Guest Blog: Enid Shomer

This week, we’re welcoming historical fiction author Enid Shomer, whose most recent title, TWELVE ROOMS OF THE NILE, reveals the lives of Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert as incidental travelers in 19th century Egypt. After you've read the Q&A, leave a comment with your email address for a chance to win one of THREE free copies of the book, available from the publisher Simon & Schuster. Here's the blurb:

“To speak the names of the dead is to make them live again.” –The Book of the Dead

There is no more apt way to introduce celebrated poet and short-story author Enid Shomer’s debut novel, The Twelve Rooms of the Nile. While Gustave Flaubert and Florence Nightingale really did both travel through Egypt before they became the luminaries known to history, only in Shomer’s richly envisioned world did their journeys come to a crossroads, and did their lives become intertwined and their souls deeply connected. Shomer supplements rigorous research with vivid imagination, so that by the end of this novel, it will be difficult to fathom how Flaubert and Nightingale became the people we remember them as today without this story having taken place.

Praise so far has been unanimous. In a starred review, Sarah Johnson of Booklist remarks, “[t]he superb characterizations, poignant observations on the Egyptian religion, and depictions of the land’s ethereal beauty—all perfectly interwoven—are rendered in memorable language that excites and enriches the mind.”

Gillian Gill, author of Nightingales, declares the book, “as brilliantly sensual as it is finely psychological… this novel is a tour de force of twenty-first century storytelling,” while The Midwife of Venice author Roberta Rich exclaims: “Every sentence, every paragraph shimmers with the color and heat of the Nile and the intelligence of the characters.”

Lovers of historical fiction, armchair travel to exotic places, simply, well-told and beautifully rendered storytelling should take note. Adventure, romance, wit and tenderness fill this poignant exploration into the lives and minds of two of history’s most treasured figures.

**Read Enid's Q&A**

Excerpt Thursday: TWELVE ROOMS OF THE NILE by Enid Shomer

This week, we’re welcoming historical fiction author Enid Shomer, whose most recent title, TWELVE ROOMS OF THE NILE, reveals the lives of Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert as incidental travelers in 19th century Egypt. On Sunday, join us for a Q&A with Edith. Leave a comment with your email address for a chance to win one of THREE free copies of the book, available from the publisher Simon & Schuster. Here's the blurb:

“To speak the names of the dead is to make them live again.” –The Book of the Dead

There is no more apt way to introduce celebrated poet and short-story author Enid Shomer’s debut novel, The Twelve Rooms of the Nile. While Gustave Flaubert and Florence Nightingale really did both travel through Egypt before they became the luminaries known to history, only in Shomer’s richly envisioned world did their journeys come to a crossroads, and did their lives become intertwined and their souls deeply connected. Shomer supplements rigorous research with vivid imagination, so that by the end of this novel, it will be difficult to fathom how Flaubert and Nightingale became the people we remember them as today without this story having taken place.

Praise so far has been unanimous. In a starred review, Sarah Johnson of Booklist remarks, “[t]he superb characterizations, poignant observations on the Egyptian religion, and depictions of the land’s ethereal beauty—all perfectly interwoven—are rendered in memorable language that excites and enriches the mind.”

Gillian Gill, author of Nightingales, declares the book, “as brilliantly sensual as it is finely psychological… this novel is a tour de force of twenty-first century storytelling,” while The Midwife of Venice author Roberta Rich exclaims: “Every sentence, every paragraph shimmers with the color and heat of the Nile and the intelligence of the characters.”

Lovers of historical fiction, armchair travel to exotic places, simply, well-told and beautifully rendered storytelling should take note. Adventure, romance, wit and tenderness fill this poignant exploration into the lives and minds of two of history’s most treasured figures.

**Read an excerpt of Twelve Rooms of the Nile**

Women Who Ruled: Shajar al-Durr of Egypt

By Lisa J. Yarde

On May 2, 1250 AD the Mameluke slave-soldiers of Egypt declared the widow Shajar al-Durr as their ruler. When the Abbasid Caliph of Baghdad al-Musta'sim heard the news, he expressed the religious view, "Unhappy is the nation which is governed by a woman." He also suggested that if the Mameluke warriors had no men to lead them, he would happily provide acceptable candidates. Shajar's rise to power is even more remarkable because of her humble origin and status. How did an enslaved woman from the Eurasian steppes become ruler of an Islamic state in the medieval period, when her counterparts remained confined traditionally to the harem?

Mameluke soldier

More than a decade before her ascendancy, the woman who would become known as Shajar al-Durr, or Spray of Pearls, joined the retinue of slaves in the service of her future husband, as-Salih Ayyub. One of Saladin's great-nephews, as-Salih Ayyub chose Shajar as his favorite concubine. The death of as-Salih's father in 1238 threw Egypt into turmoil, as his sons and relatives battled for control of the region, a vital part of the Abbasid Empire that stretched from North Africa to Iraq. The conflict abated in 1240, when Shajar shared her husband's imprisonment. During their confinement, she gave birth to a son Khalil, who unfortunately lived for only three months. After her husband's release and his rise to power in Egypt, he gave Shajar authority to act in his stead whenever he was away from Egypt on various campaigns that consolidated his power. He delegated his power to her as Umm Khalil, the mother of his deceased son, and she held an official seal with that title.

The Mameluke Empire

In July 1429, as part of the Seventh Crusade, King Louis IX of France landed at Damietta on the Nile. Within five months, his army marched toward Cairo. Shajar returned with her husband from a campaign against one of his uncles. The ruler of Egypt faced a precarious situation; the Crusader army had landed on his shores while he endured a painful infection in his leg that became abscessed. He suffered an amputation, but within days left Shajar a widow. She acted decisively, by secretly sending word to Turan Shah, her husband's son by another woman and having her husband's servants go about their normal routines, including bringing meals to his tent. Later, Turan Shah defeated the Crusaders at the Battle of al Mansurah. He became ruler of Egypt in February 1250. He didn't endear himself by drinking alcohol against religious proscriptions, or by removing his father and Shajar's confidantes from positions of power and replacing them with his own men. The Mameluke soldiers assassinated Turan Shah three months later with Shajar's blessing.

Shajar al-Durr's coins

She had ruled Egypt in her husband's absence and would do so again. Among her titles, she became Queen of the Muslims. Friday prayers in the mosques mentioned her by name and she had coins minted with her titles. Yet, she could not perform the traditional tasks a new Islamic ruler would have completed, including the reception for princes and judiciary in which she would have accepted their personal oaths of loyalty, or the traditional procession of a new monarch through the streets of Cairo. After the Caliph's stinging rejection, the Mameluke government tried another solution. In August 1250, they suggested a marriage between Shajar and Aybak, the commander-in-chief of her army. Although he reigned with her, she never truly ceded power to her new husband. She made him divorce his first wife. Coins of the kingdom now bore both their names and all official documents required both their signatures. He even needed her permission before coming into her presence.

Shajar al-Durr's tomb in Egypt

In April 1257, Shajar decided to move against Aybak. Not only had her government forced her to share power with him, but she had learned that he intended to marry another woman. She arranged for his murder while he took a bath and later, feigned ignorance about his circumstances. Aybak's men did not believe her. They delivered her to the first wife of Aybak and her servants, who beat Shajar to death with wooden clogs and threw her body outside the palace. Her body remained in a ditch, defiled for several days until her interment.

For just 80 days, Shajar ruled the Islamic state of Egypt without relying on the power her husbands held. Ultimately, the traditional expectations of women and her own miscalculations about the exercise of power brought about her ruin.

Lisa J. Yarde writes fiction inspired by real-life events. She is the author of On Falcon's Wings, a medieval novel chronicling the star-crossed romance between Norman and Saxon lovers. She has also written the medieval novels Sultana and Sultana’s Legacy, both set during a turbulent period of thirteenth century Spain.

Real Life Heroes: Ramses

By Jean Adams

The war between the Egyptians and the Hittites for the control of Syria, took place in the spring of the fifth year of Ramses' reign. The battle of Kadesh was the result of Amurru defecting to Egypt. While the Hittites wanted to bring Amurru back into their fold, the Egyptians tried to protect their new vassal.

Ramses' army consisted mostly of Egyptians, with a few Nubian contingents and some mercenaries. Chariots were manned by Egyptian nobles, but records do not mention how many Egyptian soldiers there were. It is thought that an Egyptian division comprised of 5000 foot soldiers. Ramses set out with four divisions of 20,000.

The Hittite army of 37,000 foot soldiers and 3500 chariots was hiding behind the abandoned settlement of Kadesh. Unfortunately, Ramses believed false rumors, which were beaten out of two, very brave, captured Hittites spies. While one division was setting up camp, 2500 Hittite chariots attacked the marching Re division in two waves. Two other Egyptian divisions were still on the far side of the river Orontes.

After a time, Ramses, trapped behind enemy lines, was to face a desperate fight for his life. He summoned up his courage and called upon his god Amun for help, fighting valiantly to save himself.

Ramses leads his army at the Battle of Kadesh
During the battle, Ramses personally led several charges into the Hittite ranks together with his personal guard, some of the chariots from his Amun division and survivors from the routed Re division. Using the superior maneuverability of Egyptian chariots, he deployed and attacked the tired and overextended Hittite chariotry.

The Hittites, meanwhile, who believed their enemies to be routed, had stopped to loot the Egyptian camp and, in so doing, became easy targets for Ramses' counterattack. Ramses' action succeeded in driving the Hittites back towards the Orontes and away from the Egyptian camp. In the ensuing pursuit, the heavier Hittite chariots were easily overtaken and dispatched by the lighter, faster, Egyptian chariots.

Although they had suffered a significant reversal, the Hittites still commanded a large force of reserve chariotry and infantry. As their retreat reached the river, the king ordered another thousand chariots to attack the Egyptians. As the Hittite forces approached the Egyptian camp, a contingent from Amurru arrived, surprising the Hittites. Ramses also had time to regroup his forces.

After six charges, the Hittite forces were almost surrounded, and the survivors faced humiliation by having to swim back across the Orontes. Neither side gained total victory. There is no consensus about the outcome or what took place, with views ranging from an Egyptian victory, a draw, and an Egyptian defeat (with the Egyptian accounts simply propaganda).

Once back in Egypt, Ramses proclaimed that he had won a great victory, but all he had managed to do was to rescue his army. Hero or propogandist, the Battle of Kadesh was a personal triumph for Ramses since, after blundering into a devastating Hittite chariot ambush, he had courageously rallied his scattered troops to fight on the battlefield while escaping death or capture.

The conflicts finally ended fifteen years later, in 1258 BC, by an official peace treaty, in the 21st year of Ramses' reign. It is the first recorded peace treaty. An enlarged replica of the Kadesh agreement hangs on a wall at the headquarters of the United Nations, as the earliest known international peace treaty.

Jean Adams' latest contemporary romance, YESTERDAY'S DREAMS, is due out soon from The Wild Rose Press. It is the first in a two-book series set in the New Zealand seaside town of Patiki Bay. Her trilogy set in ancient Egypt is a work in progress, but her time travel Egyptian romance, ETERNAL HEARTS, is available now in print from Highland Press.

Money Matters: Tyrian Purple

By Stephanie Dray

Today we say the rich are born with silver spoons in their mouths. In the ancient world, they said the wealthy were born to the purple. This phrase alludes to the royal robes dyed with a precious shade of deep purple originally created by the Phoenicians in Tyre.

Tyrian purple was a hue worn by royals and conquerors including Alexander the Great. Romans had a great affinity for it too, and their bright white senatorial togas were bordered with a great purple band. Tyrian purple was not only a commodity, but also a status symbol. It may have even accounted for the assassination of Julius Caesar who wore the royal purple so often that his colleagues feared he intended to make himself King.

The true color cannot be accurately identified now; the best we can do is reconstruct it based on the surviving description of the ancients, but we do know that redder shades of purple were considered to be inferior. It was the darkest, richest purple that they prized, and this may have been achieved by dipping the fabric twice in two slightly different shades, one redder, one bluer.

Whatever the methodology, the purple dye itself was so expensive that it was worth its weight in silver. The salesman of a silken garment dyed properly in the stuff might be able to buy a small city with the proceeds. The reason it was so costly is because of its enduring quality, one that improved, rather than faded, with age. And also it was wildly expensive because of the process used to make it.

The source of the dye was the murex brandaris, which is a name for a spiny sea snail. While it's possible to capture one of these little gastropods and poke it until it excretes a defensive mucus containing at least one of the ingredients required to make the precious purple, milking the murex snails was entirely too labor intensive. To meet demand, millions of murex were harvested. More than a thousand shells were needed to make even one gram of dye.

The exact process by which the dye was made has not been perfectly reproduced to date, but it was described by Pliny and involved vats of rotting shellfish. The smell was so terrible that dye factories had to be built far away from population centers. Mountains of shells attest to their presence.

The heroine of my debut novel, LILY OF THE NILE, is Cleopatra Selene, daughter of the more famous Cleopatra VII of Egypt. Together with her husband King Juba II, Selene built several purple dye factories on islands off the coast of Mauretania. Perhaps unable to replicate the exact shade of purple invented by the Tyrians, they called their own Gaetulian purple after one of the native Berber tribes. Gaetulian purple was prized almost as much as the Tyrian variety and was probably responsible for funding many of Juba and Selene's building projects and cultural programs.

Stephanie Dray's debut historical fiction novel, LILY OF THE NILE, will release January 2011 from Berkley Books. The sequel is expected to release at the end of 2011. Both novels are set in the Augustan Age and feature Cleopatra's daughter.

Money Matters: No Use for Money in Ancient Egypt

By Jean Adams

For the most part, the ancient Egyptians had no conception of the use of money, which can make things challenging for writers of that period.

During most of ancient Egypt's pharaonic history, there was no money as such, at least in the form of coins. Not until the middle of the first millennium BC were any coins used in Egypt. At first, they were of foreign extraction.

The ancient Egyptian economy was based on redistribution and reciprocity, set prices in units of value that referred directly to commodities. For the purposes of trade and exchange, at first the Egyptians calculated the value of goods and services in units that were related to the necessities of life. Later, the calculation was made in terms of the weights of metals, such as copper or silver, their weight being used as a reference for value.

During the New Kingdom, information comes from Dier el Medina and from documents relating to shipping. All these sources are evidence that payments were made in the form of bread, beer, grain, meat and cloth, the necessities of life. These rations were expressed in units of bread and beer, the most basic Egyptian diet. It is likely that the lowest wages, close to subsistence levels, were paid in bread and beer.

We know that the standard basic wage consisted of ten loaves and one-third to two full jugs of beer per day. The Egyptian beer was much less alcoholic than modern beer, and higher in calorie content. This was usually the rations of the lowest paid staff members, and consisted of little more then enough to keep one alive. Others were paid in multiples of the standard wage, varying from twice to fifty times that of the standard wage. The highest paid official would receive thirty-eight and one-third loaves while the lowest paid worker received one and one-third loaves.

During the New Kingdom, the craftsmen at Dier el Medina received all the necessities of life from their employer. They were not only provided with food, but also cooking fuel, clothing, the houses where they lived, and the tools of their trade. Yet, the robust trade that amongst themselves indicates that those workers required additional goods and services that the state did not provide.

The deben is a measure of weight that was used for gold, silver, and copper. One deben of copper weighs between 90 and 91 grams. It was divided into ten kite.

We are able to give some approximate values of various commodities, particularly during the New Kingdom.

sack of wheat (c.58 kg): 1 to 2 deben
1 litre of oil: 1 deben
1 loaf of bread: 0.1 deben
1 litre of beer: ½ deben
1 cake: 0.2 deben
1 litre of wine: 1 deben
1 bundle of vegetables: ½ deben
50 fish: 2 deben
1 bronze cup: 5 deben
1 leather bucket: 3 deben
1 basket: 4 deben
1 shirt: 2½ deben
1 pair of sandals: 2 deben
1 razor: 1 deben
1 mirror: 6 deben
1 fly-swat: 1 deben
1 bed: 12-20 deben
1 chair: 20 deben
1 table: 15 deben
1 sleeping mat: 2 deben
1 goat: 2½ deben
1 donkey: 25 deben
1 cow: up to 140 deben
1 bull: 120 deben
1 ox: 60 deben
1 slave girl: 4 deben of silver
1 ordinary male slave: 3 deben of silver

Prices were set by the strength of each trader's desire to conclude an exchange and each individual's skill at arriving at a good price. For example, if there were a shortage of baskets, and one really needed a basket, the price could go up. And of course, if there was a shortage of grain, it could become more valuable. Hence, use was probably more important than abstract value and the value of goods grew according to the need for them. Furthermore, ancient customs and not monetary advantage dictated many prices.

There is evidence for inflation and price fluctuation. During the reign of Ramses II, one deben of silver was valued as one-hundred deben of copper. By the reign of Ramses IX, one deben of silver was valued at sixty deben of copper. It is unlikely that the government would have intervened in setting prices. The Egyptian state regulated the standard measures of length and volume so the basic ratio of one sack of grain to one deben of copper seems not to have varied.

The Egyptians were able to create a relatively complex economy and conduct business in a way that met their needs without ever fully coming up with the concept of money. And we must remember that it worked for almost three thousand years.

Jean Adams' latest contemporary romance, YESTERDAY'S DREAMS, is due out soon from The Wild Rose Press. It is the first in a two-book series set in the New Zealand seaside town of Patiki Bay. Her trilogy set in ancient Egypt is a work in progress, but her time travel Egyptian romance, ETERNAL HEARTS, is available now in print from Highland Press.

Women Did It Better: Bible Hunting

By Michelle Styles

How accurate is the modern Bible was question that occupied the 19th century mind--not just in its claims about the Garden of Eden, the Great Flood and such, but how accurate is the translation? In particular are the words of the New Testament the same as the words that the early Christians read? And how could you prove it? Even the Codex Vaticancus, which only the Pope and a few cardinals were allowed to read, was rumoured to have certain stories missing. For those of the Jewish faith, was the Wisdom of Ben Sira (Ecclesiasticus to Christians) and one of the fourteen books included in the Greek Old Testament originally written in Hebrew or not?

These were questions that troubled Biblical scholars through out the nineteenth century, and the answers would be provided by two intrepid Scottish sisters, Agnes Smith Lewis and Margaret Smith Gibson. They succeeded where men before them failed.

Looking behind St Catherine's
The sisters inherited their wealth from their father and became great travellers. Agnes wrote one of the first guidebooks to Cyprus. At a time when women didn't attend university, they learnt fourteen languages between them. Among other things, it made it easier to communicate to their dragoman and servants in Arabic. (An early voyage down the Nile had seen them cheated). They married late in life, Margaret to a scholar and Agnes to the librarian of Parker Library in Cambridge, Samuel Savage "Satan" Lewis. The Parker Library founded by Matthew Parker (the original nosy Parker) houses three quarters of all known Anglo Saxon manuscripts and it is here Agnes learnt about old manuscripts.

Inside St Catherine's
In January 1892, the sisters set out for St Catherine's in the Sinai armed with photographic equipment, portable water filters and variety of medicines. For the trip, Agnes had learnt Syriac, one of the early languages of the New Testament. They already knew Arabic and Modern Greek and so could converse easily with the monks and the Bedouin. They had managed to procure permission to visit one of the most remote monasteries in the world, and the place most likely to hold an ancient version of the Bible.

Their mission was complicated by the fact that in 1857, Constantin von Tischendorf had borrowed (stolen according to the monks) the Codex Sinaiticus and published it to great acclaim. After Von Tischendorf's discovery, as far as they were able bible hunters scoured the monastery for more manuscripts. The sisters were convinced that something else was there, if one could get access to the library.

The sisters, with their knowledge of the Orthodox Greek ways, gained the trust of the librarian of St Catherine's. There in a dark closet, they discovered the Sinaiticus Palimpsest. A monk at some point had cleaned a copy of the New Testament in Syriac and written a Martyrology of Female Saints (basically porn for monks) over it. Agnes with her background was able to recognise it for what it was, photographed it and went back to Cambridge. There, she interested three Biblical scholars in it, persuaded them to join another expedition and the work was eventually translated. It proved to be one of the most complete and earliest manuscripts of the Four Gospels. Today, the most important book in the library at St Catherine's is the Sinaiticus Palimpsest and it still resides in the wooden box that the sisters had made for it.

Later, the two sisters returned to Cairo and bought some manuscripts pages in Hebrew. They had their friend Schetcher look at them. He immediately recognised the pages for what they were--an early Hebrew version of the Ben Sira. He also had a good idea where the manuscripts came from and travelled to Cairo. There he discovered a genizah or dead letter drop for Jewish people that contained over 800 years of manuscripts and other documents as according to Jewish law one did not destroy anything containing the Four Letters of the Holy Name. It proved to be the richest source of medieval Jewish materials in existence.

Later still Agnes purchased two Syriac palimpsests. They proved to be the only non Biblical documents of any length to survive in Palestinian Syriac, a dialect that was wiped out through the spread of Islam. So the women's contribution to our knowledge of the ancient world was immense. You can read more about them and their exploits in Sisters In Sinai by Janet Soskice.

Palimpsests are still being recovered today in odd forgotten corners of the world, and who knows what others works might be uncovered, particularly as modern techniques are so much better.

Michelle Styles writes historical romances for Harlequin Historical. She recently visited St Catherine's on a book research expedition. It is a fascinating place, made all the more fascinating by the exploits of the Smith sisters. Her next UK release is THE VIKING'S CAPTIVE PRINCESS (Dec 10), and in the US A QUESTION OF IMPROPRIETY (Dec 10). There will a free online read starting on 15 November on e-Harlequin to celebrate the publication of A QUESTION OF IMPROPRIETY.

Disasters: The Plagues of Egypt

By Jean Adams

This is not meant to belittle anyone's religion, but is offered as a rational explanation of the plagues.

Have you ever wondered how true those 10 plagues of Egypt were? Here's a brief reminder.

God told Pharaoh to let the Israelites go or he would send them send them a plague. Pharaoh refused so:

Water to blood: Aaron laid his staff upon the waters of Egypt and they immediately became blood so no one could drink it.

Frogs: Still Pharaoh refused so God sent a plague of frogs.

Lice: Once again Aaron stretched out his staff, smote the dust and it became lice to annoy the Egyptians. The Egyptians in fact had an ongoing problem with lice.

Flies: Flies everywhere. Ick!

Livestock diseased: Every horse, ass, camel (in fact there were no camels in Egypt until the Persians invaded around 500BC, oxen and sheep caught some terrible disease.

Boils: Moses was then told to take ash and throw it heavenward. When it came down it would become boils on all the people and animals. Slow learner, this Pharaoh, whoever he is--Ramses we're told.

Thunder and hail: "Tomorrow about his time, I will cause it to rain." Once again Moses lifted his staff to the heavens and it started to hail fire, destroying Egypt's orchards and crops. Once again Pharaoh "hardened his heart."

Locusts: More bad news for poor old Pharaoh. Still he refused to "let the people go" so along came the locusts to eat the Egyptians out of house and home.

Darkness: Moses stretched his staff towards heaven and a thick darkness fell over the land.

Death of firstborn: And Moses said, "Thus saith the Lord, About midnight (not too sure this term was used back then) will I go out into the midst of Egypt and all the firstborn of Egypt shall die, (a retribution) from the first born of Pharaoh, to the firstborn of the maidservant, and the firstborn of beasts."

Some archaeologists have considered historical evidence of the Ten Plagues. An ancient water-trough bears hieroglyphic markings detailing a period of darkness. An Egyptian papyrus describes a series of calamities befalling Egypt, including a river turned to blood, and the land generally turned upside down. This, however, is usually thought to describe a general and long term ecological disaster lasting for decades, such as that which destroyed the Old Kingdom (long before Ramses was even a twinkle in his ancestors' eyes), the dates usually given for the Exodus, making them wrong by several hundred years.

Some science writers and Bible researchers have suggested that the plagues were passed-down accounts of ordinary natural disasters, and not supernatural miracles.

Plague 1: Water turned into blood and fish died. The redness in the Nile could have been pollution caused by volcanic activity, specifically that of Thera, now Santorini, Greece, which erupted around 1600BC. Ash from this eruption is found in the Nile region. The silt could make the Nile turn blood red.

Plague 2: Frogs. Any water blight that killed fish would also have caused frogs to leave the river and likely die.

Plagues 3 and 4: Biting insects and flies. The lack of frogs in the river would have led to massive insect populations, normally kept down by the frogs.

Plagues 5 and 6: Livestock disease and boils. There are biting flies in the region which transmit livestock diseases; a sudden increase in their number would spark epidemics.

Plague 7: Fiery hail. Volcanic activity not only brings with it ash, but also brimstone, and alters the weather system, sometimes producing hail. Hail could also have occurred as a completely independent natural weather event, with accompanying lightning as the "fire".

Plague 8: Locusts. Hail will destroy most crops, leaving several insects and other animals without a normal food supply. The remaining crops would become targeted heavily, and thus be destroyed by swarms of locusts. Swarms are not uncommon today. There was a plague of locusts in Egypt in 2004.

Plague 9: Darkness. There could be several causes for unusual darkness: a solar eclipse, a sandstorm, volcanic ash, or simply swarms of locusts large enough to block out the sun.

Plague 10: Death of the firstborn.

If the last plague indeed affected the firstborn, it could be due to food polluted during the time of darkness, either by locusts or other natural causes. When people emerged after the darkness, the firstborn would be given priority, as was usual at that time, and would be more likely to be affected by any toxin or disease carried by the food.

The documentary Exodus Decoded, by Jewish Canadian filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici, theorized that the selectiveness of the tenth plague was caused by a major eruption on Santorini, 650 miles to the northwest of Egypt. It is one of the largest on record, rivaling Tambora, which resulted in 1816's Year Without a Summer. It would have set off a chain of events resulting in the plagues, eventually killing the first born.

However, all estimates of the date of this eruption are hundreds of years before the Exodus is believed to have taken place; thus the eruption can only have caused some of the plagues if one or other of the dates is wrong, or if the plagues did not actually immediately precede the Exodus.

In his book The Plagues of Egypt: Archaeology, History, and Science Look at the Bible, Siro Igino Trevisanato explores the theory that the plagues were initially caused by the Santorini eruption. He considers a two-stage eruption over a time period of a little under two years. He places the first eruption in 1602BC, when volcanic ash tainted the Nile, causing the first plague and forming a catalyst for many of the subsequent plagues. In 1600BC, the plume of a Santorini eruption caused the ninth plague, the days of darkness. He also has a theory that the Egyptians (at that time under the occupation of the Hyksos), resorted to human sacrifice in an attempt to appease their gods. This human sacrifice became known as the tenth plague.

After the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland and its resulting widespread devastation, this explanation of the Egyptian plagues is more believable.

Dynasties: The Egyptian Renaissance

By Jean Adams

There were 31 dynasties in ancient Egypt but the 18th Dynasty (1550-1292BC) is probably the most written about when it comes to fiction. It was the dynasty that gave us some of the most colourful pharaohs including Hatshepsut, Akhenaten and Tutankhamun.

I like to call it the Egyptian renaissance.

The founder of this dynasty was Ahmose I who is less well known than some but unquestionably of major importance to Egyptian history. During his reign Egypt was finally and completely liberated from the Hyksos. Various scholars attribute different dates to his reign, but he probably became ruler of Egypt around 1550 BC at 10 years old, and ruled for a period of about 25 years.

During his early reign, little was accomplished and perhaps the Hyksos may have even gained some ground, recapturing Heliopolis. By the end of his first decade in power, we know from a naval officer that he laid siege on Avaris. This was a long battle interrupted by the need to put down insurrections in already liberated territories. He later attacked the southwest Palestinian fortress of Sharuhen in a six year siege that would finally put an end to Hyksos control of Egypt.

Amunhotep I (Amenophis) was the son of Ahmose I and his queen Ahmose-Nefertari, and ruled from 1546 to 1526. He undertook military campaigns in Libya and Nubia using boats on the Nile to transport his army. He extended his empire by establishing a vice-royalty in Nubia.

Once on the throne, Amunhotep I had to defend Egypt's borders because the Libyans had taken the opportunity of Ahmose I's death to launch an invasion in Egypt's delta. He led an army to the Western border and defeated the Libyans and their allies. Next came a rebellion by Nubia. This time, he led an army to the southern border and quickly restored order. Amunhotep I had an interest in art and architecture and initiated elaborate building projects such as the Karnak temple complex at Karnak.

Amunhotep II was the seventh king of the 18th dynasty. He continued the military exploits of his father, particularly in Syria, where he crushed an uprising and demanded oaths of loyalty from local rulers.

A great sportsman, his greatest feat was shooting copper targets with arrows, while driving a chariot with the reins tied round his waist. Amunhotep II inherited a vast empire, which he did not intend to lose easily. Any rebellions were severely dealt with and a series of campaigns were made into Syria. Inscriptions detail how Amunhotep II sought to fight in hand-to-hand combat and led the Egyptian troops into battle with howls of rage. He is regarded as the most bloodthirsty pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty.

Not so Akhetaten, formerly Amunhotep IV, who together with queen Nefertiti and their six daughters fostered new styles in art and literature. The confiscation of the wealth of the Amun temples wreaked havoc on its priesthood. Akhenaten used these riches to strengthen royal control over the army and his officialdom. His concentration on internal affairs brought about the loss of some of the Egyptian possessions in Canaan and Syria and of the Egyptian naval dominance, when Aziru defected to the Hittites with his fleet.

Akhenaten's religious reforms didn't survive his reign and monotheism in its pure form was forgotten in Egypt, even though it found a new expression in the trinity of Re, Ptah and Amun. The Aten temples were demolished, and Akhenaten came to be called "the Enemy."

Tutankhamun (1361-1352 BC),the son-in-law of Akhenaten, succeeded his brother Smenkhkare when he was only nine years old. His vizier Ay restored the traditional polytheistic religion, abandoning the monotheistic cult of Akhenaten. He left el Amarna (Akhetaten) and returned to the capital Thebes. By reviving the state god Amun he strengthened the position of Amun's priesthood. The pharaoh changed his name Tutankhaten, (living image of Aten to Tutankhamun, (living image of Amun).

Jean Adams' latest novel, ETERNAL HEARTS, available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, is set in the 18th Dynasty, during the reign of Akhenaten. You can watch the book video here.

Research: Life in Ancient Egypt

By Jean Adams

Daily life in ancient Egypt was harsh. Despite being the most advanced nation of the then world, most people didn't live beyond 40 years of age. Because of this, they usually married at a young age.

Egyptian culture expected women to marry at around age twelve. Marriage was a secular activity regulated by custom rather than law. Instead of a marriage contract, men and women drew up property contracts at the time of marriage in the event of death or divorce. The woman then travelled to the home of her new husband.

In the home, women were responsible for the day-to-day running and decisions. Women had the same legal rights and status as men under the law. The men were usually gone from the home much of the time because of seasonal work or warfare. Tomb builders had their own towns and villages near their current work, enabling their families to live with them.

The division of labor within a household evolved from environmental conditions. The men did heavy physical labor in the hot sun, while women labored inside or in the shade. Women attended to the household's gardens and orchards. Kitchens were situated outside the home because of the intense heat and meals were eaten outside or on the flat rooftops.

Twice a day, women fetched water and filled huge clay vessels that stood in the courtyard or by the doorway of every house. Women did most of the weaving, spinning linen thread from flax fibers. As farmers, women never handled tools with blades. They winnowed the grain, separating the stalks and seeds, and then they ground the grain for baking. Women helped to make wine and beer, and they pressed oil from nuts and plants.

How about this, ladies. Women did not wash dirty laundry! It was the men who handled the laundry because it was washed in the Nile and there was a constant threat from crocodiles along the river banks.

If they had the means, bathrooms were built right in their homes. There is evidence that in the New Kingdom the gentry had small bathrooms in their homes. In the larger homes next to the master bedroom there was a bathroom that consisted of a shallow stone tub that the person stood in and had water poured over him. There is no evidence that the common people had bathrooms in their homes.

It was the responsibility of each household to dispose of their garbage at the communal dump - the irrigation canals. As a result, these dumps were breeding grounds for vermin and disease. Some homes in the cities may have had trays of earth for drainage and disposal of waste. For the most part, however, ancient Egyptians simply dumped their waste in canals or open fields.

There were no formal schools for girls, so mothers educated their daughters in the home. Women attended professional schools, such as the school of medicine at Heliopolis and the woman's school at Sais, to learn to become doctors.

Women in Egypt were free to seek employment outside the home. Many women worked as musicians or dancers in the temples and during festivals. Wealthier households employed women as maids or nannies, and sometimes as professional mourners for funerals.

Some women would operate a small business out of their home, such as linen or perfume manufacturing. These activities increased the household income because these items were much in demand for funeral rites.

Professional opportunities for women included physician or midwife, director of dance or singing troupes, and overseer. The women who became doctors mostly attended to other women as gynecologists. Their skills were such that they performed Cesarean sections and surgically removed cancerous breasts.

Legal rights, responsibilities, and status were divided along class lines rather than gender lines. Within a given class, men and women had the same rights. Women were free to buy and sell property, enter and execute contracts, and file lawsuits. A woman could acquire possessions, property, and debt separate from her husband through labor or inheritance. A woman was entitled to inherit one third of their joint property on the death of her husband, the remaining estate was divided between the surviving children and siblings of the dead man.

Women were also equally accountable under the law. A woman who was convicted of a capital crime in a court of law would be executed, but only after the court determined that the woman was not pregnant. If one was found to be pregnant, her execution was stayed until she could give birth to the child.

Guest Author: Jean Adams

This week we're helping contributor Jean Adams talk about her latest historical romance from Highland Press, ETERNAL HEARTS, which is a time-travel set in ancient Egypt. Here's the blurb:

She found the love of her life, 3000 years too late.

When Alexandra Kelly returns a broadcollar to Egypt she is swept through a time portal on a breathtaking, yet terrifying journey to a land of majesty and splendour, the land of the pharaohs.

Death is Lord Khafra's fate if he embarks upon his dangerous quest. Can Alex's arrival save him from his date with a lonely, fiery death? Together they find love and face terrible danger and hardship but the sexy charioteer could make any woman believe the gods were smiling on her.

But at the next full moon Alex must return to the 21st century and Khafra will have been dead for 3000 years.

***

Why did you write this story?

I've been besotted with ancient Egypt ever since I first saw The Ten Commandments. That wasn't what I supposed to see, I know, but since that time I've read anything an everything I could lay my hands on about the ancient Egyptians. I've discovered they are not the villains of the peace they have long been made out to be. Quite the opposite in fact. They were very tolerant and advanced, as far as ancient civilisations could be, and I wanted to help set the record straight.

Did you come up with the title or did the publisher think of it?

The title is mine. The Egyptians believed in eternity long before vampires staked their claim on it (no pun intended). That's why they built those magnificent tombs and pyramids. They were supposed to last to the end of time--into eternity.

What is the story about?

Alexis Kelly, falls through a time portal and goes back to ancient Thebes. Lord Khafra, the hero, finds her and takes her home. She must stay three-and-a-half years in the past for month, until the moon shifts round to full again. During that time she encounters a near-death experience, and takes part in the greatest house move in history--when Akheneten moved the then capital, Thebes, to Ahketaten. Alex journeys down the Nile on his luxurious barge to the desert wasteland that will be her new home. Matters get worse when Khafra is arrested for treason against the king. But time is running short and Lord Khafra must escape to get her back to the 21st century so he can clear his name.

Why made you choose the time of Akhenaten and Nefertiti?

I had two choices. That dynasty or another, about a thousand years into Egypt's future. I procrastinated for about two years trying to decide which time period to go for. I finally realised that this was a very exciting and colorful time in Egypt's history, and was a story that people would probably recognise, so I opted for 1300 BC. Once I made my decision thankfully, it worked. I started writing and the story it fairly flew off my fingers. It didn't take long to get the first draft done.

How much research did you have to do?

Thankfully, not too much because I'd read many books and websites already but I kept checking my facts. We will never know some of the small, personal details, so I used romance writer's licence there. One of the things I had to cut out of the book includes the original Egyptian version of the Cinderella story. And I'm sure that Nofret and Rahotep would be happy to know they are still married three-and-a-half thousand years later. True eternal hearts.

What's next for Jean Adams?

I'm developing a trilogy set in ancient Egypt, not time travel this time, but I've just had to take a full time job after my business went belly up, so it will probably take longer than I'd hoped!

***

Thanks for stopping by, Jean! Leave a comment or question for Jean to be entered in a drawing for a copy of ETERNAL HEARTS, which will be available from Highland Press very soon. Void where prohibited. Best of luck!

Excerpt Thursday: Jean Adams

This week on Unusual Historicals we're featuring our own Queen of Egypt, Jean Adams! She's getting ready to celebrate the release of ETERNAL HEARTS and will be with us on Sunday to discuss it and give away a copy. Hope you join us! Here's the blurb:

She found the love of her life, 3000 years too late.

When Alexandra Kelly returns a broadcollar to Egypt she is swept through a time portal on a breathtaking, yet terrifying journey to a land of majesty and splendour, the land of the pharaohs.

Death is Lord Khafra's fate if he embarks upon his dangerous quest. Can Alex's arrival save him from his date with a lonely, fiery death?

Together they find love and face terrible danger and hardship but the sexy charioteer could make any woman believe the gods were smiling on her.

But at the next full moon Alex must return to the 21st century and Khafra will have been dead for 3000 years.

***

Khafra's face looked grim and ashen. "Abana. I am under arrest. For treason."

Alex threw herself to her feet "Treason? Dear God, no!" That's the death penalty.

As soon as she'd heard hoof beats galloping through the streets in the middle of the night Alex had sensed that something was very wrong. The pounding on their door confirmed her fears. Now her roiling stomach turned inside out and back again as fear loomed large and terrifying.

"They say that I have conspired to kill the king." His voice was grave.

"But you're not involved in ..." Her voice rose shrilly as hysteria grew in her stomach. "Tell them."

She could see by his drawn face and tight lips that this didn't look good. When he spoke, his voice sounded hoarse. "I must prove to the king himself that I am innocent of this crime, and I must do it without implicating my father."

"Can you?" She held her breath.

He shook his head. "I know not."

Hearing Khafra choke on the words didn't help. She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. "I won't let them take you. You've done nothing."

It was a futile gesture. One of the king's charioteers unhooked her arms roughly and pushed her away from Khafra.

He straightened his spine, squared his shoulders and tried to smile but the attempt was futile. "I must go with them now, sweet love. Try not to worry."

She could see that his bravado was for her benefit but he couldn't disguise the fear in his eyes. "What if you're found guilty?"

"Pray to Ma'at, Goddess of Justice, that I can prove my innocence," he said solemnly.

Dear God, What if they found him guilty? Put him to death? How did a man prove he had no part in plots to kill the king? Her panic grew. "But—what if you can't? What if ...?"

Khafra merely lowered his gaze. Alex couldn't finish. Lifting her chin she fixed him with a look of determination. "I'm going with you."

He took a step toward her but the king's guard stopped him. "No, Abana. You cannot help me."

"But I can't just wait around here while they accuse you of heaven knows what. I'll beg for you life if I have to."

"Abana. They will not understand you." He lifted his hand to cup her cheek. "I promise I will return."

"You'd better." She gave a frightened little laugh and watched helplessly as the guard bound Khafra's hands behind his back.

They led him away. Proud head high, bearing erect, Khafra walked out between two guards, yet he looked so vulnerable dressed only in his kilt.

Grief-stricken, she followed them out into the courtyard. Three chariots waited—one for the prisoner and his guard, the other two each bore two men as escort.

Khafra was shoved like a common criminal into the leading chariot.

He managed to turn and face her, a grim smile on his lips. "Abana, my heart-mate, always know that I will love you into eternity."

Tears spilled down her cheeks. "As I will you, Khafra, my love" she called back. But her voice was lost in the sound of clanking bridles and chariot wheels, as they drove through the gateway in single file. Then he was gone, swallowed up by darkness.

"Come back to me, Khafra," she whispered into the night. "Don't die. Please come back."

How long she stood in the courtyard, staring into the night through tear-filled eyes, Alex had no idea. Maybe her nightmare would end soon and she would wake up to find him sleeping peacefully beside her. But she was awake—and alone in Egypt.

She shivered and wrapped her arms around her waist. Khafra had been her only protection and now he could be put to death for a crime of which he was innocent.

Put to death!

Alex couldn't breathe. Her heart pounded in her chest. He'd done nothing wrong so why had he been arrested? Could he prove his innocence? What evidence did Akhenaten have against him? Surely it was a mistake, a misunderstanding.

If that little creep, Ikui, had overheard him praying the night she was taken away, he would have listened to everything and it would he his word against Khafra's.

Was Khafra afraid? He should be terrified. Knowing him, he'd be more afraid of what would become of her than for himself.

If he were found guilty, he wouldn't be coming back. She would be alone. The truth hit her squarely in the solar plexus as frightening thoughts nudged at her brain.

If Khafra didn't come back how would she survive? Maybe she could try to return home. But how? Even if she could get back to the Temple of Thoth it wouldn't do any good. Khafra alone knew how to open the portal.

She would never get back to the 21st century.

Men: Akhenaten

By Jean Adams

The second son of Amunhotep III and Tiye, Amunhotep IV, was probably not the first choice of the pharaoh, but would have fallen to his older brother, Thutmose, who died under unknown circumstances at an early age (Aldred, 1988).

Amunhotep IV's story begins at a time when the brave new dynasty of warrior pharaohs was beginning to become stagnant. The forging of a new empire, started by the pharaoh Ahmose at the beginning of the 18th dynasty, had raised the god Amun to a position of unprecedented power.


Nothing much is known of the early life of Prince Amunhotep IV. His father's reign rarely mentions him. Amunhotep IV's age upon becoming pharaoh is a matter of guesswork because his age is never specified in ancient texts. But Prince Amunhotep must have been of an age to be able to sire children, since he had at least one daughter by the first year of his reign. This could place him at as young as eleven or twelve.

Amunhotep IV's reign began with building projects including with a large sandstone quarry. He also took on the job of decorating the pylons his father had erected in the great Karnak temple complex. The decoration of these pylons gives us the first glimpse of things to come. We see the beginnings of the drastic changes the pharaoh would impose on official artwork starting to emerge (Redford, 1984).

In the third or fourth year of Amunhotep's reign, close to the time of his decision to change his name to Akhenaten, the king decided to have a royal jubilee, known as a Sed-festival. Such festivals were usually celebrated on the 30th year of a pharaoh's coronation, and thus a celebration so early in Akhenaten's reign would have been unusual. The Sed-festival's purpose was to reinforce his divine powers of kingship.

The festival marked a major turning point in Akhenaten's reign. Official art developed into the "early Amarna" style, which so exaggerated the unusual features of the king that it led some scholars to believe that Akhenaten may have suffered from some sort of medical condition.

In the fifth year of his reign, Akhenaten undertook another major project. In perhaps his most dramatic effort, he abandoned the old capital city of Thebes and set out to create a new one in central Egypt in a previously uninhabited spot. He called his new city Akhetaten, or "The Horizon of the Sun-disc."

The site of Akhetaten, now called Amarna, is a barren place surrounded by cliffs. The place resembles the symbolic horizon, and because it is located in the center of Egypt, may have been significant in Akhenaten's choice of this particular spot. Akhenaten laid out his plans for the city in great detail in a place he claimed to have been instructed by Aten to build.

A large cache of clay tablets, known as the Amarna letters, was found in the city. In these letters, we see the disintegration of the massive Egyptian empire taking place. Despite continual requests for gold, which the king apparently ignored, Akhenaten continued to build his city, and further suppressed the traditional array of Egyptian gods. He began a campaign to erase the name of Amun from as many texts and monuments as possible. He even changed aspects of the written language, in one example altering the spelling of the word "mut" (mother) so that it no longer made reference to the goddess of the same name (Redford, 1999).

In year twelve of his reign, Akhenaten held a large festival in which foreign dignitaries from all across the Egyptian empire visited and presented large quantities of tribute. The festival marked the beginning of the end of the reign of the "heretic king." In the years that followed, the situation at Akhetaten rapidly disintegrated. A spiral into tragedy started with the death of Akhenaten's second daughter, Meketaten (Aldred, 1988).

Akhenaten's mother, Tiye, disappeared at about the same time as Meketaten, probably both having fallen victim to the plague that had by now spread into Egypt (1984). Nefertiti faded quietly into the background (what happened to her is not known), and princess Meritaten was soon elevated to the position of Chief Queen and married to a mysterious figure called Smenkhkare, who co-ruled with Akhenaten for a few years (Redford, 1984; Aldred, 1988).

The last reference to Akhenaten appears on a wine jar docket dated "Year 17." He presumably died in Akhetaten of natural causes. Upon its rediscovery and exploration in the 19th century, Akhenaten's tomb lay empty save for some debris and the smashed remains of the king's red granite sarcophagus. The city of Akhetaten was abandoned and in left ruins. Akhenaten's experiment ended as abruptly as it had begun. After a brief occupation of the city by Pharaoh Tutankhaten, the successors of Akhenaten left the city and attempted to destroy all traces of this most mysterious and dramatic interlude Egypt's history.

The story is told against a background of danger and intrigue, and condensed for space purposes, in my latest novel, a time travel, ETERNAL HEARTS, due soon from Highland Press.

Greatest Hits: William Flinders Petrie

By Bonnie Vanak

He had the personality of a curmudgeon, was known for being eccentric (showing curious tourists at the Great Pyramid his pink underwear to scare them off), read Euclid and conducted chemistry experiments when he was just a lad of 15, and authored over 1,000 books and articles on the digs he conducted.

Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie, born in 1853 and died in 1942, is considered the "Father of Modern Archaeology." The British Egyptologist and archaeologist was the first to insist on careful, meticulous excavations and examining each handful of earth. He censured the crude methods of using dynamite to blast into ancient tombs. His scientific and mathematical method of measuring the Great Pyramid of Giza set the standard for pyramid measurement.

Before writing my first book, THE FALCON AND THE DOVE, I was researching ancient Egypt and the 18th dynasty pharaoh Akhenaten. In 1892, Petrie excavated Akhetaten, the city the pharaoh built to worship the god Aten. Petrie's work inspired me to include the dig in my book when the heroine, Elizabeth, becomes part of the historical excavation. In THE FALCON AND THE DOVE, Elizabeth, a rebel at heart, breaks Petrie's rules by riding a donkey to the dig site. History tells us Petrie ordered all his workers to walk there. He led a very spartan life while on site.

I'm so fascinated with Petrie that I decided to interview him.

Bonnie: Sir William, is it true your expeditions meant sacrificing luxury and comfortable accommodations while at the dig site?

Petrie: Pah! Who complained to you about that? Bunch of lily-livered saps. Need to buck up. Nothing wrong with sleeping in an old tomb, and eating canned meat. The work's all that matters.

Bonnie: I read that you stripped off your clothing when outside Khufu's pyramid and showed off your Calvin Kleins for the tourists to scare them off. Your PINK Calvin Kleins.

Petrie: Who is this Calvin Klein?

Bonnie: He makes men's underwear.

Petrie: Useless profession. Yes, I did and I detest tourists. Get in the way, the whole lot of them. Worse than the flea-bitten donkeys.

Bonnie: So you did measure the inside of the Great Pyramid nude?

Petrie: Damn hot inside, what else was I supposed to do? Wear a fur coat? Have you ever been inside one? Stuffy as a tomb. Considering it was a tomb.

Bonnie: You worked with Howard Carter on the dig at Akhetaten. He was working as an artist, but made some important discoveries. You're partly to thank for Carter's training that led him to discover the tomb of King Tutankhamen.

Petrie: Carter? Insignificant sap, told him he'd never be more than an artist. Never would make a good excavator. I trained many gifted archaeologists much better than Carter.

Bonnie: Amelia Edwards, who authored A Thousand Miles up the Nile, was a great admirer of yours. She funded the Edwards Professor of Egyptian Archaeology and Philology at University College, London. You had the distinct honor of being the first to take the chair.

Petrie: Yes, yes, Amelia, lovely woman, bequeathed her collection to the college. Intelligent and a very good author.

Bonnie: So where did you take it? The chair, I mean.

Petrie: (silence)

Bonnie: That was a joke.

Petrie: Pah! Are you quite done? I have work to do.

Bonnie: Almost. It's said you never did quite get the hang of Arabic. But you changed the way excavations were conducted, and as a result, archaeologists after you understood the importance of examining every bit of debris at a site, every single potsherd. You set the standard, and because of your sequence dating at Naqada, we now have the Predynastic Period of Egypt's history. You, sir, are to be commended for all your wonderful contributions to history.

Petrie: Thank you.

Bonnie: Afwan.

Petrie: What's that?

Bonnie: It's Arabic for "You're welcome."

Petrie, grumbling: Bloody show off!

Literature & Education: Egyptian Literature

By Jean Adams

Ancient Egyptian literature grew out of religious beliefs, but quickly evolved to deal with man's day-to-day life. Literary works occupied a distinguished position in ancient Egyptian civilization. The Egyptians viewed literature as a source of spiritual nourishment and a unique way to elevate style of expression. Refined literary style was a source of pride for the writer and appreciation and enjoyment for the reader.

Egyptians wrote plays, dramatic poetry, songs, religious hymns and love poetry, in addition to description of nature, poems to glorify their kings and their battles, and songs for workers and farmers and others to be sung in parties.

Ancient Egyptian literature can be dated back to the Middle Kingdom (2022 BC-1850 BC). This era witnessed a great number of writers and thinkers who left behind works of art reflecting the elevated status of thinking and culture.

One story is titled "The Sailor and the Wonder Island" (The Shipwrecked Sailor). It narrates the story of an Egyptian sailor whose ship is wrecked with all others on board, drowned. As the only survivor, he lives on an isolated island, finds a treasure, and returns home. The original“Treasure Island perhaps?

Scholars and critics of comparative literature are at loggerheads on the extent of the influence of the "Message of Forgiveness," written by the Arabic poet abul-Ala'al- Ma'arri (973-1057 AD), on Dante Aligieri's Divine Comedy. The central theme of both works is the description of heaven and hell in the hereafter.

Some scholars believe this theme has clear roots in ancient Egyptian literature, which tackled this theme in many works. It was evident in The Book of the Dead, The Book of the Gates, and in the story Isis, Osiris and the World of Dead.

Ancient Egyptian writers expressed their imaginative vision of the journey of the soul after leaving the body to the sky until it reaches the court where the deceased's heart is weighed against "Ma'at's feather" that symbolizes justice, truthfulness, rightness and bounty. Then, the deceased is sentenced to eternal paradise or hell.

The ancient Egyptians also excelled at novel writing. This is reflected in the great number of stories left behind. In some of these stories, a well-traveled hero tells us about his adventures such as the story of the sailor and the dangers he witnessed on the mythical island of snakes.

Another example is "Snohi" (Sinuhe), a story that was famous for many centuries. It describes Snohi's escape from Egypt after a perceived wrongdoing and his stay in Syria for many years where he won the favor of the king. He became so close to the leader,who allowed him to marry his elder daughter, and gave him a plot of land. When Snohi grows old, he also grows homesick. He appeals to the king for permission to return to Egypt to see, as he says, "the place that his heart is longing to see because the greatest thing in the world for a man is to be buried in the place of his birth." His hope is fulfilled and he returns to Egypt.

The ancient Egyptians excelled in writing romantic love poetry. In addition to eulogies to Nile River and its merits, there were many love poems that expressed not only passion surging the heart of a lover, but also delicate emotions. Sentiments of love were couched in beautiful similes derived from aspects of the Egyptian environment. For example, a lover says to his beloved, "My beloved is like a garden, full of beautiful papyrus blossoms and I am like a wild goose attracted by the taste of love."

Another lover says, "My beloved is there on the other bank. We are separated by the floodwater. On the bankside, there is a crocodile lying in wait. But I am not afraid of it. I will swim through the water until I reach her and be delighted."

In another love song, two lovers exchange refined expressions of love. The loving woman says, "I will never leave you my darling. My only wish is to stay in your house and at your service. We will always be hand in hand, come and go to gather everywhere. You are my health; my life."

In many of the love poems of Egypt, the man calls his beloved "sister" and the woman calls her lover "brother" in order to show how each one of them highly appreciates the other.

Finally, can you guess this story?

Rhodophis, a young slave girl, who could dance beautifully, so delighted her old master that he bought her a pair of golden sandals. The other servants were jealous, so when Pharaoh decided he wanted to take a wife, and summoned all the women of the kingdom to a great feast, they didn't tell Rhodophis and left her behind. But the gods intervened and sent Horus, in the shape of a falcon, to steal one of her sandals. He dropped it at the feet of Pharaoh, who declared the sandal was so dainty that we would marry the wearer. Many tried it on but it fit none of them so he sent out his chariots to find her. They found Rhodophis cowering behind a bush and sent for Pharaoh. He took her by the hand and declared his undying love for her.

Cinderella's story with the same central themes appears in abundance in the folkloric and literary works of many nations all over world, the most famous being the Brothers Grimm.

The first reference of this story dates back to the era of the fourth Dynasty in the 26th Century BC.

Food & Drink: Party Time in Ancient Egypt

By Jean Adams

If there was one thing the ancient Egyptians loved, it was a good party. In fact almost every day of the year was dedicated to one religious festival or another, although I doubt many of them were an excuse for a good knees-up.

One interesting fact I discovered was that their equivalent of December 25 was celebrated as the birth of Horus, the holy child. Hmm. Interesting.

Food was plentiful especially a vast amount of grains, fish, vegetables, and fruits. They enjoyed beef and other red meats very much, but the common people could not afford them. The arid land made it very hard to raise grazing animals, so beef was expensive and eaten only at special banquets. The primary food of their diet was grain, because it could be used for many purposes.

Grains offered an endless supply of food and could be stored with little spoiling. The grain was taken and stored in local community granaries and could be used for making bread, pastries, and cakes, a favourite being honey cakes. The breads would be flavoured by adding honey, fruits, nuts, and oils to the dough before baking.

Fruits and vegetables were also a major part of the diet. Vegetables included leeks, onions, garlic, cucumbers, lettuce, cabbage, and radishes. Onions and garlic were a major part of their diet because they believed they were especially good for the health. Cabbage was considered a delicacy, boiled and eaten before the rest of the meal. Green vegetables were often served with an oil and vinegar dressing to enhance the flavour. Few fruits could be grown in Egypt because of the hot, arid climate, but the most popular grown were grapes, figs, pomegranates, melons, and dates. Olives which could not be grown, were imported for oil.

Fish, like grain, was a part of most Egyptian's daily diet, although eating fish was shunned by some of the upper class Egyptians. Fish was served boiled, fried, roasted, or dried.

Meat was eaten by the common people only on special occasions, because of the high price and scarcity of cattle, although the rich could have it at every meal. These included beef, pork, geese, duck, various birds, sheep, and goats.

Honey was a great addition to the Egyptian diet, used for many applications. It would be added to different breads and cakes to enhance their sweetness.

Beer was the preferred drink of humans and gods, of rich and poor, of grown-ups and children.

"The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with beer." -- Inscription dating to 2200 BC

Water along the Nile was rarely in short supply, though its quality was often poor. While the river was not used as a sewer, human excrement did enter it and with it pathogenic agents. This, of course, was unknown to the ancient Egyptians, who thought of disease as the result of daemonic activity; but people, aware of unseen dangers lurking in water--in the hereafter at least--prayed to the gods.

Milk, considered a delicacy by many, was kept in egg-shaped earthenware jars plugged with grass as protection against insects and was drunk shortly after milking. It is often assumed that milk not destined for immediate consumption was processed into something similar to yogurt.

Wine was known to the Egyptians before 3000 BC. On festive occasions, such as the yearly Hathor Celebrations at Bubastis, Hathor being the goddess of love, joy and drunkenness, wine was drunk by everyone, as seen here.