In The Twelfth Dynasty Egyptian Literature
A Reconstruction
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In The Twelfth Dynasty Egyptian Literature
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Despite Sinuhe and Zepra having wed with minimum fuss, the maximum fuss, the entertaining, was to last at least six months. All the tribes would gather their family and choose the representatives who would attend and meet and bless the royal couple. The best most lavish gifts would be chosen. New woven finery would be ordered and fitted. Caravans and supplies prepared. The statesmen and princes, the executives and finance ministers, the foreign diplomats would gather their data, list their problems and complaints, list their wishes and plan for the big meeting.
The union of the most eligible princess from the most revered tribe with their Egyptian ally would not fail to be the most notable occasion in generations. Also, leaders would discuss rumors about a pending disaster foreseen by the astronomers. Many things would be accomplished at the gatherings. Sinuhe and Zepra prepared their merchants to host the large number of visitors. Ammuneneschi sent emissaries to the tribal leaders and informed them of their dates, sites and accommodations. The representatives reminded the leaders to bring their data about their financial status, and their current census and notable problems. Preliminary information and a tribal representative would return with the emissary to prepare those invited for the gathering. “We must not forget the musicians,” Zepra reminded the emissaries. “Each must send their stars ahead of time so that they can practice and coordinate. The music may be the most important part of the party for many of the visitors. We must not disappoint the guests.” “The tents and tent sites will be numbered and reserved. We must have an accurate count for minimum discomfort. Don’t forget to give all the leaders the list of rules. May sure that all of the guests agree to the sanitation and protocol rules. There will be signs and all must abide for the efficiency and ease for everyone,” Ammuneschi ordered. It had been a long time since the last gathering. “The tribes will rotate, none having feuds will be adjacent. After the large parties have enjoyed themselves for the first three months only the leaders and their assistants will remain. In the fourth month the meetings will begin. Then the predictions and preparations for the disaster will be made. Sinuhe will preside,” Ammuneschi said. All went according to plan. Zepra led the musicians and dancers. They coordinated everything. Tribal colors, flags costumes and tents made recognition easy. The visitors cooperated wearing their prepared ribbons. Cousins recognized cousins from each branch. Musicians competed for awards and applause. Dancers flaunted and flared their tribal colors. Parents considered the colorful array of cousin candidates for favorable matchmaking. Many business deals and marriage plans merged the clans. The magnificent regal couple visited each of the tribe’s tents. They dressed in splendor, perhaps wearing some of their gifted garments provided by each visited group to the great delight of the clans. They brought their token souvenirs, mementos of the extravaganza to present to the thrilled visitors. Sinuhe and Zepra would spend as least a day with each family, bonding, chatting, and listening to their bragging and complaining. The families presented their candidates, those who excelled in their studies, for consideration to attend studies with the Midians. Only a rare girl, who had to prove at least ten times brighter than the boys, would appear on the lists. Zepra loved these brilliant girls. Women usually manned the classrooms of Zepra’s university and taught the difficult subjects. They stayed with her and dedicated their lives to teaching. The males usually went home after completing their classes, to use their talents. The couple took notes on their small scrolls, which they would consult later. “We should have more gatherings like this, Father Ammuneschi!,” the grateful tribal leaders proclaimed. “Many deals have been made favorable to both parties. Many feuds have ended before the courts have even assembled. Much has been accomplished. Good party! And, oh yes, the wedded couple are quite beautiful. God bless them with good holy healthy beautiful children!” Then the main body of party, the thousands of revelers left in orderly fashion. The planners had been quite successful. Fifteen tribal leaders and about one hundred of their assistants remained for the meetings. The fifteen gathered in Ammuneneschi’s lavish carpeted tent. “We have much to discuss. There will be three presentations. I will refresh your minds about the ancients,” Ammunenschi said. “Zepra will explain the approaching situation. Sinuhe will explain how we will prepare, and what will be required of us.” Ammunenschi seated on the large cushions lounged casually at the head of the circle. The newlyweds sat on either side of him. All the leaders reclined along the edges of the room-sized comfortable carpeted tent. “You all recall that about 400 years ago a terrible famine visited the tribes,” Ammuneschi began. “We, that is, our fathers, all had to trek to Egypt to buy food. The Egyptians had been able to prepare for the famine because of the great vizier, one of our cousins, Imhotep had read the skies accurately. Imhotep learned Midian astronomy. He understood how the cow goddess traveled along certain paths in the heavens. He calculated the path and could foresee that the heavenly body would approach the earth and cause much destruction. He understood that the ancients before him had left documents, tales, calculations and predictions. He understood all of them. The Egyptian king Zoser, put him entirely in charge of the great country. Imhotep imposed severe taxes and labor on the people during the preparation period. He did not have to be so harsh on those people, but he was thinking of the tribes, his foreigner relatives who had not such fertile soil. His Egyptians did not complain, they knew they could help all of us. They bore the burden. They stockpiled to excess. “When the disaster and famine hit,” Ammuneschi continued, “starving caravans paraded to Egypt. The storehouses rationed to us our allotted amounts. They certainly could have charged us a bit less. Egypt grew exceedingly wealthy and we did not starve. “Now the situation is reversed. We have the ability and duty to repay the favor. We must prepare to save not only ourselves, but our brethren in Egypt, arrogant though they be. “Zepra, my shining star, will explain in layman’s terms the sky’s menace. . . . Zepra.” “Thank you father.” Zepra stood and walked to the center of the tent. She unrolled a large scroll and put four small rocks at each of the corners of the map to hold it down. “This is the sun, the Egyptian god Ra, in the center,” Zepra stood back using her wand to point. The sheiks all leaned forward to get a better view. “These circles represent the paths taken by the traveler planets. They all move in the same direction at differing speeds as you have observed looking at the track in the skies. The concentric circles closer to the sun are of course the shorter paths. The farther away planets move along increasingly larger circles at slower paces. As you can see the earth is third from the sun. God has graciously provided that none of the circle paths intersect, although occasionally some of the bodies approach closely to each other. “When the bodies come close to each other sometimes the larger bodies influence the path direction or speed of the smaller bodies. “And sometimes a rogue being will cross the paths of all the others. This situation occurs rarely, and the ancient records seem to defy reason when they record these instances. However, over the centuries we have learned never to doubt those records. “You all know about comets, some of the famous ones offer spectacular displays. These usually bring only minor disasters. However, now the cow goddess is approaching. She seems to act partly like a planet and partly like a comet. She is very large, almost the size of earth. The other planets seem to be coaxing her into a non-crossing orbit. “She will be at her closest point to the earth in about 40 years. “She will be about here, and we will be here on the orbits,” Zepra said as she pointed to the earth and the point of near intersection. The tribesmen gasped and murmured as they saw how close the earth and the heavenly being would be. “This type of event has happened before and many such are recorded in the writings if you understand how to read them. During those terrible times the temptation to worship the false gods, to offer human sacrifices becomes almost irresistible. You must resist, of course, and control your people. During a time when many will die from the disaster, we don’t need to kill anyone. “The destruction, if we survive, will be massive. Egypt will take the biggest hit.” Zepra returned to her seat. “My beloved husband, the great general from Egypt, your cousin, Sinuhe, will explain what we should do.” “Please excuse my tremors. I am still recovering from the personal events that happened at my home. The joy of my new wife also shocks and thrills me. But she has provided me with greater fears than my fugitive status had. I am nearly overcome,” Sinuhe spoke quietly as he stood in the low tent, he features lit by the several oil lamps around the room. “But we must all shake off our terrors and make plans. According to the ancient documents, which we have been studying, food and water will be the main, the only significant problem that we may be able to try to solve. We will not be able to completely prevent deaths. We can only try to lessen the carnage. We must brace ourselves to lose many of our peoples. Perhaps many will be able to hide in caves or tunnels, but these may become only graves. We don’t know how the earth will react. It will move with great earthquakes. There will be much that we cannot control. We must control and prepare for what we can. “We must all prepare secret cisterns all over the map, in the mountain areas.” Sinuhe unrolled his own map and put on top of Zepra’s, using her stones to hold it down. “We will explain how to use the mountains natural crevasses and prepare huge wells to collect and store the rain water and protect it from evaporation and outside contamination. We will conscript gangs from each of the tribes to learn to work and maintain the wells. If we survive the disaster, these will be useful later also. We will control all travel by knowledge of these secret cisterns. I will visit and record each site. God has given us enough preparation time and enough manpower to prepare. Twenty five percent of all workers will participate in an orderly rotation. I will hold and share the master map of wells. “Secondly, we will grow grain in excess of our needs. We will buy double from Egypt, increase our demands, and their greed will force them to use all their capacity. We will tell them that we have new customers to the north and to the east. We will create warehouses of caves or stone, or even underground storage areas. None will house more than enough to feed a thousand men for three months. None will be near to each other, because we cannot predict where destruction will hit. We will study and consider the most efficient methods, how to save the greatest amount of food. We will consider ways to save the animals and feed them. “Then the Egyptians will come to us for their own food. And we will save them. They will pay of course, only the same amount they charged us in the previous famine. We will grow rich and they will not die. That is, those not in the most devastated areas. “I will go back to Egypt and try to convince them to evacuate. I will bring the refugees through the Sinai and gather them on Ammuneneschi’s lands. Then we will assess the disasters and try to spread out the burdens equally. Some may be dispersed among the tribes, some may return back to Egypt, and some may conquer devastated or abandoned lands where perhaps others will have died. “We have enough time to make plans and even practice some measures to see if they will succeed. None of us will escape. So we may as well prepare,” Sinuhe rolled up both documents and returned to his cushion. “I cannot know what the Egyptians are planning if anything. I know my brother Khuni-Khak, the great high-priest never stops observing the skies. But he has never really shared this type of information with me. I will try to make contact without endangering his life. Perhaps the traders can help. Maybe a traveling priest will be allowed to visit and consult.” “It would also be wise to pray.” The group all stood from their reclining poses, went down to their knees and bowed low, foreheads to the carpeted floor as father Ammuneneschi led them in their oft-repeated prayer chants to the most-high. |
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