After the visit to the Temple of Isis and Kitchener's Island, the 'boys' return to the Old Cataract Hotel for their last night, and on the following morning they visit the tomb of the Aga Khan, and then board the 'Hadeel' to begin their return journey north along the Nile - where new adventures await them....
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| Aswan - Panorama - Upper Egypt |
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| Entrance to the 'Old Cataract Hotel'- Aswan - Upper Egypt |
Jim paid off Hamdi, and confirmed the arrangement to visit the 'Tomb of the Aga Khan' on the following Morning.
The weary group - weary because it had been a very strange trip, in one sense, then climbed the steps up to the entrance to the 'Old Cataract Hotel'.
By then it was late afternoon, so there was still plenty of time before dinner...
But first, it would be important to take advantage of the air-conditioning, and the a shower, and then, well...whatever.
Some of the boys opted for the pool, but Jim, Ethan and Teddy decided to go the the cafe-restaurant where they normally took their breakfast, as it was quiet and informal.
Meanwhile, Faunus had taken Ismail into the town, as Faunus was aware that Ismail needed to relax with someone who he felt was Egyptian, and with whom he could speak Arabic - as it was a strain speaking and listening to English for so much of the time.
As for Ethan, rather too late, the Cataract Hotel had managed to discover the 'secret of the cheeseburger', by infiltrating the staff at the Aswan McDonalds, and were able to provide Ethan with his favourite meal - which Ethan eagerly ate - despite having recently eaten his 'packed-lunch' in the gardens on Kitchener's Island.
So with Ethan with his cheese-burger and Pepsi Max, and Jim with his 'shai', it was obviously time for Ethan to start asking questions.
By then it was late afternoon, so there was still plenty of time before dinner...
But first, it would be important to take advantage of the air-conditioning, and the a shower, and then, well...whatever.
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| Cafe-Restaurant - Cataract Hotel - Aswan - Upper Egypt |
Meanwhile, Faunus had taken Ismail into the town, as Faunus was aware that Ismail needed to relax with someone who he felt was Egyptian, and with whom he could speak Arabic - as it was a strain speaking and listening to English for so much of the time.
As for Ethan, rather too late, the Cataract Hotel had managed to discover the 'secret of the cheeseburger', by infiltrating the staff at the Aswan McDonalds, and were able to provide Ethan with his favourite meal - which Ethan eagerly ate - despite having recently eaten his 'packed-lunch' in the gardens on Kitchener's Island.
"So... that business in the temple... what was that all about ?, Ethan asked, between mouthfuls of delicious cheese-burger.
"Well I don't quite know what you mean, Ethan..", Jim replied evasively.
"You know... that business in the sanctuary....
Now was that person who appeared really Isis, or was it like with Upuaut ?", Ethan asked, getting to the point.
"Well I don't quite know what you mean, Ethan..", Jim replied evasively.
"You know... that business in the sanctuary....
Now was that person who appeared really Isis, or was it like with Upuaut ?", Ethan asked, getting to the point.
Upuaut's name means 'opener of the ways' - the one who opened the ways to, and through, 'Duat', for the spirits of the dead - and he is often depicted as a wolf. Because of the similarity of the wolf to the jackal and the dog, Upuaut ultimately became associated with Anubis.
Upuaut ?
"So what do you mean - 'like with Upuaut' ?"... Jim asked, not quite understanding Ethan's question.
So Teddy tried to explain...
"Well, if you remember, at the second conference that we had at the 'Peabody Hotel' in Memphis, Novius said that he considered that the 'being' called Upuaut who the boys saw at Chaco Canyon, was not an 'Æon' - and probably not one of the Neteru - but simply and 'alien' masquerading as an ancient 'god' - so I think that Ethan is worried that this Isis person was really just one of his 'pesky aliens' - as he calls them.", Teddy said trying to make things clear.
"Well I really don't know... perhaps it would be better to wait until Faunus comes back, and talk to him about this...", Jim suggested.
"But I'd really rather hear what you and Teddy have to say about this...", Ethan said.
"I think the answer is clear...", Teddy said.
"Isis is supposed to be one of the Neteru.
Now all my information tells me that nobody really knows what the word means, although it's often translated a 'god' or goddess.', Teddy began, putting on his horn-rimmed glasses.
"Now the ancient Egyptians distinguished 'nṯrw' - 'neteru', meaning perhaps 'gods', from 'rmṯ', meaning 'people'.
The term 'nṯr' - 'neter' - was applied to any being that was in some way outside the sphere of everyday life.
So, for example, even deceased humans were called 'nṯr', because they were considered to be like the 'gods'.
Another way of looking at this is that any 'being' that was the focus of 'ritual' could be described as a 'nṯr' - a 'neter', and so this included the Pharaoh, who was called a 'nṯr' after his coronation rites, and also deceased souls, who entered the 'divine realm' through funeral ceremonies.
Likewise, the pre-eminence of the great 'gods' was maintained by the ritual devotion that was performed for them across Egypt in temples, and in later time in many parts of the Greek, and later Roman Empires.", Teddy explained.
"OK... that makes sense, so the real Isis was a 'Neter'..", Ethan began.
"Well no, not really... 'Neteret' - the female, is the correct term...", Teddy interrupted - being pedantic, as usual.
"Right... so was that person we saw today actually the 'Neteret' known as 'Isis' ?", Ethan then asked.
So Teddy tried to explain...
"Well, if you remember, at the second conference that we had at the 'Peabody Hotel' in Memphis, Novius said that he considered that the 'being' called Upuaut who the boys saw at Chaco Canyon, was not an 'Æon' - and probably not one of the Neteru - but simply and 'alien' masquerading as an ancient 'god' - so I think that Ethan is worried that this Isis person was really just one of his 'pesky aliens' - as he calls them.", Teddy said trying to make things clear.
"Well I really don't know... perhaps it would be better to wait until Faunus comes back, and talk to him about this...", Jim suggested.
"But I'd really rather hear what you and Teddy have to say about this...", Ethan said.
"I think the answer is clear...", Teddy said.
"Isis is supposed to be one of the Neteru.
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| Hieroglyph for 'Netr' |
"Now the ancient Egyptians distinguished 'nṯrw' - 'neteru', meaning perhaps 'gods', from 'rmṯ', meaning 'people'.
The term 'nṯr' - 'neter' - was applied to any being that was in some way outside the sphere of everyday life.
So, for example, even deceased humans were called 'nṯr', because they were considered to be like the 'gods'.
Another way of looking at this is that any 'being' that was the focus of 'ritual' could be described as a 'nṯr' - a 'neter', and so this included the Pharaoh, who was called a 'nṯr' after his coronation rites, and also deceased souls, who entered the 'divine realm' through funeral ceremonies.
Likewise, the pre-eminence of the great 'gods' was maintained by the ritual devotion that was performed for them across Egypt in temples, and in later time in many parts of the Greek, and later Roman Empires.", Teddy explained.
"OK... that makes sense, so the real Isis was a 'Neter'..", Ethan began.
"Well no, not really... 'Neteret' - the female, is the correct term...", Teddy interrupted - being pedantic, as usual.
"Right... so was that person we saw today actually the 'Neteret' known as 'Isis' ?", Ethan then asked.
"Well, the 'neteru' change their appearances to suit their own purposes.
Ancient Egyptian texts often refer to the true, underlying forms of the 'neteru' as deeply 'mysterious'.
Ancient Egyptian texts often refer to the true, underlying forms of the 'neteru' as deeply 'mysterious'.
So, for instance, ancient Egyptians' representations of their gods are therefore not literal.
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| Ptolemaic Statue of Anubis |
They symbolize specific aspects of each deity's character, and these depictions function much like the ideograms in hieroglyphic writing.
For this reason, the funerary god, Anubis, is commonly shown in Egyptian art as a wolf, dog or jackal, a creature whose scavenging habits threaten the preservation of buried mummies, in an effort to counter this threat, and employ it for protection.
His black colouring alludes to the colour of mummified flesh, and to the fertile black soil that Egyptians saw as a symbol of resurrection - and so forth.", Teddy explained.
Ethan nodded appreciatively.
Ethan nodded appreciatively.
"Ah... now some of this is beginning to make some sense...
So why doesn't Faunus explain things clearly like you are doing ?", Ethan asked rather pointedly.
"Well you must understand that Faunus is very different from us, Ethan - and he often doesn't understand how difficult it is for us to understand these things...", Teddy replied, and Jim smiled - well knowing that what Teddy said was true.
So what's the connection between these 'neteru-thingys' and the 'Æons' that Faunus is always talking about ?", Ethan then asked.
The word 'Æon' - in Neo-Platonic philosophy and Hellenistic 'mystery religions' means 'life', 'vital force', or 'being'...
"Unfortunately, Ethan, my 'database doesn't have a lot of information about 'Æons' - but I'll do my best to answer your question
But it is a very difficult subject, Ethan - so don't start asking questions - as there are very few answers that I can give.
But as for the 'Æons'... before anything existed the 'ultimate being' existed - exists and will always exist - the ONE."
Ethan looked suitably impressed, and yet at the same time totally uncomprehending - which was really quite appropriate in the circumstances.
So Teddy continued.
Ethan looked suitably impressed, and yet at the same time totally uncomprehending - which was really quite appropriate in the circumstances.
So Teddy continued.
"The attributes of the ONE... that is, the abstract qualities, mental states, spiritual concepts and metaphysical ideas, constituted the ONE's thoughts and designs, lay hidden, known to the ONE, but unknown to themselves.
The ONE gave them existence, and they flowed from the divine source - in a process that is called, by philosophers, 'emanation'.
The entities that emerged from this process are known to humans as 'Æons', which are ineffable and ever living sentient beings.
The entities that emerged from this process are known to humans as 'Æons', which are ineffable and ever living sentient beings.
Each 'Æon' is a hypostasis of an emanation from the ONE, and it is these great 'Æons' which humans, and other sentient beings properly take to be 'gods'." , Teddy explained.
Now these are some of the concepts that Teddy didn't tell Ethan about - for obvious reasons - The 'world' of the 'Æons' is transcendent to our own world (the world of substances), and also is the essential basis of reality. Super-ordinate to matter, 'Æons' are the most pure of all things. An 'Æon' is 'aspatial' (transcendent to space), and 'atemporal' (transcendent to time). 'Atemporal' means that it does not exist within any time period, rather it provides the formal basis for time itself. It therefore formally grounds 'beginning', 'persisting' and 'ending'. It is neither eternal, in the sense of existing forever, nor mortal, of limited duration. It exists transcendent to time altogether - 'ever-living'. 'Æons' are aspatial in that they have no spatial dimensions, and thus no orientation in space, nor do they even (like a point) have a location. They are non-physical, but they are not simply in the mind. 'Æons' are 'extra-mental' (i.e. real in the strictest sense of the word). An 'Æon' is an objective 'blueprint' of perfection. The 'Æons' are perfect themselves because they are unchanging. 'Æons' are capable of certain forms of 'incarnation' - meaning they are capable of appearing to exist on the material plane - but do so only rarely.
"Now incarnated 'Æons', you should be warned, appear to possess terrible superhuman powers.", Teddy began - but didn't get very far.
"Sorry Teddy, but I still can't remember what incarnated means...", Ethan admitted.
"Well, from the Latin, it means 'in the flesh' - in other words when 'Æons' appear as humans...", Teddy explained.
"So....when they appear in a visible form, but as 'humans', they have the appearance of great health and energy, and it is difficult for an ordinary human being, to survive the presence of an Æon for any length of time - so be warned.
Incarnated 'Æons' also cause, in those sentient material beings who have any connection with them, various psychic effects, including 'theomorphic' and 'zoomorphic' hallucinations.
And before you ask, Ethan, 'theomorphic' means having divine form, and 'zoomorphic' means having animal form.
Such hallucinations were responsible for the representations of the many of the ancient Egyptian 'Neteru' in animal forms, or human forms with animal heads.
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| Twin kittens - Bastet and Sekhmet - mysterious but 'cute' Avatars |
After the 'Æons' ended their direct association with the culture of Ancient Egypt, the ancient Egyptians, because of this, developed animal centered cults related to their misunderstanding of, and their fading memories of the the 'Æons'.
These cults included the cult of the Apis Bull - as at the Serapeum, the Mnevis Bull, and cults relating to cats - Bast like our 'kitty', crocodiles - Sobek, like at Edfu, scarab beetle - Khepri, lions - Sekhmet, like our 'kitty', the ibis and baboon -Thoth, Falcons - Horus , and many others.
"Great !... But all of that still doesn't answer the question - who was that young lady we saw in the sanctuary in the Temple of Isis ?", Ethan insisted.
"Well, if I can interrupt you, Teddy - for a moment - I don't think that 'young lady' was a hallucination, or a hologram - otherwise Glaux wouldn't have recognised her, or sat on her shoulder, nibbling her ear.", Jim suggested.
"Quite right, Jim...", Teddy said.
"So was it really Isis ?", Ethan asked, sounding awe-struck.
"Well look upon it like this, Ethan...
In the material world, the 'Æons' manifest as what humans call Nature.
The 'Æons' may also manifest within the human psyche - the human mind.
In esoteric terms, the 'Æons' are not the lifeless idols they are so often accused of being by the spiritually blind and ignorant.
Rather we can see these images as reflections of a 'greater unseen' - reflections of the ONE.
But in this case, in the Sanctuary at Agilika Island, what we saw just may have been the incarnation of Isis herself - in a form that we could understand.....
and limiting her 'aura' so that we should not be harmed...but I think that you should ask Faunus about that...", Teddy said very seriously.
"Well, if I can interrupt you, Teddy - for a moment - I don't think that 'young lady' was a hallucination, or a hologram - otherwise Glaux wouldn't have recognised her, or sat on her shoulder, nibbling her ear.", Jim suggested.
"Quite right, Jim...", Teddy said.
"So was it really Isis ?", Ethan asked, sounding awe-struck.
"Well look upon it like this, Ethan...
In the material world, the 'Æons' manifest as what humans call Nature.
The 'Æons' may also manifest within the human psyche - the human mind.
In esoteric terms, the 'Æons' are not the lifeless idols they are so often accused of being by the spiritually blind and ignorant.
Rather we can see these images as reflections of a 'greater unseen' - reflections of the ONE.
But in this case, in the Sanctuary at Agilika Island, what we saw just may have been the incarnation of Isis herself - in a form that we could understand.....
and limiting her 'aura' so that we should not be harmed...but I think that you should ask Faunus about that...", Teddy said very seriously.
"Now I think that's enough about 'Æons' and suchlike for one afternoon...", Jim began, as he signed for his and Ethan's refreshments.
"So...before dinner, I think we need to start getting things sorted out and ready for packing.
There won't be much time in the morning, as we are supposed to be going to see the 'Tomb of the Aga Khan' first thing, and Captain Hamdi wants to set off straight after lunch.", Jim explained.
So then they returned to their suite, where they found Bastet and Sekhmet quietly sleeping together on the bed.
Packing, of course, was something that Ethan disliked, and found very difficult to do - and so he needed Teddy to constantly give him instructions as to how to neatly fold items, and how to arrange his clothes and other items in his cases.
Jim packed quickly and efficiently, and as soon as he was finished he offered to help Ethan - but in the end it was Jim and Teddy who packed Ethan's cases.
Then, once everything was packed, and ready for the morning, they changed out of their informal clothes, and dressed for dinner.
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| Cataract Hotel - Aswan - Bar |
It was then down to the ground floor, while Teddy took a well earned rest, sat with the 'kitties', and switched himself off.
Once in the lobby they proceeded to the bar, where they met up with Zac, Josh, Glen, 'Sigi', Max and Ismail.
Faunus, as usual, had disappeared again.
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| Cataract Hotel - Aswan - Dining Room |
After a drink at the bar, where Jim and Ismail had 'shai', while the others had Pepsi, they then went to the large and elaborate 'Moorish' dining room.
Little was said about what had happened at the 'Temple of Isis' that afternoon - and Ethan made no mention of his long conversation with Jim and Teddy.
Instead, most of the conversation revolved around the return to the 'Hadeel' the following afternoon, and speculation as to where they would be heading.
Ismail suggested that their next 'port of call' would be Abydos - and then Luxor.
About Abydos Ismail was almost certainly correct, but there would be one other unlikely stop before Luxor.
But then it was time for bed.....
"So what do you think was going on when we were looking round that temple...", Ethan asked Jim as they returned to their suite.
"Really...I don't know, Ethan...and I think you should let it rest, just for the moment.
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day -
We have to cross the Nile to the Aga Khan's tomb, then come back to the hotel, have lunch - check all the luggage - and the get on board the Hadeel, and unpack before we can relax, and maybe have a further talk..", Jim explained.
"Yes...'suppose your right...", Ethan said reluctantly.
It was morning - and Ethan was frantically checking the luggage, while Teddy read off from his carefully detailed list, that he'd compiled on his bright blue laptop, all those items that should be in the cases.
The list was so detailed that it even included toothbrushes, razors and aftershave, and suchlike - that made getting ready before going down to breakfast very difficult for Jim, as Ethan would rush into the bathroom to grab a missing item while Jim was still using it.
Eventually Ethan was able to close the cases, with the assistance of Teddy, who bounced up and down on the cases - (not that it was much help as Teddy was not very heavy, but it did make Teddy feel he was really helping with the packing) - and so Ethan could eventually force the cases shut.
Leaving the cases outside the doors of the suite, Jim, Ethan and Teddy went to the elevator, where Teddy could indulge in his 'ritual' of playing with the elevator buttons.
They then went to the 'breakfast room' where they met up with Ismail and Glen.
"So what do you know about the mausoleum of the Aga Khan, Ismail ?", Jim asked, trying to sound casual.
"I'm afraid very little, Sir...", Ismail replied.
"So you've never seen it ?", Jim continued.
"Yes Sir...I have seen it - from a motorboat, but the tourists I have had in Aswan have never wanted to see it...", Ismail replied.
"So it's not very interesting, then ?", Jim queried.
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| Nubian Village - Aswan - Upper Egypt |
"No...but it's not 'ancient Egyptian'.
The tourists who come here want to see 'ancient Egyptian', or Nubian things." Ismail explained.
"And what are these 'Nubian-thingys' ?", Ethan asked in his inimitable way.
"Well, there's a Nubian 'village' here - and a Nubian Museum.", Ismail said.
The 'village' is mainly for tourists, and all the houses are brightly painted, and most of the people living there sell bright colored souvenirs to the visitors.", Ismail explained.
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| Nubian Musem - Aswan - Upper Egypt |
"And what about the museum ?", Jim asked.
"Well I already looked it up on the Internet, and it seems to have lots of exhibits of 'creepy', life size wax dummies showing aspects of Nubian village life.", Teddy said, rather derisively.
"So..that doesn't really sound like our sort of thing, and we haven't really got much time, so I think we'll leave it - and just concentrate on the Aga Khan's Mausoleum.
I'm sure that Teddy will have something to tell us about it..", Jim said, as the breakfast arrived.
And by that time the rest of the group - including a very sleepy Glaux - had arrived for breakfast.
Once Jim had satisfied himself that everyone had left their packed cases ready for the 'bellhops' to collect, they all gathered in the lobby.
(Their luggage - including Jim's telescope - would be transferred to the 'Hadeel', and also the limos would cross the Nile at the 'Aswan Low Dam' in order to be available for use on the West Bank - and all this should be completed while they were on their trip to the 'Mausoleum of the Aga Khan').
The British began construction of the 'Aswan Low Dam' across the Nile in 1898. Construction lasted until 1902 and the dam was opened on 10 December 1902.
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| Steps from the Cataract Hotel down to the Corniche |
Meanwhile, Jim checked that everything settled with the management of the hotel - while Ethan transferred Bastet and Sekhmet to their cabin in the Hadeel, carefully remembering to lock the cabin door.
And so the rest of the group made their way down the long flight of steps that led from the Old Cataract Hotel to the Corniche where the feluccas and moorboats were moored.
Also moored by the Corniched was the 'Hadeel' that had previously been turned so that it's prow was facing north, and as a result it would be sailing with the flow of the Nile.
Hamdi, of course, was already waiting for them in his motorboat when they went down to the Corniche.
And so they set off, and from the motorboat the Mausoleum looked very small as it was situated on a hill, some distance from the Nile itself.
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| Mausoleum of the Aga Khan - Aswan - Upper Egypt |
The crossing didn't take very long, and Hamdi had arranged for taxis to take them the short distance from the small landing stage to the Mausoleum as the limos hadn't arrived at that point.
It was hot - very hot, and there was no natural shade - quite unlike Kitchener's island, and they quickly made their way to the taxis.
On arriving at the mausoleum itself, it became quite obvious that the building was quite large and beautifully designed.
There was a large semi-circular flight of steps leading to the modest entrance, which was in the form of a plain Moorish Arch.
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| Mausoleum of the Aga Khan - Aswan - Upper Egypt |
Jim led the way, warning everybody to be as quiet as possible, and to show a reverential attitude.
Strangely, but as usually happened, there were no visitors to the mausoleum.
"OK, Teddy - let's hear what you have to say.", Jim prompted.
"Right...well, this is the mausoleum of the Sultan Muhammed Shah, who died in 1957.
The mausoleum is built in the style of the Fatimid tombs in Cairo.
It is built of pink limestone, while the tomb itself is built of white Carrara marble.
The Aga Khan was buried there two years after he died.
The Aga Khan used to spend part of the winter season living in a nearby villa here in Aswan.
A red rose is laid on the Aga Khan's tomb every day - a practice first started by the Aga Khan's wife, Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan - and true enough a red rose was lying on the tomb.
The Aga Khan is the leader of the النزاريون - Nizaris - a Shia Ismaili Islamic sect.
The Nizaris claim an unbroken line from Ali ibn Abi Talib - successor to prophet Muhammad - to the present Aga Khan, who bears the title of Imām-i-Zaman.
The Nizaris have a strong connection with Egypt, as Egypt was once ruled by the Shia Fatimid Caliphs - (Egypt was once a Shia country although it's now Sunni) - and this partly explains why the Aga Khan is buried here in Aswan.
However, the whole matter of the schisms and splits that have occurred in Islam sin the death of the prophet Muhammad is extremely complex, with many long standing disputes, and really should not concern us.", Teddy concluded.
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| Tombstone of the Aga Khan - Aswan - Upper Egypt |
Only Ismail really understood - to some degree - what Teddy was talking about - while the rest of the 'group' were simply puzzled, and even Ethan couldn't think of a relevant question to ask.
The mausoleum, however, was cool, pleasant and peaceful, and they were all quite prepared to simply stand and look at the simple tombstone of the Aga Khan.
It seemed a fitting end to their stay in beautiful Aswan.
So they turned to leave, and Ethan, who was the last to leave, picked up the red rose from the tombstone, and gave it to Jim.
Maybe it was not quite the right thing to do...but Teddy understood, and no one else noticed.
They quietly made their way back to Hamdi's motorboat.
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| Hadeel - Main Lounge |
Sadly, they would not be going back to the Old Cataract Hotel, and on their return, and after thanking Hamdi, the made their way up the gangplank as they returned to the 'Hadeel.
As soon as Ethan was on board he dumped Teddy on one of the tables situated on the main deck, and rushed to the cabin to check if Bastet and Sekhmet were safe - and they were - both asleep on the bed.
Waking up, the kittens stretched, while Ethan gave them each a stroke.
They then followed him up to the dining room, obviously intent on getting some food from the crew - who always fussed over them.
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| Main Deck - Hadeel |
Ethan then went up to the airy main deck, where the others had gathered, and where members of the crew were bringing them refreshments.
"So where do you think we're off to this time, Ethan." Josh asked.
"Well, according to Jim, it's Abydos.", Ethan repiled, sipping his Pepsi Max, and munching on a cheese-stick.
"And what does Teddy have to say about this ?", Josh then asked.
Teddy, who had felt somewhat neglected when he was dumped on a table on the main deck, brightened up once Josh had noticed him and asked his opinion.
"Abydos is quite interesting - and Faunus has already had a lot of interesting stuff to say about it...
It should make a good morning's trip.", Teddy replied, sounding like a long serving, professional guide.
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| Lunch on the 'Hadeel' |
So then it was time for lunch, as they'd had nothing since breakfast.
The dining room was not really comparable to the dining room of the 'Old Cataract Hotel', but it was intimate, and quite sufficient for the small group.
The other advantage of dining on board was the fact that there were no strangers on the boat, which meant that everyone felt more relaxed, and less inhibited.
On this occasion Jim, Ethan, Josh and Zac sat at the same table, and Teddy sat on the table.
"So I hope you didn't forget Glaux...", Jim said to Josh.
"Oh no...but he made his own way here from the hotel to the boat, and now he's busy exploring the rigging.....
He wants to find a good vantage point for tonight for his hunting.", Josh said reassuringly.
"So where is Faunus ?..", Ethan asked Jim.
"I've no idea....but I'm sure he'll turn up soon...", Jim replied.
"That's what you implied in Memphis....and he never did...", Ethan said.
Josh and Zac looked at one another, only partially understanding what Ethan was referring to.
"Well I have some questions to ask him, so I hope he turns up soon..", Ethan added.
Then, as they finished their meal, Captain Hossam came to Jim's table..
"So did you and your 'group' enjoy your time in Aswan, Mr Jim ?", Hossam asked.
"Yes, very much...but it's good to be back on the 'Hadeel' again...", Jim replied, very diplomatically.
"And I believe that you want our next stop to be Abydos...?", Hossam queried.
"Yes...if that would not be a problem...", Jim replied.
" إِنْ شَاءَ ٱللَّٰهُ ... that will be no problem, Sir...", the Captain replied, drifting into Arabic.
إِنْ شَاءَ ٱللَّٰهُ - ʾIn šāʾ-llāh - is an Arabic language expression meaning "if God wills" or "God willing". The phrase comes from statement in the Quran which commands Muslims to use it when speaking of future events. It expresses the belief that nothing happens unless God wills it, and that his will supersedes all human will.
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| Hadeel - Sun Deck |
"I am pleased that you are happy to be back on our boat, Sir, and we will all do our very best to give you an enjoyable trip...", Hossam concluded very formally, before making his way to speak to some of the other 'boys', and of course Ismail - to whom he could speak in Arabic.
Having had a pleasant lunch, they decided to go up to the sun deck and sit out in the sun and relax.
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| Aswan - Upper Egypt |
Shorty after everyone had settled down, the crew of the 'Hadeel' cast off, and the large dahabiya slowly glided away from the Aswan Corniche on the next part of its journey.
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| Leaving the Cataract Hotel - Aswan - Upper Egypt |
"Do you think we'll ever come back here ", Ethan then asked.
"I'm sure we will..", Jim replied, reassuringly.
"That's good, because in some strange way it feels a bit like 'home'...
not that it's anything like the farm near Eleusis, but it feels like home because I'm comfortable here..", Ethan explained.
"Yes...I know what you mean...", Jim agreed.
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| Nile River Bank - Upper Egypt |
So everyone took it easy and relaxed....feeling that a 'chapter' in their rather bizarre Egyptian adventure had - to some extent - come to a close.
It was a fine afternoon, but being on the river made the heat less intense as there was a gentle cooling breeze coming down the Nile valley from the north.
From their high vantage point on the sundeck the were able to glimpse the fertile banks of the Nile slip by - with the occasional small villages.
Just lazing around made a pleasant change from all the trips to ancient Egyptian temples and suchlike, and soon most of the 'boys' were napping in the warm sunshine.
Finally, when Jim woke, he found Bastet sleeping on his chest, purring contentedly.
"Why does this crazy cat always insist of sleeping on top of me ?", Jim muttered as he tried to sit up without disturbing his furry companion.
"She loves you...", Teddy replied, from where he was sitting on a nearby low table.
"The problem is that everyone loves 'the boy whom the Gods have enchanted'...", Teddy continued, oddly serious.
"What did you say, Teddy ?", Jim asked, puzzled.
"It's part of the 'prophecy' - but you were never told - Novius kept it to himself - 'If the boy, whom the Gods have enchanted, one day should arise from the sea, then wish of the heart will be granted'....strange, isn't it.", Teddy said.
"Well I'm not a boy...and I'm not enchanted...", Jim said sleepily.
"Well you're certainly not a girl...", Ethan said with a cheeky grin.
"Oh...you're awake...", Jim said.
"Yep !...", Ethan said as he dumped Bastet onto the seat beside him.
"It's Teddy...I think he's gone a bit weird...", Jim said.....but Ethan said nothing.
And so they all went back to sleep - and later awoke for a second time - late in the afternoon.
And as they awoke the saw Faunus making his way op the gangplank.
 |
| Hadeel - Dining Room - Night |
"Hi...I thought I'd stop by for dinner..", Faunus said, as he came up onto the sundeck.
"OK..so where have you been..?", Jim replied.
"Oh, just around...", Faunus said, refusing to be drawn.
Later it was time for dinner, after everyone had showered and changed, and Captain Hossam had set up a very formal dinner as a little 'welcome back' gesture.
After dinner Faunus, Jim, Ethan and Teddy - along with the kittens, retired to the lounge as it seemed that Faunus wanted to 'talk'.
"So, are you ready for your visit to Abydos ?", Faunus asked casually.
 |
| Hadeel - Lounge - Night |
"Yes...why not..?, Jim replied.
"Oh..no reason...I just thought that you and the 'boys' might be getting a little tired of all this sightseeing.", Faunus answered....
"And why the emphasis on the word 'boys' ?...", Jim asked.
"Well it was about that conversation that you had earlier....
'If the boy, whom the Gods have enchanted, one day should arise from the sea, then wish of the heart will be granted'....", Faunus said, repeating exactly Teddy's words.
"Ah !... Eavesdropping again !...", Ethan said knowingly.
"Because, Marcus - you said you were not a 'boy'...", Faunus said.
 |
| The 'Boss' - Club Jaguar - Las Vegas - USA |
And Faunus had, for reasons best known to himself, reverted to the name given to Jim by his real parents when he was named in Rome, and not the name that the 'Boss' had given him when he had unexpectedly 'turned up' in Las Vegas one rainy night.
"So ?", Jim retorted, preferring to relax after a good dinner, rather than getting involved in one of Faunus' convoluted discussions.
"Now tell me something, Marcus...how old are you ?", Faunus asked quietly.
 |
| Franklin - Club Jaguar - Las Vegas - USA |
"Well I'm not really sure....but it says somewhere on my passport though.", Jim replied.
"Yes...but that's just an arbitrary figure that the 'Boss' and Franklin agreed upon.
I'm talking about how old you feel...", Faunus continued.
"Well, I was just a teenager when I was sold to Terentius in Brundisium...maybe fourteen or fifteen.
And then I was a slave for a number of years, and later I was adopted by Gnæus, and after he was murdered I became 'Dominus', and that lasted until the eruption at Vesuvius, and then I arrived in 'Vegas - and a lot happened then, and then the 'Boss' was killed in the Mexican jungle, and once again I was 'Dominus' - so probably I'm about twenty-five, or maybe a bit older...", Jim explained.
 |
| Ethan - Los Angeles - California - USA |
"OK...and does Ethan look in his middle twenties ?", Jim asked.
"Oh please, don't bring me into this..", Ethan, who had a bad feeling about the conversation, pleaded.
"Well no...but Ethan's just a kid...", Jim replied.
"Yes, but in that 'other life' - before - you and Ethan - or should I call him Aurarius - were both just slave-boys....and the same age." Faunus said.
Jim looked shocked.
"Marcus, you are almost certainly only just eighteen...
The 'clock' stopped when you left your 'previous time and place', and arrived in 'Vegas - and it has never restarted since then.", Faunus said firmly.
"So still a teenage 'boy'...", Teddy said.
"So why didn't you tell us this before ?", Jim asked
"Well I hinted at it quite often, and Teddy hinted about it to Ethan recently - remember, the 'rose on the tombstone ?', and you always had the option of looking in the mirror....", Faunus replied.
"And what about the others ?", Jim asked nervously.
"Yes, it applies to those who originated in that 'other time and place' - its one of the effects of certain kinds of 'inter-dimensional travel'....", Faunus replied.
"And Glen, Max and 'Sigi' ?", Ethan asked.
"Well about them I'm not entirely sure - but I'm working on it...", Faunus said.
"OK, so what's the significance of all of this ?", Jim asked.
"Well one thing is that we'll have to keep a watch on passports and other documents as time goes by - as gradually there will be the problem that you and the others will look substantially younger that your 'official' age - so those documents will have to be regularly updated.", Faunus said.
"OK...I'm sure that Franklin can organise that...", Ethan said.
"Yes, and then there's the problem of many of those people that we know - who work for us...", Jim suggested.
 |
| Clare in the Penthouse Kitchen - Las Vegas |
"Well in the society in which you are living - that is in the metropolitan US - people 'move on' regularly, and I'm sure that you can arrange for people in your organisation to be moved on to other locations, or in some cases 'let-go'...", Faunus said.
"Yes...but I'm not 'letting go' of Clare'...", Ethan said - suddenly realizing - when thinking of Clare - that he was feeling a little homesick.
"I understand, but in this case I don't really know what to do..", Faunus said.
"Well I'm not going to watch Clare get old and ugly while a stay a teenage boy...", Ethan said - obviously upset.
"OK - but give me time Ethan...", Faunus said, surprisingly unnerved by Ethan's show of emotion.
 |
| Demetrius |
"Don't worry, Ethan...it'll all work out - and some people would give anything to stay young...", Jim said.
"Yes...well nobody asked me if I wanted to stay young, or leave everything that I knew, and come to a strange world..", Ethan said angrily.
"I agree Ethan, but all your friends, including Jim, were at the point of dying, and I knew that Demetrius would have you killed in a matter of hours after Marcus had gone - so I had no choice.", Faunus said.
Ethan looked shocked.
"Well...never did like that little runt..", Ethan said.
In case you're wondering who Demetrius was - well, he was the rejected natural son of Gnæus Octavian Gracchus, orphaned when the same Gnæus Octavian Gracchus was murdered, and subsequently adopted by Marcus, much to the disgust of Aurarius (Ethan).
"But why mention all of this now...?", Ethan then asked, sounding miserable.
"It needed to be said.. as I told you, I had mentioned it before, in passing - like in Cairo, but I felt that it needed to be said more forcefully - and it is part of the reason why we have this connection with these other 'entities'.", Faunus said.
"Yes, and that's getting me down a bit...
Like with this business in the sanctuary - with someone calling herself Isis, and you still haven't really explained that - or what it all meant.", Ethan continued.
"I agree to some extent with Ethan....
I couldn't see much point in it.
She, or whoever she was, seemed to know a lot about us, and particularly me, but there was nothing new there.
I know all about Apollo, and Athena - and how wise Glaux is...but it didn't really add anything to what we already knew..", Jim said.
"Now, if you don't mind me correcting you, you don't know all about Apollo or Athena, although you did have a vision of Apollo on one occasion when you were very ill, and also on the night when Gnæus was murdered - but then you felt that such events were a privilege rather than a nuisance or an imposition.
Now, probably under the influence of the 'time and place' where you find yourself you are more sceptical....
As such you may be coming under the influence of this 'age of rationalism' and not understanding that you, and the others, may be in receipt of some significant experiences for which you should be grateful.
Perhaps also you should remember what Terentius and Novius have had to say about all of this...", Faunus said gently.
"Perhaps..", Jim said thoughtfully.
"But for tonight...I think that's enough...", Faunus said - rose to his feet, and without further ado left the 'Hadeel'.
"Oh well...that's that..."Ethan said, looking puzzled.
"I'm not sure...", Jim said.
for more information about some 'past memories' go to the following links:Part I - Book I - Chapter X and also Part I - Book I - Chapter XI
Once safely in bed in their cabin on board the 'Hadeel', and with the kittens asleep, and Teddy set up with his collection of cushions, Jim and Ethan had time to consider the strange conversation they had with Faunus.
"So, what did you make of that ?", Ethan asked quietly.
"Well...Faunus was right....he had told us about this business of not aging....
It was when we were in Cairo, at the Marriott Hotel, and he started talking about the 'Mysteries of Eleusis'.
The thing was, I think he must have put some sort of 'block' on our memories, because I never thought again about what he had said after that....
It's all very odd." Jim said.
"Now my research says that these 'aliens', 'extraterrestrials' or whatever, often put blocks on the memories of people with whom they have contact.", Teddy said, apparently trying to be helpful.
"Mm...so does that mean that Faunus is an ET ?", Ethan asked, without really thinking.
"Of course he is...but not in the way that you are meaning....".
But that doesn't really get us anywhere.
What we're faced with is this problem of not aging.", JIm said.
"Yes...but most people think that ageing is a problem - and not aging they would think was a good thing...", Ethan countered.
"But not entirely, if you think about it carefully.", Teddy suggested.
"Quite right, Teddy - after all think of the fuss that you made, Ethan, when you were imagining Clare getting older, while you stayed a teenager."
"Yes, that's true, Jim - but it looks like we're stuck with it.", Ethan said, unsure if he was pleased or upset.
"Well Faunus couldn't block my memory....so I didn't forget.", Teddy said, rather pointlessly.
"So why didn't you remind us, you crazy bear ?", Ethan exclaimed.
"Because you never asked me to....
But I did hint...like when you asked me if I would leave a rose on your grave if you died.....
and I said.." - and then Teddy played a recording of what he had said...
"Well...Faunus was right....he had told us about this business of not aging....
 |
| Marriott Hotel - Cairo - Egypt |
The thing was, I think he must have put some sort of 'block' on our memories, because I never thought again about what he had said after that....
It's all very odd." Jim said.
"Now my research says that these 'aliens', 'extraterrestrials' or whatever, often put blocks on the memories of people with whom they have contact.", Teddy said, apparently trying to be helpful.
"Mm...so does that mean that Faunus is an ET ?", Ethan asked, without really thinking.
"Of course he is...but not in the way that you are meaning....".
But that doesn't really get us anywhere.
What we're faced with is this problem of not aging.", JIm said.
"Yes...but most people think that ageing is a problem - and not aging they would think was a good thing...", Ethan countered.
"But not entirely, if you think about it carefully.", Teddy suggested.
"Quite right, Teddy - after all think of the fuss that you made, Ethan, when you were imagining Clare getting older, while you stayed a teenager."
"Yes, that's true, Jim - but it looks like we're stuck with it.", Ethan said, unsure if he was pleased or upset.
"Well Faunus couldn't block my memory....so I didn't forget.", Teddy said, rather pointlessly.
"So why didn't you remind us, you crazy bear ?", Ethan exclaimed.
"Because you never asked me to....
But I did hint...like when you asked me if I would leave a rose on your grave if you died.....
and I said.." - and then Teddy played a recording of what he had said...
"In the very unlikely event of you actually dying...yes.."
"Teddy - you said that without moving your mouth..", Ethan said, sounding surprised.
"Yes, it was a recording...", Teddy replied.
"You mean you keep a recording of everything said ?", Ethan asked incredulously.
"Of course - it's part of my upgrade that Faunus gave me in Cairo.
"Well I've had enough for one night...", Ethan said, turning over and preparing to sleep.
"Good night Jim..., good night 'kitties', good night Teddy...", Ethan said, sounding quite miserable.
And as Teddy sat comfortably among his choicest soft cushions, he silently reviewed the talk that he was going to give the next morning when they arrived at Abydos
ABYDOS OFFERING PRAYER
"An offering given by the king to Osiris, the lord of Busiris - ('Djedu') - the great 'god', the lord of Abydos.
That he may give an invocation offering of bread, beer, oxen, birds, alabaster, clothing, and every good and pure thing upon which a god lives.
For my 'ka' ...."
Teddy, of course, was not troubled by all the talk about not growing old, after all, he knew that as long as he was fitted with replacements when parts of him wore out, he would never age - and he was privately pleased that it seemed that Jim and Ethan - and Faunus - might never age, because that meant that they would always be there to keep him in 'tip-top' condition.
But then teddy-bears - even very special ones like 'Teddy' - although they might seem very loving and 'cute', are inevitably to some extent selfish, as they are, to all intents and purposes, alone in the world.
And so morning came, and as the 'group' all gathered for breakfast out on the sundeck, the 'Hadeel' slowly made its was along the gently flowing river to Abydos.
Jim and Ethan thought better of telling any of the others, particularly Josh and Zac, about their conversation with Faunus the previous evening - and Faunus himself was nowhere to be seen.
After breakfast they all prepared for what would possibly be a hot and strenuous time visiting Abydos.
They then 'hung around', watching as they sailed past the fields and villages, while they waited for their arrival at Abydos.
Fortunately there was a road running alongside the Nile, and so the limos, that had crossed to the West Bank back at the Aswan Low Dam, were waiting for the 'Hadeel' to moor at a makeshift landing place close the the aptly named 'Abydos Road' that led directly to the village of Abydos, but branched off to the temple site.
'Kitted out' with packed lunches, bottles of water, cameras and binoculars, the 'boys' finally disembarked, and made themselves comfortable in the air conditioned limos that were waiting for them.
Once everyone was settled, Jim asked the drivers to make a slight diversion, on their way to the archaeological site, so that they could see the village before going on to the temple.
Much of the village seemed mired in poverty - which was mainly because the villagers relied for their income on rather outmoded farming methods.
In addition, although many wealthy tourists came to the area, few, if any, visited the village, but simply visited the nearby historical sites - so after cruising round the village, the fleet of three limos made their way to the Temple of Seti I.
Shortly they arrived at the site...
"Looks a bit boring...", 'Sigi' said, as they surveyed the dry, dusty scene.
"Well yes...but quite interesting...", Teddy said.
So let's just go over to the 'Temple of Seti', and get out of the sun, and I'll tell you something about the place...", Teddy continued.
So they made their way round the numerous pieces of stone that seem to litter the place, and then mounted the heavily restore steps that led to the entrance portico of the temple.
"Now Ethan..if you could hand out the plans of the area...I can begin...", Teddy said.
"Okey dokey...", Ethan said, as he sat Teddy on one of the odd pieces of masonry, and then rummaged around in his plastic bag, endeavouring to locate the correct 'visual aids' - plans of the area to be exact.
It was then a question of everyone trying to work out which way up to look at the plan, in order to make any sense out of what they could actually see.
"Cool map, Teddy..", Glen said, as Jim showed Glen that he had it upside down.
And so Teddy began his talk....
"Right....so here we are in 'ابيدوس' - 'Abydos'...which is one of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt, and situated in what was the eighth 'nome' - or province - in Upper Egypt.
It is located about 7 miles west of the Nile, at latitude 26° 10' N, near the modern Egyptian towns of el-'Araba el Madfuna and al-Balyana.
In the ancient Egyptian language, the city was called Abdju.
The English name, 'Abydos', comes from the Greek, 'Ἄβυδος', a name borrowed by Greek geographers from the unrelated city of 'Abydos' on the Hellespont in Greece.
Considered now one of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt, the city of Abydos is the site of many ancient remains, including 'Umm el-Qa'ab', a royal necropolis where early pharaohs were entombed.
These tombs were seen as extremely significant burials, and in later times it became desirable for wealthy ancient Egyptians to be buried in the area, and this led to the growth of the town's importance as a 'cult site'.
The 'Mortuary', or 'Memorial Temple' of Seti I, is the largest and most impressive of the Abydos temples.
It was constructed of limestone and sandstone blocks in a highly unusual L-shaped configuration.
The temple was originally about 550 feet long and 350 feet wide, including the wing at the upper left side.", Teddy said,
Ethan then handed out some aerial photos of the site (notice the 'Osireion' at the top right hand corner).
Most of the temple was completed during Seti's reign; however, the decoration of the courtyards, and first hypostyle hall, were completed by Seti's son, Ramesses II - also known as 'Ramesses the Great'.
A very unusual aspect of the temple is that it has seven sanctuaries, dedicated to Seti himself, Ptah, Re-Harakhte, Amun-Re, Osiris, Isis and Horus.
The left wing of the temple contains a corridor that is now called the 'Hall of Records', or the 'Gallery of Lists'.
Along the wall is a beautifully executed relief carving that depicts Seti and his son - later Pharaoh Ramesses II - standing before the official cartouches of 76 pharaohs - and this sculpture is known to the modern world as the 'Abydos King List' - beginning with the Meni - the first King of the 1st Dynasty - and concluding with Seti I himself.
However, the names of the three 'Amarna' pharaohs (Akhenaten, Smenkhkare, and Tutankhamun) are deliberately omitted, and the list jumps from Amenhotep III directly to Horemheb, the last King of the 18th Dynasty."
Teddy said and then paused.
"OK ?... So let's go into the temple... and Ethan, hand out the plans of the temple...", Teddy then said.
"Now the outer courts of the temple are ruined - as you can see - but the huge tanks which the temple's priest for washing are still visible. This was the first temple in Egypt that incorporated these structures. The access to the temple proper is up a long flight of 42 shallow stairs - which you came up earlier.
Here, the outer pylons and courts, as well as the first hypostyle hall which is relatively shallow, and has two rows of twelve columns with lotus bud capitals, were hastily completed and decorated by Ramesses II.
In fact, an image of him worshipping his father, along with Osiris and Isis, is incorporated into the initial decorations.
Most of the decorations completed by Ramesses II are inferior to those done during his father's reign.
Within the portico that leads to the hypostyle halls, there was once seven doors that gave way to seven processional paths through the towering clustered columns to seven chapels at the rear of the temple.
However, when Ramesses II added the outer sections of the temple, most of these doorways were filled in.
Therefore, the second hypostyle hall with its squat columns that are carefully aligned to give access to the chapels, became their vestibule.
The carved reliefs in this part of the temple were completed during the reign of Seti I, are some of the finest to be found in any Egyptian temple.
The quality of this artwork extends beyond the careful depiction of major figures within the scenes to even the smallest details of minor items and hieroglyphs.
There are scenes depicting Seti before various gods, performing sacrifices and presenting the image of Ma'at.
Most of the scenes are very formal, but on the right wall, they are striking. Here, we find a scene of Seti I before Osiris, holding a censer and pouring a libation from a flower-bedecked triple ewer.
In the next scene Seti is before the enthroned Osiris, in the presence of Ma'at
Behind stand Isis, Amentet, goddess of the West, and an 'ennead' of other funerary deities.
From left to right, the seven sanctuaries at the rear of the temple were dedicated to Seti I, Ptah, Re-Horakhty, Amun, Osiris, Isis and Horus, and the statues of each god were almost certainly situated in their respective chambers.
Each chapel is decorated with rituals associated with various festivals related to these gods." Teddy explained.
Teddy then got Ethan to lead the group through a number of chambers and corridors that eventually brought them to the famous 'King List'.
"Well...I suppose it's very important, at least for Egyptologists - but not very interesting unless, like Teddy, you can read hieroglyphics.", Zac commented.
"That's true, Zac....but there it is, anyway..", Teddy said - and so they did not linger at the 'King List'.
"So I think it would be a good idea if we now go and have a look at the 'Osireion'...", Teddy suggested.
So Ethan quickly handed out some sheets of plans and drawings to everyone, and then they all trooped off, via a rather nasty, smelly underground tunnel - decorated with scary scenes of the 'Duat', to the 'Osireion' that was situated at the rear of Seti's temple.
"Well this looks very strange...", Glen said, when he got his first glimpse of the 'Osireion'.
"Well it's very old - so it's not in very good condition..", Teddy explained.
"Yes...well everything around here is very old..." Ethan said.
"Now don't start talking about things being 'old', Ethan...not after last night..", Jim commented.
"So...ignoring that.... here we are at the 'Osireion' - and if you all remember, Faunus has already explained quite a lot about this building, but I will remind you of his comments....
The 'Osireion' was originally discovered by Flinders
Petrie and Margaret Murray, who were excavating the site in 1902 and 1903.
Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie, FRS, FBA - born 3 June 1853 and died 28 July 1942 - commonly known as 'Flinders Petrie', was an English Egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and the preservation of artefacts. He held the first 'Chair of Egyptology' in the United Kingdom, and excavated many of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt
Now you can see that it's flooded with water, and at present there are some disputes about the origins of this water.
Faunus said that the water in the temple is an indication of the level of the Nile, which is approximately 6.5 miles away, and that the building is flush with the water table, and so many Egyptologists presume that it was always part filled with water from the Nile, leaving a central plinth protruding like an island in the centre.
However, there is also information that indicates that the water in the 'Osireion' is not Nile water, but rather it comes from a hidden freshwater spring.
The 'Osireion' itself measures roughly 65 feet by 98 feet, and is designed in a very different construction style to that of the 'Mortuary Temple of Seti I', which we have just been looking at, and which was built in the Sixth Dynasty.
The walls surrounding the 'Osireion' are 20 ft thick, and are made of red sandstone - almost certainly quarried in Aswan.
Seventeen alcoves surround the central area.
Like the Temples on the Giza Plateau, and the 'Great Pyramid', the 'Osireion' bears no hieroglyphic inscriptions, reliefs or wall paintings.
It is perhaps significant that the Osireion at Abydos is dedicated to Osiris, while the 'Valley Temple' at Giza is associated to Isis....
So that's roughly what Faunus said - with a few corrections.
However - there's more.....", Teddy said enthusiastically.
"Yes, but hold on a minute...", Max interrupted.
"Why's the water that funny green color ?", Max the asked.
"That, Max, is caused by algae.
Algae are tiny organisms that have the ability to conduct photosynthesis, and so get energy from the sun - and they produce chlorophyll, which is why they look green - and they really like still water, and this water is not flowing - and so, when its very sunny and warm, they make the water look green.", Teddy explained very carefully -
Upon the island are massive, monolithic pillars, made of Aswan rose-colored granite, about 2.4 meters square by a little over 3.5 meters high, and weighing, on average, around 100 tons each, probably designed to support the roof, and there is evidence that the structure was probably completely roofed with monolithic stone slabs.
A channel, filled with water, about three meters across, surrounds the island.
Because it contains water, the interior of this structure is symbolic of the 'primeval waters of creation' from which an 'island' arose - which takes us back to the idea of 'Zep Tepi'.
As you can see, on either end of the island stairways lead down into he water channel.
The outside walls of the structure, made of red sandstone some six meters thick, contain six unfinished niches on each of the room's long sides, three more on the wall facing Seti I's temple, and three more on the opposite wall.
Around those is a ledge forming the outer edge of the water channel."
Teddy then paused, presumably waiting for question - but there were none.
"Flinders Petrie - who was a great archaeologist, and one of the discoverers of the 'Osireion', suggested that the structure was actually built by Seti I - who ruled from 1294–1279 BC - that's a bit over three thousand years ago.
Many people today, however, believe that he was mistaken.
As Faunus suggested, the 'Osireion' is built in a style that is identical to the Valley and Sphinx Temples at Giza - which you have seen, which are considered to be incredibly old - and built well before Seti I.
Now Petrie and others maintain that Seti had the 'Osireion' designed in a deliberately 'archaic' style, but there seems to be no logical reason why this should have been done - and many people have now come to the conclusion that the 'Osireion' should be taken at 'face value' as a remarkably ancient structure, the purpose of which remains completely unknown, although suggestions have been made.
The name, 'Osireion', or course, comes from the belief, held in ancient times, that the structure was actually the 'Tomb of Osiris' although, as Osiris was believed to have been resurrected by Isis, that doesn't seem to make much sense, as being resurrected he would not require a tomb.
Now what I think Faunus wanted you to consider was how the ancient Egyptians transported these 100 ton granite pillars all the way from Aswan to here at Abydos.
The obvious way would be by boat or raft.....
The first problem, of course is moving the block from the quarry to the river, and then, probably the very difficult stage, is lifting the block onto the boat or raft.
The initial moving of the block from the quarry would involve dragging the block across sand - which would not be easy.
Now Ethan has reproductions of an ancient Egyptian wall painting that he will hand out - the only one known to exist - showing a large statue - presumably made of stone - being moved.... by a very small group of men.
It's all a bit odd....
There are some guys at the top who look like soldiers, and some guys behind the statue who seem to be doing nothing a particular.
Three guys seem to be carrying something that could be a wooden roller, but the statue itself seems to be on a frail looking wooden sled - with no rollers being used.
Rollers, of course, would not be practical on sand or on soft ground.
Now it has been suggested that the guy standing on the knees of the stature is throwing water in front of the sled, and it is proposed that this would make the sand firm and slippery enough to enable it to be dragged - but I suggest that you try that with a 100 ton block.
The likeliest outcome of the whole procedure is that the 'statue' - in the case of the image - or the 100 ton block would simply get bogged down in the sand or wet earth.
And here's another suggestion.
Put your statue on a wheeled cart, and get a lot of guys to drag it.
The problem here, of course is 'can the wooden wheels take the weight ?', and more to the point 'can the axles take the weight and deal with the friction ?'.
Also, it's more that likely that the wheels will sink into the sand or earth - just like the sled in the previous image.
Lifting the 100 ton block onto a boat or raft is the next problem.
Now we know that the ancient Egyptians understood the concept of the 'crane'.
The 'shaduf', used in irrigation for lifting water, appeared in ancient Egyptian technology circa 2000 BC - and is still used in Egypt today.
However, a 'shaduf' could hardly lift a 100 ton block of granite - so that leaves us with another mystery.
Assuming that the 100 ton blocks were actually loaded onto boats or, more likely rafts, and 'floated' down the Nile, there is then the problem of the size of such boats or rafts.
You see it's all a question of 'displacement', which is too complicated for me to explain now, but to put it simply, if you want to float 100 tons on water, then you need a very large, and a very strong boat or raft to achieve that - and most ancient Egyptian boats were not that large or that strong - and so that's another mystery.
Now this is all very strange, but another question that Faunus posed was why ?....
Why such hard to work, heavy stone, and why make the columns and walls with such huge blocks ?
And more to the point - what was it all for ?
What was the purpose of the 'Osireion' ? - not that anybody ever saw it - apart from the Pharaoh and a few priests - and of course the 'cleaning lady'.
And also remember that the whole structure was built in a depression 50 feet below ground, behind the main temple - which was only entered by the Pharaoh and a few priests....."
And so Teddy left everyone wondering - and rather subdued.
"I think these ancient Egyptians were a bit weird...", 'Sigi' said.
"So what are you saying, Teddy - that the 'aliens' built the 'Osireion' and some of the other things, like at Giza ?..", Glen asked.
"No...not at all.
All I'm saying is that much of what the professional Egyptologists say doesn't make much sense - and leaves the whole question of how these structures were built and for what reason unanswered - but then its seems that there are many mysteries in the world.", Teddy replied.
"Well, you can say that again...", Josh added.
Teddy looked puzzled - unsure if Josh really meant that he should repeat himself - Teddy had not come across that particular 'colloquialism' before - but Teddy thought it unlikely that Josh really meant what he had just said, and so kept silent.
"So, if Teddy's finished giving us information, I think we might as well get back to the boat...", Jim said.
"It seems that Faunus wants to stop off at Armant, as he has some notion about the town, in ancient Egyptian times, being believed to be a point of entry to the 'Duat'...", Jim said.
"The 'Duat', also known as 'Amenti', is the place of the dead in ancient Egyptian mythology.
It has been represented in hieroglyphs as a star-in-circle.
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| Abydos - Temple of Seti I - Panorama - Upper Egypt |
After breakfast they all prepared for what would possibly be a hot and strenuous time visiting Abydos.
They then 'hung around', watching as they sailed past the fields and villages, while they waited for their arrival at Abydos.
Fortunately there was a road running alongside the Nile, and so the limos, that had crossed to the West Bank back at the Aswan Low Dam, were waiting for the 'Hadeel' to moor at a makeshift landing place close the the aptly named 'Abydos Road' that led directly to the village of Abydos, but branched off to the temple site.
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| Abydos Village - Upper Egypt |
Once everyone was settled, Jim asked the drivers to make a slight diversion, on their way to the archaeological site, so that they could see the village before going on to the temple.
Much of the village seemed mired in poverty - which was mainly because the villagers relied for their income on rather outmoded farming methods.
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| Farming near Abydos Village - Upper Egypt |
Shortly they arrived at the site...
"Looks a bit boring...", 'Sigi' said, as they surveyed the dry, dusty scene.
"Well yes...but quite interesting...", Teddy said.
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| Entrance Colonnade - Temple of Seti I - Abydos - Upper Egypt |
So they made their way round the numerous pieces of stone that seem to litter the place, and then mounted the heavily restore steps that led to the entrance portico of the temple.
"Now Ethan..if you could hand out the plans of the area...I can begin...", Teddy said.
"Okey dokey...", Ethan said, as he sat Teddy on one of the odd pieces of masonry, and then rummaged around in his plastic bag, endeavouring to locate the correct 'visual aids' - plans of the area to be exact.
It was then a question of everyone trying to work out which way up to look at the plan, in order to make any sense out of what they could actually see.
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| Map of Abydos - Upper Egypt |
And so Teddy began his talk....
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| Abydos |
It is located about 7 miles west of the Nile, at latitude 26° 10' N, near the modern Egyptian towns of el-'Araba el Madfuna and al-Balyana.
In the ancient Egyptian language, the city was called Abdju.
The English name, 'Abydos', comes from the Greek, 'Ἄβυδος', a name borrowed by Greek geographers from the unrelated city of 'Abydos' on the Hellespont in Greece.
Considered now one of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt, the city of Abydos is the site of many ancient remains, including 'Umm el-Qa'ab', a royal necropolis where early pharaohs were entombed.
These tombs were seen as extremely significant burials, and in later times it became desirable for wealthy ancient Egyptians to be buried in the area, and this led to the growth of the town's importance as a 'cult site'.
The 'Mortuary', or 'Memorial Temple' of Seti I, is the largest and most impressive of the Abydos temples.
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| Aerial View - Seti Temple and 'Osireion' - Abydos - Upper Egypt |
The temple was originally about 550 feet long and 350 feet wide, including the wing at the upper left side.", Teddy said,
Ethan then handed out some aerial photos of the site (notice the 'Osireion' at the top right hand corner).
Most of the temple was completed during Seti's reign; however, the decoration of the courtyards, and first hypostyle hall, were completed by Seti's son, Ramesses II - also known as 'Ramesses the Great'.
A very unusual aspect of the temple is that it has seven sanctuaries, dedicated to Seti himself, Ptah, Re-Harakhte, Amun-Re, Osiris, Isis and Horus.
The left wing of the temple contains a corridor that is now called the 'Hall of Records', or the 'Gallery of Lists'.
Along the wall is a beautifully executed relief carving that depicts Seti and his son - later Pharaoh Ramesses II - standing before the official cartouches of 76 pharaohs - and this sculpture is known to the modern world as the 'Abydos King List' - beginning with the Meni - the first King of the 1st Dynasty - and concluding with Seti I himself.
However, the names of the three 'Amarna' pharaohs (Akhenaten, Smenkhkare, and Tutankhamun) are deliberately omitted, and the list jumps from Amenhotep III directly to Horemheb, the last King of the 18th Dynasty."
Teddy said and then paused.
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| Plan - Temple of Seti I - Abydos - Upper Egypt |
"Now the outer courts of the temple are ruined - as you can see - but the huge tanks which the temple's priest for washing are still visible. This was the first temple in Egypt that incorporated these structures. The access to the temple proper is up a long flight of 42 shallow stairs - which you came up earlier.
Here, the outer pylons and courts, as well as the first hypostyle hall which is relatively shallow, and has two rows of twelve columns with lotus bud capitals, were hastily completed and decorated by Ramesses II.
In fact, an image of him worshipping his father, along with Osiris and Isis, is incorporated into the initial decorations.
Most of the decorations completed by Ramesses II are inferior to those done during his father's reign.
Within the portico that leads to the hypostyle halls, there was once seven doors that gave way to seven processional paths through the towering clustered columns to seven chapels at the rear of the temple.
However, when Ramesses II added the outer sections of the temple, most of these doorways were filled in.
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| Hypostyle Hall - Seti I Temple - Abydos - Upper Egypt |
The carved reliefs in this part of the temple were completed during the reign of Seti I, are some of the finest to be found in any Egyptian temple.
The quality of this artwork extends beyond the careful depiction of major figures within the scenes to even the smallest details of minor items and hieroglyphs.
There are scenes depicting Seti before various gods, performing sacrifices and presenting the image of Ma'at.
Most of the scenes are very formal, but on the right wall, they are striking. Here, we find a scene of Seti I before Osiris, holding a censer and pouring a libation from a flower-bedecked triple ewer.
In the next scene Seti is before the enthroned Osiris, in the presence of Ma'at
Behind stand Isis, Amentet, goddess of the West, and an 'ennead' of other funerary deities.
From left to right, the seven sanctuaries at the rear of the temple were dedicated to Seti I, Ptah, Re-Horakhty, Amun, Osiris, Isis and Horus, and the statues of each god were almost certainly situated in their respective chambers.
Each chapel is decorated with rituals associated with various festivals related to these gods." Teddy explained.
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| Abydos King List - Temple of Seti I - Upper Egypt |
"Well...I suppose it's very important, at least for Egyptologists - but not very interesting unless, like Teddy, you can read hieroglyphics.", Zac commented.
"That's true, Zac....but there it is, anyway..", Teddy said - and so they did not linger at the 'King List'.
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| 'Osireion' - Abydos - Upper Egypt |
"Well this looks very strange...", Glen said, when he got his first glimpse of the 'Osireion'.
"Well it's very old - so it's not in very good condition..", Teddy explained.
"Yes...well everything around here is very old..." Ethan said.
"Now don't start talking about things being 'old', Ethan...not after last night..", Jim commented.
"So...ignoring that.... here we are at the 'Osireion' - and if you all remember, Faunus has already explained quite a lot about this building, but I will remind you of his comments....
The 'Osireion' was originally discovered by Flinders
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| 'Osireion' - Abydos - Upper Egypt - CGI Reconstruction |
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| Flinders Petrie |
Now you can see that it's flooded with water, and at present there are some disputes about the origins of this water.
Faunus said that the water in the temple is an indication of the level of the Nile, which is approximately 6.5 miles away, and that the building is flush with the water table, and so many Egyptologists presume that it was always part filled with water from the Nile, leaving a central plinth protruding like an island in the centre.
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| 'Osireion' - Abydos - Upper Egypt - Artist's Impression |
The 'Osireion' itself measures roughly 65 feet by 98 feet, and is designed in a very different construction style to that of the 'Mortuary Temple of Seti I', which we have just been looking at, and which was built in the Sixth Dynasty.
The walls surrounding the 'Osireion' are 20 ft thick, and are made of red sandstone - almost certainly quarried in Aswan.
Seventeen alcoves surround the central area.
Like the Temples on the Giza Plateau, and the 'Great Pyramid', the 'Osireion' bears no hieroglyphic inscriptions, reliefs or wall paintings.
It is perhaps significant that the Osireion at Abydos is dedicated to Osiris, while the 'Valley Temple' at Giza is associated to Isis....
So that's roughly what Faunus said - with a few corrections.
However - there's more.....", Teddy said enthusiastically.
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| 'Osireion' - Abydos - Upper Egypt |
"Why's the water that funny green color ?", Max the asked.
"That, Max, is caused by algae.
Algae are tiny organisms that have the ability to conduct photosynthesis, and so get energy from the sun - and they produce chlorophyll, which is why they look green - and they really like still water, and this water is not flowing - and so, when its very sunny and warm, they make the water look green.", Teddy explained very carefully -
(Teddy had a soft spot for Max - maybe because Max had originally been an elevator operator, and Teddy had an odd 'thing' about elevators - at least 'elevator buttons' - but that's another story.)"The rectangular island in the center of the building has receptacles carved into its floor to - possibly to receive a sarcophagus and canopic chest - but that's only a theory.
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| 'Osireion' - Abydos - Upper Egypt |
A channel, filled with water, about three meters across, surrounds the island.
Because it contains water, the interior of this structure is symbolic of the 'primeval waters of creation' from which an 'island' arose - which takes us back to the idea of 'Zep Tepi'.
As you can see, on either end of the island stairways lead down into he water channel.
The outside walls of the structure, made of red sandstone some six meters thick, contain six unfinished niches on each of the room's long sides, three more on the wall facing Seti I's temple, and three more on the opposite wall.
Around those is a ledge forming the outer edge of the water channel."
Teddy then paused, presumably waiting for question - but there were none.
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| Valley Temple - Giza - Cairo - Egypt |
Many people today, however, believe that he was mistaken.
As Faunus suggested, the 'Osireion' is built in a style that is identical to the Valley and Sphinx Temples at Giza - which you have seen, which are considered to be incredibly old - and built well before Seti I.
Now Petrie and others maintain that Seti had the 'Osireion' designed in a deliberately 'archaic' style, but there seems to be no logical reason why this should have been done - and many people have now come to the conclusion that the 'Osireion' should be taken at 'face value' as a remarkably ancient structure, the purpose of which remains completely unknown, although suggestions have been made.
The name, 'Osireion', or course, comes from the belief, held in ancient times, that the structure was actually the 'Tomb of Osiris' although, as Osiris was believed to have been resurrected by Isis, that doesn't seem to make much sense, as being resurrected he would not require a tomb.
Now what I think Faunus wanted you to consider was how the ancient Egyptians transported these 100 ton granite pillars all the way from Aswan to here at Abydos.
The obvious way would be by boat or raft.....
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| Moving a Statue - Ancient Egypt - Contemporary Image |
The initial moving of the block from the quarry would involve dragging the block across sand - which would not be easy.
Now Ethan has reproductions of an ancient Egyptian wall painting that he will hand out - the only one known to exist - showing a large statue - presumably made of stone - being moved.... by a very small group of men.
It's all a bit odd....
There are some guys at the top who look like soldiers, and some guys behind the statue who seem to be doing nothing a particular.
Three guys seem to be carrying something that could be a wooden roller, but the statue itself seems to be on a frail looking wooden sled - with no rollers being used.
Rollers, of course, would not be practical on sand or on soft ground.
Now it has been suggested that the guy standing on the knees of the stature is throwing water in front of the sled, and it is proposed that this would make the sand firm and slippery enough to enable it to be dragged - but I suggest that you try that with a 100 ton block.
The likeliest outcome of the whole procedure is that the 'statue' - in the case of the image - or the 100 ton block would simply get bogged down in the sand or wet earth.
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| Moving a Statue - Ancient Egypt - Edward Poynter |
Put your statue on a wheeled cart, and get a lot of guys to drag it.
The problem here, of course is 'can the wooden wheels take the weight ?', and more to the point 'can the axles take the weight and deal with the friction ?'.
Also, it's more that likely that the wheels will sink into the sand or earth - just like the sled in the previous image.
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| Ancient Egyptian Shaduf |
Now we know that the ancient Egyptians understood the concept of the 'crane'.
The 'shaduf', used in irrigation for lifting water, appeared in ancient Egyptian technology circa 2000 BC - and is still used in Egypt today.
However, a 'shaduf' could hardly lift a 100 ton block of granite - so that leaves us with another mystery.
Assuming that the 100 ton blocks were actually loaded onto boats or, more likely rafts, and 'floated' down the Nile, there is then the problem of the size of such boats or rafts.
You see it's all a question of 'displacement', which is too complicated for me to explain now, but to put it simply, if you want to float 100 tons on water, then you need a very large, and a very strong boat or raft to achieve that - and most ancient Egyptian boats were not that large or that strong - and so that's another mystery.
Now this is all very strange, but another question that Faunus posed was why ?....
Why such hard to work, heavy stone, and why make the columns and walls with such huge blocks ?
And more to the point - what was it all for ?
What was the purpose of the 'Osireion' ? - not that anybody ever saw it - apart from the Pharaoh and a few priests - and of course the 'cleaning lady'.
And also remember that the whole structure was built in a depression 50 feet below ground, behind the main temple - which was only entered by the Pharaoh and a few priests....."
And so Teddy left everyone wondering - and rather subdued.
"I think these ancient Egyptians were a bit weird...", 'Sigi' said.
"So what are you saying, Teddy - that the 'aliens' built the 'Osireion' and some of the other things, like at Giza ?..", Glen asked.
"No...not at all.
All I'm saying is that much of what the professional Egyptologists say doesn't make much sense - and leaves the whole question of how these structures were built and for what reason unanswered - but then its seems that there are many mysteries in the world.", Teddy replied.
"Well, you can say that again...", Josh added.
Teddy looked puzzled - unsure if Josh really meant that he should repeat himself - Teddy had not come across that particular 'colloquialism' before - but Teddy thought it unlikely that Josh really meant what he had just said, and so kept silent.
"So, if Teddy's finished giving us information, I think we might as well get back to the boat...", Jim said.
Back at the 'Hadeel' the group sat around on the sun-deck.
"So, are we going back to Luxor now...", Zac asked.
"Not just yet.", Jim replied.
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| Armant - Upper Egypt |
"OK, and remind me of what this 'Duat-thingy' is..", Ethan asked.
"Well, Ismail...you seem to be an expert on Egyptian mythology... can you help us ?", Jim said, wanting to give Ismail an opportunity to show off his knowledge.
"Well I'll try - but perhaps it would be better to ask Teddy.", Ismail replied.
"Yes... but I think that Teddy's done enough for today, so perhaps you would like to help him out.", Jim said, gently insisting.
"I'll try...", Ismail answered modestly.
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| Hieroglyph for the 'Duat' |
It has been represented in hieroglyphs as a star-in-circle.
The 'god' Osiris was believed to be the 'Lord of the Duat' or 'Underworld'.
He was the 'first mummy', as it says in the 'Osiris Myth', and he represented rebirth and life after death.
The 'underworld' was also the home of other gods along with Osiris.
The 'Duat' was the place through which the sun god Ra traveled from West to East each night, and it was where he had a fight with Apophis, who was the god of chaos, which the sun had to defeat in order to rise each morning and bring order back to the world.
It was also believed to be the place where people's souls went after they died to be judged.
Burial chambers were a place where the ordinary world and the 'Duat' were connected, and the souls of the dead were believed to use tombs to travel from 'Duat' to the ordinary world.
And that's about all I know...", Ismail said, as he finished his explanation.
"Mm...it all sounds a bit spooky to me..", Ethan said.
Teddy then had his say....
"Now if I may add something here - the hieroglyph for the 'Duat' is a star inside a circle - and this implies that the 'Duat' was originally seen as 'solar' and 'astral', meaning connected with the stars - because the circle is connected with the sun - and the star - well, is obviously a star.
And this takes us back to the 'Pyramid Texts', which emphasize the solar and stellar aspects of the after-life.", Teddy said, in his best scholarly manner.
"Yes... but the trouble with that is that it reminds me of Upuaut, and also you, Teddy, reading from those same 'Pyramid Texts' at Chaco Canyon.", Josh said.
"Well I don't like it - there's something odd about this visit to a little town near Luxor - very odd...", Ethan said ominously.
"So Teddy... what's it say on your database...". Zac asked.
"OK...", Teddy said, as he gathered the information.
"Well أرمنت - Armant - known in Koine Greek as Ἑρμῶνθις' - 'Hermonthis' - is a town located about 12 miles south of Thebes - that is Luxor.
It's the site of a temple dedicated to the neter 'Montu', whose name means 'nomad'.
Montu was associated with raging bulls, strength and war.
Egypt's greatest 'general-pharaohs' called themselves 'Mighty Bulls', and the 'Sons of Montu'.
A temple dedicated to Montu existed at Hermonthis as early as the Eleventh dynasty, but now there's not much left of it, so it's not a popular tourist site.", Teddy explained.
"Well that doesn't sound very interesting, and I'm, getting a bit tired of trekking around these broken down old temples...
It was fun to begin with, but now they're all beginning to look the same.", Glen said.
"True..", Ethan said...
"And I'm getting tired of handing out all those 'viz aids' that Teddy keeps printing off.", Ethan added.
"Now don't blame me... it's just part of my job...", Teddy said, sounding offended.
"Please... don't have an argument, you two...
Let's just wait until Faunus turns up, and we'll tell him how we feel." Jim said.
"Yes.. and I'd like to get back to Cairo and do some shopping...", Ethan said - obviously beginning to sulk.
He was the 'first mummy', as it says in the 'Osiris Myth', and he represented rebirth and life after death.
The 'underworld' was also the home of other gods along with Osiris.
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| Apophis and the Sun Boat of Ra |
It was also believed to be the place where people's souls went after they died to be judged.
Burial chambers were a place where the ordinary world and the 'Duat' were connected, and the souls of the dead were believed to use tombs to travel from 'Duat' to the ordinary world.
And that's about all I know...", Ismail said, as he finished his explanation.
"Mm...it all sounds a bit spooky to me..", Ethan said.
Teddy then had his say....
"Now if I may add something here - the hieroglyph for the 'Duat' is a star inside a circle - and this implies that the 'Duat' was originally seen as 'solar' and 'astral', meaning connected with the stars - because the circle is connected with the sun - and the star - well, is obviously a star.
 |
| Teddy reads the Pyramid Texts |
"Yes... but the trouble with that is that it reminds me of Upuaut, and also you, Teddy, reading from those same 'Pyramid Texts' at Chaco Canyon.", Josh said.
"Well I don't like it - there's something odd about this visit to a little town near Luxor - very odd...", Ethan said ominously.
"So Teddy... what's it say on your database...". Zac asked.
"OK...", Teddy said, as he gathered the information.
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| Temple of Montu - Armant - Upper Egypt |
It's the site of a temple dedicated to the neter 'Montu', whose name means 'nomad'.
Montu was associated with raging bulls, strength and war.
Egypt's greatest 'general-pharaohs' called themselves 'Mighty Bulls', and the 'Sons of Montu'.
A temple dedicated to Montu existed at Hermonthis as early as the Eleventh dynasty, but now there's not much left of it, so it's not a popular tourist site.", Teddy explained.
"Well that doesn't sound very interesting, and I'm, getting a bit tired of trekking around these broken down old temples...
It was fun to begin with, but now they're all beginning to look the same.", Glen said.
"True..", Ethan said...
"And I'm getting tired of handing out all those 'viz aids' that Teddy keeps printing off.", Ethan added.
"Now don't blame me... it's just part of my job...", Teddy said, sounding offended.
"Please... don't have an argument, you two...
Let's just wait until Faunus turns up, and we'll tell him how we feel." Jim said.
"Yes.. and I'd like to get back to Cairo and do some shopping...", Ethan said - obviously beginning to sulk.
"I have had a most rare vision.
I have had a dream past the wit of man to say what dream it was,
And man is but a fool if he goes about and tries to tell of this dream."
Unexpectedly , strange things happen in sleepy Armant...
LINK
I have had a dream past the wit of man to say what dream it was,
And man is but a fool if he goes about and tries to tell of this dream."
Unexpectedly , strange things happen in sleepy Armant...
LINK
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All text - © Copyright Peter Crawford 2021
All Images - © Copyright Vittorio Carvelli 2021
Graphic Design - © Copyright Zac Sawyer 202