into the military; to Dr. Barbara Wedgwood and SMU Continuing Education, who gave me a chance; to Mary Ann Eckels for believing in me and referring me; to my “kids” and Carrie and Donna, who prayed that I would get published. May I never forget this lesson: God listens and answers. Great thanks to my friends and writing group for the encouragement. And thanks, Mel, for the title.
Forever will I be indebted to and enamored of my editor at Warner Books, Susan Sandler, who was willing to take a risk on an unknown. In every writer's fantasy, would they be so lucky to get a “Susan” of their own. She saw my vision and loved this world of the senses and adventure as much as I. Thanks so very much, Susan—you are the best!
Most profoundly I thank my family. For a decade's worth of
Writer's Digest,
the conferences, and always knowing my words would be in print someday, thank you, Daddy. Mom, for all the bits and pieces of biblical lore, cutting-edge discoveries, human insight, and artistic vision, thank you. To my Baba for the zest of life, Chloe's background, and a thousand other things—words cannot say enough. To Granny, for the gift that changed my life forever.
My thanks and love to you all!