The Egyptian by Mika Waltari

Posted by admin_akashic on Mar 4th, 2022 in Stories

Yet in jubilation the priests re-erected the image of Amun in his Temple and made great sacrifices to him. Also the images of all other gods were re-erected in their former places, and the priests declared to people, “There is no more hunger or tears in the land of Kem, for Amun has returned, and Amun blesses everyone who believes in him. We will again sow Amun’s fields, and Amun’s grain will give a thousand-fold harvest — and abundance and wealth will return to Egypt.” Regardless of this, Thebes was starving more than ever, and there was no house without tears for Sherdens and black men were ruthlessly plundering Thebes without making distinction between crosses and horns, and they violated women and sold children into slavery — and neither Pepitamun nor Ay could curb them for they said, “The power is in our spearheads, and the power is in our clubs. Therefore keep your mouths shut and do not disturb us.” Egypt had no Pharaoh since the priests had declared Akhenaten as the false Pharaoh and cursed his city, and his successor should first return to Thebes and bow before Amun and make sacrifice to Amun before the priests would acknowledge him as Pharaoh.

Upon seeing all the chaos, Ay appointed Pepitamun governor of Thebes, and he travelled hastily to Akhetaten to compel Pharaoh Akhenaten to abdicate and secure his own power through his successor. He said to me, “Come with me, Sinuhe, for I may need your physician’s advice on how to bow the false Pharaoh to my will.” I answered to him, “Certainly I will come, Ay, for I want my cup to be full.” But he did not understand what I meant with my words.

Thus I sailed in the company of priest Ay back to Akhetaten to meet with the accursed Pharaoh, but also in Tanis Horemheb had heard what had happened in Thebes as well as everywhere along the river — and he made speed to man the warships to sail up the river to Akhetaten. As he sailed upstream, all the towns and villages became pacified, temples were reopened and the images of the gods were restored to their places — and I assume that the crocodiles once more greatly praised his name.

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But he hastened to reach Akhetaten at the same time as Ay in order to compete for power, and so he pardoned all slaves who laid down their arms and punished no one who of his own free will exchanged the cross of Aten for Amun’s horn. The people praised him for his clemency, although his clemency did not come from his heart but rather from his desire to save fit men for the war. Also priests praised him generously everywhere along the river where his warships sailed for he reopened closed temples, raised the fallen images of gods to their bases and occasionally made sacrifice to the gods when he happened to be in a good mood.

But the city of Akhetaten was an accursed domain, and the priests and horns guarded all the roads leading there and slew every fugitive from there unless he agreed to change his cross for a horn and make sacrifice to Amun. They had also barred the river with copper chains that none might make his escape that way. Most of the fugitives were nevertheless eager to make sacrifice to Amun and cursed Aten, for the people of Akhetaten were weary of Aten. And I did not recognise Akhetaten when I saw it again, for a deathly silence reigned in the city, and the flowers in the parks had withered, and the green grass had turned yellow now that no one was left to water the gardens and plants. No birds sang in the sun-shrivelled trees, and all over the city hung the sweet, frightening reek of the curse whose source was unknown. The families of high rank had abandoned their houses, their servants having been the first to flee, and the builders and stone miners had abandoned their town also, leaving even their kitchenware behind them — for no one dared to carry anything with him from the accursed city. After howling for a while, the dogs had perished in their kennels, and the horses had starved in their stalls because the fugitive servants had cut the tendons of their feet. Thus the fair Akhetaten was already a dead city, breathing death at me when I arrived there.

But Pharaoh Akhenaten and his family still lingered in the golden house, and the most faithful amongst his servants had remained with him for the sake of Aten — and also the elder members of the court had remained in the golden house since they could not conceive of a life elsewhere than with Pharaoh, having lived all their lives in the golden house. They knew nothing of what had passed in the outside world

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