We had worked in the Valley for almost two years and the projects were unfolding pretty much to plan. After Tamaam attained her degree, she had joined our team and was fully engaged in the design and installation of tomb canopies. Her brother worked in the Council’s civil engineering division, where planning for the extension of our collaboration was well advanced. There was at least another year’s work in Queen Hatshepsut’s awkward tomb, though the results so far vindicated our thoughts about those looking for extreme adventure. The Ministry of Tourism was already touting it as the next amazing attraction for people seeking an adrenalin rush and the initial response from travel writers was gratifying.
The reconstruction of Siptah’s tomb produced better results than expected due to the convincing realism of the textured new surfaces. Richard’s masons became so proficient at re-creating the original appearance of hand chiselled limestone, it was difficult to distinguish old from new and the stone merchant had even found a way of incorporating wall tiles, made from fractured limestone, into the walls and ceilings.
My domestic life was bliss personified. Tamaam found us a comfortable house just outside Luxor and we maintained a modest apartment in Cairo near her parent’s home in an arrangement that suited us admirably. Out of both desire and necessity, my proficiency in spoken Arabic improved immeasurably. About six months into our marriage, we had our first fight over some trivial matter, now long forgotten. Our voices grew louder and the tenor of the argument became heated until my fiery little wife burst into voluble Arabic as her command of English finally let her down. She stood in the middle of the lounge room, hands on hips, dark eyes flashing as words flowed from her lips. I burst into what she deemed totally inappropriate laughter and was rewarded by having a pillow thrown in my face. I grabbed her and we tumbled onto the couch where she yielded under my determined attack on her virtue. Later, when we had recovered from an excess of passion, I asked her what she had said.
Her reply was tart. “Dennis, it is time you learnt to speak the language of your adopted country. Your hundred words may be workable out in the field with the labourers but they are not enough when you are married to a native. I will not tell you what I said just before you ravished me, but I will buy some DVD’s today and we will devote one hour every day to the furtherance of your education. Then perhaps when I tell you, in Arabic, you are a stupid man and do not appreciate me enough, you may understand what a treasure you have found.” This last part was said with a naughty look. Arabic lessons commenced the next afternoon.
Our social diary was full. Apart from the visits to her parents, we usually arranged a Friday dinner party and these became the highlight of our visits to Cairo. The guests were an eclectic mix of young students, a leavening of staff from the CEA and whoever was visiting Egypt in the field of archaeology and civil engineering. I found it stimulating to live simultaneously in the worlds of both ancient and modern Egypt. Living in Luxor was a sharp contract to the Cairene lifestyle, much slower and, in the areas away from the tourist hot spots, very pleasant. Tamaam and I were fortunate. No matter how demanding our work was, the burden was offset by the camaraderie of colleagues working in the Valley and other archaeological sites.
The possibilities of new discoveries added an extra dimension to our work. In 1995, Dr. Kent Weeks had re-discovered KV5, the extraordinary tomb of the sons of Ramesses II. Then, a team led by Dr. Otto Schaden discovered a new tomb in 2005. Now designated KV63, it was found only fifteen metres from the southern edge of Tutankhamen’s tomb. The tomb, a simple affair excavated during the Eighteenth Dynasty, held a horde of large pottery jars, many still sealed, a number of black resin coated coffins, a very rare find of fine fabric pillows and one small but unique gold foiled wooden coffin.
One evening over dinner, we and our guests, Jean-Claude, Abdullah Dief and Yousef al-Badawi, considered the likelihood of new finds. Jean-Claude ventured “It is possible there are many more royal tombs still hidden in the Valley or nearby, as the tombs of three Eighteenth Dynasty rulers, Ahmose, Amenhotep I and Tuthmosis II and the Twentieth Dynasty king, Ramesses VIII, have yet to be discovered or positively identified.”
I asked. “What about the two almost mythical Eighteenth Dynasty rulers, Smenkare and Neferneferuaten and the remote possibility of Akhenaten’s remains being interred in the Valley?”
Abdullah said “Dennis, we could get into a very long and involved debate about Akhenaten,Smenkare and Neferneferuaten but that would spoil our dinner. Let’s just say the possibility of their tombs being discovered is a very long shot. To cloud the issues, there are at least three tombs that could have an association with Akhenaten, KV25 and KV55 in the Western Valley and TA26 in the royal wadi at Amarna and there are real problems with the actual existence of Smenkare and Neferneferuaten.”
Yousef contributed to the discussion.”The discovery of the tomb of Ramesses VIII is a more likely prospect. As Prince Shethherkhepshef, he started KV19, which you have seen, is little better than a beautifully decorated corridor, but then he gave it as a gift to his son, Prince Mentuherkhepshef. He attained the throne, reigned for about a year as Ramesses VIII and then died. A period of one year would not have allowed his builder to get the quarrying tools out of the cupboard though the Egyptians did not discard a royal body due to a short reign.”
Jean-Claude said “There may be better luck in finding the tomb of Ahmose and clarifying the burial places of Amenhotep I and Tuthmosis II. Ahmose’s mummy was amongst those in the Deir el-Bahri cache and it is thought he may have been buried at Dra Abu el-Naga, that hilly outcrop in the Theban necropolis I took you to last year, Dennis. His son and successor, Amenhotep I, whose mummy was in the same cache, could be the owner of KV39 or AB-N, a tomb explored by Carter. Then, there are several candidates for the tomb of Tuthmosis II. Remotely possible, a fairly primitive grave with a well shaft, DB358, was uncovered at Deir el-Bahri in 1929 and a slender case has been made for KV42, even though this tomb contained the mummy of Queen Meryetamun, the wife of Amenhotep II. I think it highly unlikely Tuthmosis II was buried there. His father was buried in the Valley and there is every reason to believe his tomb is in an area not as yet fully explored by our fellow archaeologists.”
“So, there are possibilities of new discoveries though there doesn’t seem to be any active exploration going on in the Valley. Why is this?” I asked.
Abdullah replied. “Money. Digs are expensive, especially in the light of so much previous excavation. A team can spent a small fortune removing previously dumped overburden and achieve nothing. Most recent missions have been financed by universities and the bean counters who manage institutes of learning today like to see results. If we had more men with your father’s fundraising ability, we could do so much more but one must have patience in this field. There are good men and women working in the Valley as you know but their hands are tied. Inshallah, the future will be brighter. Until then we concentrate on working with what we have.”
Shortly after this dinner, I was invited to fly up to Cairo for a meeting attended by representatives from the President’s office, the Ministry of Tourism, the Council and the star attraction,my father. Sir Reginald regularly flew down to Egypt for joint CEA-BEAS meetings, followed by field trips to venues dear to his heart. My mother usually accompanied him but, as she suffered from claustrophobia, she had to rely on her husband for descriptions of the work deep within the tombs. They were both delighted that I had married so successfully and mother wanted to know when she would have a little pharaoh to cosset.
The meeting was to commemorate the transfer of additional funding from the Society. After formal speeches of welcome my father stood, amidst warm applause.
“May the peace of God be with you. Gentlemen, today I wish to officially announce the Society donates the further sum of $30 million to the Council of Egyptian Antiquities. The gift is given on the understanding its employment is at the sole discretion of the Board of Governors.” His announcement was greeted with enthusiastic applause. After some comment about future collaborative efforts, he concluded.
“Let me finish with a personal remark. I have spent my life devoted to your country’s great heritage and it gratifies me to see so many Egyptians becoming specialists in the disciplines supporting the field of archaeology. It is also a matter of considerable pride that my son, Dennis, has found happiness in marriage to a fine young Egyptian woman who is herself a product of advanced education. Now, I suggest we adjourn for lunch and continue this meeting over some fine food.”
I joined in congratulating him. “Not bad, Dad, not bad at all. $30 million dollars will go a long way in Egypt.” “Well, it will keep you busy for a few more years and, if I am lucky, I may be able to raise even more once the money men see the results of the first projects.” He raised his voice slightly. “Gentlemen, shall we leave? I am in desperate need of some grilled Nile Perch.”
Lunch developed into a vast affair. At my father’s invitation, we were joined by many of the CEA senior staff. I was on the point of speaking to Dr. Hussein when there was a drop in the level of conversation as President Kamal arrived unannounced. The restaurant’s patrons rose and applauded the man who was moving their country forward with such determination. He walked amongst the guests, shaking hands and nodding to various acquaintances, finally asking if he might join my father and Professor Dief at their table. This was a great honour, one not missed by my father who would, no doubt, use it to benefit his fund raising efforts. I sat down, flanked by Omar Hussein and Yousef al-Badawi. Our conversation revolved around the scope of possible new projects until I asked Omar how the DNA analysis was going.
“We have some very useful results and the programme is developing better than we hoped. Of course, there are still many parts missing from the jigsaw puzzle of bloodlines and Professor Schadlich has asked us to submit additional samples from the wider base of bodies. The analysis have left us with a few unidentified bodies but there is an irrefutable genealogical chart being built up for the New Kingdom royal families. There are years of research ahead for my laboratory and the French Institute but I am sure we will clear up a few mysteries.”
Stopping to finish his dessert, he went on. “We have, how do you English say, ‘A fly in the ointment’. You know we received negative results from first samples from Ramesses II? New material was sent to Paris and tested. It is not yet widely known but the body bears no relationship to Seti or his son, Merenptah. Professor Schadlich advises the tests are conclusive, so we know the much admired body of Ramesses II is not of the king who bears his name.”
“What are you going to do now?” Al -Badawi answered “Precisely nothing. As Omar said, it is years before all the tests are concluded and the genealogical tables published. At the moment, very few know about this problem. The employees of the French Institute are all under a high degree of confidentiality and we intend not to publicise the matter. It is a bit of shock to think one of the Museum’s prize exhibits is not who we claim it to be but can I promise you, the mummy will not tell anyone about his true identity.” We laughed at the grim humour.
“Am I at liberty to discuss this with Jean-Claude d’Argent?”
“He has been informed and did not seem to be too concerned as it does not affect his work in the king’s tomb. I believe the recent progress Jean-Claude has made is quite amazing, Dennis? Can you bring me up to date, please?” I discussed his most recent achievements, mentioning his request that Richard and I visit the tomb when I got back to Luxor as he had found what he thought was an anomaly.
“An anomaly in Ancient Egypt. Now that would be something unusual.” quipped Yousef. “We have a famous royal body with the wrong name. Now that is an anomaly.”
My father remained in Cairo, arranging details about the donation before he and my mother flew down to Luxor to holiday with us. During the visit, we discussed future works as he was keen to start restoration in the Valley of the Queens, once we had mastered the first project’s objectives.
“What I have in mind is the same approach taken by Jean-Claude in KV7, teams of specialists working together on a specific project. Look at the problems in Seti’s tomb. What better approach than to shut it down, bring in every specialist required to sort out all the problems and then re-open it, secure in the knowledge it won’t have to be touched for decades or even centuries. The same process should apply to KV38.”
“There would be some problems in getting the work sequence right as the excavation of flood debris is a painstaking business as is the re-attachment of flaking plaster. Our civil engineering techniques, by comparison, have all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop.”
“I know that. However, the money we have just injected should make a big difference. Rather than having to wait until a university finds sufficient funds to undertake a project, the money is now on the table. With some good negotiation and a little more collegiate co-operation, the CEA can bring together the best team available with the dollars to underwrite a project. However, we all have time to consider these implications. Now the important issue. When are you and Tamaam going to have a baby? Your mother is driving me mad with this question. I didn’t realise how clucky she could be until you re-married.”
We survived the visit by my parents and saw them safely off on a trip down to Aswan, where they would stay a few weeks. Just after they left, Jean-Claude wandered over to our site office, wanting to find out when Richard and I could have a look at the anomaly in the Ramesses tomb.
“What could you have found that warrants Richard and I having a look? Your own civil engineers can diagnose any problem and find a solution, unless you have found some English artillery sitting on a Napoleonic sabre?” I said.
“Perfidious Englishman. If it was Napoleonic, it would be a French sabre sitting on English cannon. Seriously, Mon ami, we have no idea what it is and your opinion would be useful.” I rang Richard, who was over at KV47 and asked him to come to the office. Once he joined us, we walked over to Ramesses’s tomb.
“We have spent over six years working on this tomb and I intentionally ignored the well shaft. When I first inspected the tomb, I climbed down into the shaft, which was partially filled with debris, had a look and thought there was much more immediate and interesting work in just about every part of the structure, so we planked it over. A few months, ago I decided to excavate the shaft. It was a slow business and I did not expect to find anything of interest in the debris. The entrance is nowhere near any other tomb, so the chance of objects having washed into it was minimal. However, we dug down to floor level and completely cleared the well, finding nothing other than badly damaged images from the Book of the Heavenly Cow. I was on the point of re-laying the covering planks after I made a final inspection but, before I say anything else, I want you both to have a look at the shaft.”
We descended into the tomb and climbed down the shaft, carrying powerful torches. Jean-Claude said. “Have a look about you.” “What are we looking for?” asked Richard. “Just have a close look and tell me what you see apart from the remnants of decorations.” We poked around, noticed the corners were bevelled,which was unusual, saw the floor and lower edges of the walls had been painted black and noted the remains of a damaged frieze of some river scenery at the level just below the corridor floor. Richard said he saw nothing unusual when I noticed something in the periphery of my torch light. Swinging the beam directly into a corner, I saw that the top edge of the black painted border on one wall was slightly lower than the other three walls. “Is this what you mean?” pointing at the corner.
“Yes, it is the first clue. Normally, painting a border would not have been a challenging task for a tomb decorator so the top of the border should be at the same level. Look a little closer at the bottom of the wall.” He indicated the one with the dropped margin. I got down on my knees and shone the torch beam at the wall’s edge. He and Richard joined me. The bevel on the lower edge was also slightly below the corresponding edges on the other three wall faces. We bent down, faces almost to the floor and peered at the lower edge.
“There is a crack running right along the edge.” said Richard, moving his torch up the wall. “The crack goes right up both walls and,” rising to ascend the ladder, “up to the corridor floor level and it goes across the full width of the wall. There is some evidence of chipping on the edges but I see all the bevelled edges have some damage.”
“Bravo. I had my men vacuum clean right around the edges of all four walls and only this one appears to be cracked. Now, what does it mean? That is why I have asked you to have a look. None of my engineers have any idea other than suggesting there is a possible fault line involved and some seismic event in the last three thousand years has caused this section of the shaft to crack.”
“Possible but unlikely. Movement can cause this type of cracking though it would be highly unusual to produce such a regular crack and there should be some evidence of shattering on the face. Do you have a rubber mallet and stethoscopes?” I said.
“A minute.” He climbed up the ladder and came back with a mallet and three stethoscopes. “Please take care of the medical equipment otherwise our doctor will have a panic attack if it is damaged.”
“Put the stethoscopes on, place the platens on the wall and listen.” I went around the three solid walls banging the mallet against their surface. Then I hit the cracked wall dead in the centre. The sound was more resonant. I kept hitting the wall around its perimeter and up and down its length. My ears detected a reverberation.
“Opinions, gentlemen?” Richard was the first to comment. “It sounds hollow but that’s not possible, is it? Rock fracture can distort sound in a variety of ways but the resonance from this wall does not sound like anything I have heard before. Jean-Claude?”
“I have no experience in the resonance of solid rock so I cannot help you. It sounds different but other than that, I have no opinion.”
“We should go outside and have a bit of a think about this.” I said. We ascended the corridors and emerged into the sunlight. “Let’s have a close look at this hill.” We walked around the hill and climbed up to its summit but saw nothing to indicate a subsidence or rock fracture but this was not unusual. Faults were mostly underground, although some parts of the Valley showed pronounced evidence of the underlying main fault. This is more than obvious above the tomb of Ramesses III, where there was a significant rock joint. We returned to the valley floor.
“I would like your permission to conduct a test which will involve drilling some holes in the four faces. I propose we use a 20mm masonry bit at least one metre long and I will need to make at least twelve holes. They will be obvious but not destructive.”
Jean-Claude said he saw no problem as there were already many holes drilled into the rock within the tomb, so a few more would not hurt. He called his foreman over and asked him to find the equipment and bring it down into the shaft. Richard set up the drill and I instructed him to bore a hole into each of the solid walls about one metre up from the floor and towards the middle. This took about half an hour and all we got was powdered limestone and the bit had not faltered as it bored into the rock. He applied the tool to the fourth wall and was exerting pressure when, suddenly, he fell forward against the wall, the drill chuck gouging its surface.
“What the hell?” I told him to bore another hole but this time upwards at an angle of 45 degrees and to watch the depth of the bit. He set to work and drove slowly upwards until he ran out of resistance again. When he pulled the bit out, a steady trickle of clean, dry yellow sand followed.
“Now, where does the sand come from?” asked Jean-Claude, as it began to make a small but growing mound on the floor. “I think you had better plug the hole, Richard.” He pulled out his handkerchief and stuffed it into the hole. Jean-Claude and I picked up a handful of the sand, examining it. “This is not from the Valley. It’s desert sand, find grained and sharp edged. What is it doing coming out of a solid limestone wall?” “Richard, please unplug the hole.” Sand fell from the small hole until we had a fairly large pile on the floor. I stopped the flow with the cloth and said we should go topside again.
“Okay, let’s get this sand analysed in Cairo, although I am sure it came from the western desert. We need Dief and al-Badawi down here as soon as possible and a team of seismologists as well. Jean-Claude, your thoughts, please? The tomb is your project.”
“Dennis, at the moment I have little idea what you have found. I will ring the CEA in the next few minutes and I know there are seismologists at a French oil drilling site in the Sudan. What do I tell them?”
“First, we need to determine the extent of the hollow in the wall and whether or not there is some type of fault in the limestone structure around or above the shaft. We don’t want the hill collapsing into KV7 by disturbing the strata surrounding it. I have a suspicion about what we have just seen based on something my father told me about some tombs discovered buried under thousands of tonnes of sand. We will also need equipment we can feed into the holes we have drilled - you know the type of gear,a flexible shaft with a camera on the end. Until we run some tests on the wall and what may be behind it, I do not think we should let any more sand run out of the hole.”
We agreed on the procedure. Richard knew of a company in Cairo that sold technical camera equipment. I rang my father, who promised to get up to Luxor as soon as we were ready to proceed with the seismic tests. Professor Dief called back and asked me what I thought we had found. I told him of my suspicions which prompted him say he would book a ticket on a flight to Luxor with the French team. Now we had to wait for the various specialists to arrive before anything else could happen.
The seismological team arrived a week later. Jean-Claude introduced me to the team leader, Henri Colbert, who asked me where I had learnt about rubber hammers and stethoscopes. I told him I once dated a medical student who practiced auscultation, or percussion, on my body. He laughed and said that they could perhaps do something a little more sophisticated but he was impressed with the effectiveness of such a simple procedure. Henri told us the more scientific approach was based on the same principle as sonar. Sound waves pulsed out of a transmitter and then bounced back to a receiver where they were analysed by a computer programme. Different geological formations gave off different readings and anomalies such as voids could sometimes be identified, although he admitted results could be erratic and not necessarily produce a true picture of a rock formation.
“If it did, we would all be rich as we could find oil domes the first time we send the sonar waves into the ground. Alas, it is still a hit and miss business. Ces’t bon, time we began to work. First, we will survey the hills in the immediate area and have a look at the local geology. I have already called on an ami at the School of Geology in Cairo and he will be down tomorrow with data on rock formations in this part of Egypt. I also need plans of the tomb from as many perspectives as you have. Now, please show me this wall. We can run some immediate tests using our equipment before we try ground penetrating radar. But first, Jean-Claude, a delicate matter. Perhaps you can advise me on some of the delights of Luxor as my men will work better after a little relaxation. The Sudan is not noted for the quality of its night life and we can only stay a week.” This started a voluble discussion between the Frenchmen and I left them to their, no doubt, informative discussion. Henri saw me leaving and said I should be at the tomb early the next morning as they would start on the shaft walls then.
The morning delivered unto me a gathering of seismologists and a geologist together with Abdullah and Yousef. I called them to attention and suggested we move into the tomb as unobtrusively as possible, saying it was imperative we did not make ourselves obvious or create a furore over what might be nothing. I suggested, until we found something of interest, we maintain strict secrecy about our activities. The geologist from Cairo pored over stratification maps with the seismologists and Henri delegated two of his men to climb down into the shaft with some more sophisticated equipment. They were soon at work sending pulses through all four walls and talking to each other too fast for me to understand much of what they said as they read the computer print-outs. My parents arrived mid-afternoon and I confided my suspicions to my father, who decided a little patience was warranted so they went off with Tamaam to look at Siptah’s tomb.
We decided to meet after dinner in a conference room in Luxor’s Grand Hotel to discuss the first sounding of the walls and our plan of attack. During dinner with my parents and Tamaam, I refused to speculate further on my suspicions until we all met as arranged. Just after 8pm, we adjourned to the conference room, where Henri had set up a screen behind the lectern. Jean-Claude asked Henri to begin.
“Claude and Thierry, two of my technicians, spent the day sounding the walls.” He explained the process and how the readings were interpreted by the computer. “The results are interesting although we almost missed a very small reading. Behind two of the walls the soundings showed a considerable amount of disruption caused by normal fractures within the limestone matrix. This is typical of geological readings in this type of rock formation. However, they indicate the rock is basically solid for as far as our equipment can penetrate. From the wall facing the burial chambers, which are lower than the bottom of the well shaft, we saw results confirming the location and structure of voids created by the excavation as we had fed the layout and dimensions of the entire tomb into the diagnostic computer program. Our thanks to Jean-Claude and his team for the precise plans of the tomb’s structure they have produced.”
He paused for effect. “On the north-western wall, the one leaking sand, we expected to find the same reading as we found in the first two walls as, in theory, the limestone behind that wall should be solid though showing the discontinuities typical of Theban limestone. At first, the results looked very similar to the other two walls but Claude refined the program’s focus and they noticed an anomalie etrange, sorry, a strange anomaly. Mes amis, the readings appear to indicate there is limestone for about half a metre, then sand for three metres and then solid limestone of an indeterminate thickness. The suspect wall may not be monolithic. At the lowest level, there seems to be a mass of what might be high density stone, and above this layer, the sand. My technicians tested the wall’s height and returned the same readings from the floor to its top at the level of the gate just before the well shaft. If you look at the screen graphic, you will see an image produced from the computer generated results. I must warn you this is a preliminary result and only several days of intensive seismic testing and imaging may confirm what we have found so far.”
Henri’s announcement and the image created a sensation. Animated discussions developed around the table until Yousef put his hand up and called a halt.
“Please, can we settle down? Dennis, it is time to look at some theories. You intimated you have an idea?”
I stood and went to the white board. “A few builders used sand as a hydraulic medium and it was also employed as a filling in a few deeply quarried tombs. The best example of using sand to mask a tomb’s existence is the Saite burials of the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty at Saqqara. Also at Saqqara, the use of sand as a hydraulic material is known in the sarcophagus chamber in an unfinished pyramid from the Thirteenth Dynasty. Let me draw you a typical application using this technique.” I sketched a rough drawing of a square box filled with sand with a block sitting on top, tunnels underneath and clay pots at the bottom of the tunnels. “By breaking the pot, sand runs out through the tunnels and the block settles into the desired position. From what we have seen in the shaft so far, the sand running out could indicate something behind the wall may settle if we allow more to pour out. Henri, from your initial soundings, have you been able to calculate the size or volume of the limestone wall?”
“At a very rough estimate, it could be between five and ten tonnes. Thierry put a feeler gauge into the cracks, which are very narrow. The gauge was not long enough to determine how deep the crack is but it goes right around the sides and top of the wall. We cannot get under the block unless we get permission to chisel up some of the well floor.”
Jean-Claude said. “I have no objection to Henri’s people chipping up the floor. Is it a problem for you, Yousef?” Yousef nodded his head in approval.
“You are drilling holes into the walls so chipping up the floor creates no greater difficulties. If nothing is discovered, Jean-Claude’s men can repair the floor if the damage is substantial and apply black paint to mask the repairs. As it is, the lower edges of the walls and the floor are already badly damaged by flooding. I think we need to stop any further activity in the first tomb until Henri’s team have undertaken the next survey. We appear to be in unexplored territory at the moment and must proceed with caution. I fly back to Cairo tomorrow but will return when we are ready to hear Henri’s next presentation. Until then, please maintain secrecy.”
The French team began an extensive examination of the hill over KV7. Merenptah’s tomb, the next closest, was set well back from the entrance so there was little chance of its presence causing much interference with the survey. Henri, Claude and Thierry spent two days placing their acoustic probes in the hill’s margins and out onto the edge of the roadway in front of the entrance. Questions from curious tourists were fended off with the reply the Frenchmen were hydrologists doing a water table survey of the Valley. Late in the afternoon of the second day, Henri rang me and suggested Abdullah and Yousef should fly down immediately and I should book the conference room again.
As soon as Yousef arrived, we re-convened at the hotel. Jean-Claude had brought some of his team, Henri’s men were all present with my father, Abdullah,Yousef, Richard, Elizabeth and Tamaam completing the gathering. Thierry had connected his computer to a large screen. Henri began his presentation. “Good Evening. By way of introduction, let me say we are seismic engineers and know nothing of archaeology. This is the first time my crew and I have worked on a project of such interest and so different from what we normally do. However, I believe you will be surprised by the results but it is for you to interpret the findings. We effectively triangulated the hill from dozens of different locations and set the results around the model on the screen.”
The projection showed a three dimensional image of the hill, part of the valley floor and the existing tomb set into a green grid. The image could be made to revolve through 360 degrees at ground level and pivot 180 degrees, so we could look down and through the entire structure. This type of program is widely used in designing engineering projects.
“Thierry, you may begin.” The image was turned so we saw the tomb head on from the entrance gateway. Henri took a laser pointer and the red light hit the pillared hall behind the well shaft. “Delete everything from the pillared hall onwards including the burial chamber and storerooms.” Thierry tapped away at the keyboard. These disappeared, leaving a truncated section from the entrance to a point just after the well shaft.
“Now, show them what we have found. Voila!” Highlighted in red lines against the green matrix was a new set of irregular outlines with a vague shape to the north of the well shaft. “Add density to the background.” The area outside the outlines filled with a slight blue tinge. “That is limestone surrounding the object.” The inner part of the image filled with a yellow tinge. “This, we believe is sand but watch this.” Thierry tapped away again.
Right in the middle of the outlines, stood a solid white mass, a number of squares and behind it, further to the north, there appeared a series of short white lines in what seemed to be a very regular pattern. Yousef jumped up and looked more closely at the screen. Jean-Claude, my father and I joined him.
“The white lines and mass tells us there is highly impenetrable material in various parts of the matrix. We have an idea that it is a high density stone like granite or basalt and it is not naturally occurring. The reason we suspect a high density stone is that we had to increase the level of acoustic scanning as we think there is a shell of similar material around the outer margins of this structure. The roof gave irregular results as there are interruptions in the density at what may be piers. The readings of the short lines and the big mass in the middle are accordingly somewhat imprecise but I have approximate dimensions for you to consider. The mass in the middle is about twenty seven cubic metres. Thierry, revolve the image and then sweep over it in an arc.” The image slowly revolved and stopped. We viewed a perspective from due north over the top of the hill finishing at ground level to the south.
“You will notice the white squares appear to be piers when viewed this way and the short white lines to the north could to be slabs. The mass in the middle remains a constant solid block no matter which way it is scanned. In our opinion, we believe there are chambers filled with sand and buried in this sand are some solid objects, all fabricated by the hand of man.” He finished with a flourish.
Abdullah exclaimed “Ma sh’allah. I think Henri is right. The image indicates a series of objects that are too regular to be natural. Just what the mass is I have no idea”
My father spoke up quietly. “I do. You mentioned the problem with Ramesses’ mummy. People, I think we are looking at a second, hidden tomb which is the actual burial place of Ramesses the Great. The block is his sarcophagus and these are stone doors closing storerooms.” He pointed to the white slabs with his hand. Silence fell on the room. Henri asked,
“What is the problem with Ramesses mummy? I read about some DNA tests in Paris two years ago.” Yousef told him and reminded him not to breathe a word about the matter or what we were discussing. Sacre Bleu, c’est incroyable, exclaimed Jean-Claude.
I asked, “What do we do now? We will have to look at the well shaft again to see how to approach opening the wall. Henri, you mentioned sand. What do you think these objects are behind the well shaft wall?”
“Again, it is only an observation, but notice these lines are symmetrical and whatever they are fashioned out of is, presumably, high density stone. I cannot determine their purpose, though we think the lower sides of the main room are lined with heavy stone as these lines indicate some sort of reinforcement. The same symmetrical formation appears to be sitting behind the well shaft wall. The sand serves no structural purpose. What is of interest is this.” The image turned to a side view and he pointed to an indistinct area above the chambers.
“The limestone there appears to be badly fractured and although it looks solid on the image, the discontinuity is more marked than in the surrounding matrix and we detect more sand.” We looked whilst Thierry revolved the image again.
“The clever bastard. That’s a tunnel. There is a tunnel, driven through the limestone from the top of the hill to the chamber, which was used to pour sand into it. Ramesses built a hidden tomb and then had it filled with sand to foil grave robbers. The hand of a genius is involved here.” said my father.
The image kept slowly revolving on the screen and we watched transfixed by the enormity of what was revealed. My father said to Jean-Claude “Didn’t I read something in one of your reports about finding basalt chips just outside the entrance, chips you could not account for as they did not fit any known artefact or object?”
“Mais, oui. We only found a small volume of chips which we could not explain as basalt is not native to this area. They were not pieces from smashed statuary or anything we are familiar with. I think, Yousef, the closest basalt deposit is way up in north Egypt and it was not widely used in the south.” Yousef confirmed Jean-Claude’s remark.
My father said “Gentlemen, it is my opinion the king built himself an underground fortress for his remains and I think this will be the work of his Overseer of Works, a man by the name of Sennefer, if my memory serves me correctly. The great block could turn out to be the biggest sarcophagus in Egyptian history and we may find it extremely difficult to enter this tomb.”
Abdullah put this hand up. “We need to stop speculating and work out how to get into those rooms, if they are actually rock cut chambers. Henri, you fly back to Sudan in a few days. Can you leave us these images? Incidentally, is there any indication of a mass of unnatural rock suspended over the chambers?”
“I can do better. My team has to return but I am due some vacation time and what better place to have a holiday than down a well shaft in Egypt? You may need some further diagnostic work as you move ahead with whatever you propose. The main room appears to be very large and my equipment can possible tell you if the room is stable before you enter. In answer to your question, no, there does not appear to be anything suspended over the main chamber that we can determine so far. Apart from the technical aspects, I would not miss this opportunity for all the oil domes in Alaska.”
“Excellent. Your presence will be of great value. You have my thanks. Yousef, what about the sand?
“The sand, which Dr. Hussein assures me comes from the western desert, is bone dry or at least it is in the section behind the shaft wall.”
“Dennis, your observations, please.”
“The image indicates the possibility of a corridor behind the wall and then a large mass of limestone. The corridor turns to the left and then leads to the large chamber. The obvious first stage is to drill more and larger holes through the wall and carefully let the sand drain out. I do not know the etiquette involved in breaking into royal tombs but, Yousef, do we plan to cut through the wall?
“That is a question we will discuss once we know a little more about the nature of the wall. Intentionally destroying part of a tomb is something we do not permit unless it is absolutely necessary. If we are in agreement, the wall should be opened in the least destructive manner and then we can look at the options. I need to be re-assured about releasing the sand and not creating a nightmare by having rocks or blocks coming down, injuring people or destroying the tomb. We need to proceed with great caution.”
The rest of the evening passed in serious discussion about what we thought we had found, it’s meaning to Egyptian archaeology and possible methods by which the mausoleum could be opened. In turn, we were excited, stunned or just pensive as the implications began to sink in. If we had stumbled onto a new Ramesside tomb, the ramifications were immeasurable.
Within a few days, Richard had rigged up a bucket hoist to remove sand from the shaft and Jean-Claude’s men set up an elevator to haul the spoil to the entrance where it was dumped into waste bins for removal from the Valley. Abdullah approved drilling larger holes through the wall and we began. Progressively, sand poured out until nothing further flowed from the lowest holes. Acoustic microphones did not detect the sound of stone grinding or moving.
Remote camera equipment was brought in so we could have a look at the environment. Richard climbed into the shaft with his kit and we all crammed into the well shaft. After hooking up a monitor, he fed the flexible metallic cable through a hole at mid level, flicked a switch and the screen was flooded with light and a blurred image, which he sharpened. The micro-camera’s head was slowly rotated to reveal a blank wall directly ahead of it, a few metres of corridor to the right and a partially sand filled corridor to the left. On the floor lay a number of what appeared to be squared blocks between the rock face and the wall we had drilled through. He withdrew the camera and threaded it through a lower hole. After some fiddling, the monitor showed the squared blocks more sharply, which solved the first mystery.
“This wall may have been hollowed out and there are blocks, which look like granite, stacked to the left and right of centre between us and the back wall as though to buttress the two. That doesn’t make sense. Why buttress anything at this point?” Richard asked us as we watched the monitor.
I asked “Can this camera see around a corner? So far, we can just make out corridors to the right and left but I cannot see the alignment between the end of the block wall in front of us and the nearside corridor wall. Can you take the camera alongside the inner edge of the block wall and turn its head to the left?”
Withdrawing the flexible cable and inserting it into the furthermost hole on the left, he slowly advanced it along the inner side of the hollowed block, came to the end and moved a toggle pivoting the camera head so it peered left.
“You can’t see the corridor wall. I wonder why not? Is it possible to go out further and turn the head to the left again?”
“Bloody hell, you wee man. I only took a two day course on how to use this kit. Let me see what it can do.” Richard was sweating from the concentration of operating the camera but, after some false starts on the toggle device, he managed to get the camera looking backwards at what appeared to be a red line and, although the definition was not good, the line appeared to start at the floor and go up as far as the camera could see. Yousef and Henri had been watching the images whilst conferring with Marc, one of Jean-Claude’s civil engineers.
“Richard, hold that image for a minute. We have seen a wall ahead of us, several rows of stacked granite blocks that appear aligned with the outer edges of the well shaft’s greatest width and now what seems to be a red line drawn down the outer side of the wall. To find that, you have had to swivel the camera head around a proud edge in front of us. Marc has a possible explanation.”
He handed us a rough drawing. “The drill broke through rock at about 300mm yet the camera head had to go out another 700mm before reaching the corridor wall. This is not a solid wall in front of us. Rather, it is a blocking plug moved into an aperture cut through from here into the new tomb. The granite blocks were put in place between the back wall and the block to stop it from being pushed backwards into the corridor and against the rear wall. The red line, which I am sure we will find on both sides, was the mark telling the builder that the block, when being pushed home, had reached a position that made it the fourth wall of the well shaft.”
Marc continued “The builder had all the corners of the shaft bevelled and possibly intentionally chipped to allow for any damage as the block was being forced home. If this theory is correct, it might account for the slight difference Jean-Claude detected in the black border’s edges. The block has caused a minute amount of deformation in the limestone beneath it and it subsided just enough to create a variation in height from the border painted on solid rock.”
I asked Jean-Claude “Would it have been technically possible for a Ninetieth Dynasty builder to manoeuvre a block this size and weight into an opening with such precision?”
He replied “The degree of parallelism is not unusual, precision is something ancient builders knew how to achieve and the disguising of the false wall is particularly clever but we would need to measure the block wall and the corridor before I hazarded a guess on how the block was manoeuvred in such a confined space. But, in simple terms, it could be done but what a feat of engineering! If Marc’s hypothesis is correct, it is ingenious.”
Yousef asked. “How do we get access if the block has dropped fractionally? We cannot drag it out and, if there are granite blocks stacked behind it, acting as a locking device, we can’t push it backwards.”
I replied. “The only option may be to go through it by cutting an opening with diamond saws. Does someone have a better idea? If not, Abdullah, we will need Council approval to proceed. The inscriptions are fully documented and of little apparent value but by cutting through the block we will destroy part of the decorations and a section of the well shaft. Jean-Claude, do you have a problem with destroying part of the wall?”
Jean-Claude said he had no objections as he was eager to see what was behind it and Abdullah granted consent. We left the tomb and waited whilst an engineer bought in a diamond tipped circular saw and began cutting an opening in the limestone block whilst his colleagues installed an air conditioning duct, as working down in the well shaft had become very uncomfortable. One of Jean-Claude’s team had rigged up a video camera to record every step of the job. It took some time to cut an aperture wide enough for a man to climb through.
After some jocular argument about the honour of being the first to enter the new area, Jean-Claude wiggled through the aperture to be confronted by the wings of the corridor still partially full of sand. He backed out, told us what he had seen and recommended we get a party of labourers down here with buckets and spades as there was still a lot of sand to be removed. He said our thoughts about the plugging block and granite buttressing blocks seemed to be correct but, until we extracted the sand, there was not much more to see.
Yousef, mindful of his position at the CEA, commented. “Now we have to bring in labourers, it is unlikely we can keep secret what we have found. I will assign an official from the Ministry of Tourism to handle the media and get more policemen into the Valley to manage both journalists and tourists wanting to swamp us with questions. We have to strike a balance between the huge publicity this will generate and the need to work professionally within the tomb. Positive news from Egypt is worth a fortune in tourist dollars to the country so I ask you to put up with the media and others who will descend upon us like a Biblical plague of locusts.”
Henri said “As the sand removal could take weeks, I had better get back to the Sudan as I doubt you have any immediate need of a seismologist. Please keep me informed of progress since I am only a few hours away and would like to be here if and when you make a great discovery. Until then, merci beaucoup et au revoir. Bonne chance, mes amis.”
We went back to old time archaeology as digging out and removing sand was a job for hand labour. At first, the gangs were frightened to venture into the tomb as they had never seen anything like this before but, after receiving assurances from Richard that the structure was safe, they dug out the first corridors with more sand cascading in from the main chamber. If it had been the intention of the architect who contrived this method of protecting the tomb’s contents it worked exceptionally well as it took all of two months of bucket and shovel work to clear the loose sand.
What fascinating discoveries appeared from under the sand!The first was confirmation the limestone block was indeed a plug which had been designed to seal and disguise what was the principal entrance. Then, as the level of the sand dropped, we saw every wall was clad in interlocked basalt plates. Next, the granite pillars revealed themselves as did the stepped buttressing system. Nothing like these protective mechanisms had been previously uncovered in Egypt, or for that matter, at any ancient building site. A team from France’s national television organisation took up full time residence in Luxor to produce a documentary of the unfolding of the drama as part of the agreement with Jean-Claude’s employers and the Council. The fruits of their labours created an international sensation far surpassing the finding of the Titanic. Archaeologists and Egyptologists from all over the world applied for permission to visit the tomb and periodically approval was granted for academics to visit the site. All were astounded by what they saw – an absolutely pristine technical marvel three thousand years old.
At first, we found not a single inscription, only the elements of a completely innovative architectural format but nothing allowing us to identify the tomb’s owner. The public relations officer from the Ministry of Tourism, a highly efficient multi-lingual woman, initially managed to keep a tight control over the international media who swarmed into Egypt, booking out every hotel room within 200 kilometres of Luxor. Some enterprising journalists even erected a tent city for themselves out on the plains, making a number of Egyptian landowners a tidy sum in ground rental.
The senior project executives, Jean-Claude, myself and, as required, members of our staff, had to face the cameras for a weekly conference. We began to understand the irritation Howard Carter experienced when he had to keep the press up to date after the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb. He dealt with only one newspaper! Our conferences were attended by hundreds of journalists and some of the questions asked verged on the idiotic. There were times I thought I would rather face a burning oil well fire than have to deal with another episode with media representatives.
After one such conference, Jean-Claude said “I only thought it was the American Press that asked stupid questions but today I came to realise even France has publications for, what do you say, morons? One very pretty but apparently empty-headed Parisian journalist asked me if we had finally found proof of alien visitations to Egypt.”
“Don’t worry. An English newspaperman ask me about the sex life of the pharaohs and, given the well known fact of Ramesses having so many children, the reporter thought he was on fertile ground. He wanted to know if we had discovered any pornographic depictions on the walls of the new chambers. An Australian journalist asked if we had discovered the king’s harem.”
By the end of the first month, the upper part of the massive basalt block was slowly revealed as was part of the plated floor. A tentative attempt to prise up one of the plates failed and an inspection of the block’s faces revealed they were fashioned out of interlocking plates. The edges were slightly bevelled but until we took one off we could not determine the method of construction. Every plate was highly polished and the joints did not permit the insertion of even a razor blade. I rang Henri in Khartoum and asked him about using his sonar equipment to help us. He thought trying to create any meaningful image through thick basalt was a waste of time as the material was too dense to allow effective penetration by sound waves.
There was one, almost catastrophic, surprise in store for us or rather the labourers. The end of the sand chute, driven down through the hill, was soon revealed. Mixed with the small quantity of sand that fell from it were limestone and granite chips. Just as it occurred to me the fill might become dislodged and come crashing down, our Egyptian foreman came running into the site office.
“Effendi, come quickly, the roof has fallen in.” he screamed. I leapt to my feet. Grabbing my cell phone, I rang Richard on the fly and Jean-Claude yelled out to his foreman. We ran into the tomb, slid sailor-like down the well shaft ladder and burst into the main chamber. On the top of the block was a large pile of sand mixed with jagged rocks. I looked up and saw the ceiling was intact. Workmen, jabbering away like frightened monkeys, cowered in groups against the walls. Richard flew into the room and glared at the pile.
“I should have anticipated that. The sand chute would have been partially topped up with rocks to consolidate the filling. It would be a good idea if we stopped work in here now and try to find the tunnel mouth and clear it out just in case there is another bloody great pile of loose rock sitting above our heads. Thierry, we need more lights and some scaffolding in here so we can explore the entire roof surface for any latent tunnels or clever devices. This may not be the set for an Indiana Jones movie but let’s not take any chances.”
Jean-Claude told his labourers to take a break and retrieved Henri’s schematics on his laptop. We climbed up the hill over the tomb where Marc set up a theodolite and took some readings from around the Valley. He pointed to a place on the ground and said we should dig where he indicated.
“Okay, get some safety harnesses. I don’t want men falling down the shaft into the tomb. We’ll drive some harness anchor points well back from here and then they can start digging. Richard, make sure there’s nobody in the tomb below us. In fact, shut the door at the well shaft. Then we know nobody can get into the chamber.”
A small team of labourers, using picks and shovels, opened a hole in the ground, working gingerly around the growing depression. They had been digging for about forty minutes when the man in the deepest part of the hole yelled out and started to scramble up its side as the ground collapsed beneath him. Strong arms grabbed him just as a cloud of dust jetted out of the tunnel, followed by a loud rumbling. The dust settled and we peered down and, through the dust, we could just make out the top of the block. Richard donned a harness and he was lowered him into the shaft. He briefly disappeared from view and then called us to haul him out. Once back on firm soil, he reported his findings.
“It is safe to work now. I had a quick look at the sides of the shaft which had been driven through solid rock straight down to the burial chamber. We need to clear away this loose rubbish, erect temporary hoarding and then fit a water tight door over the shaft. Something for Tamaam’s crew, I think, Dennis. Okay, let’s rake the area clear of loose debris. I noticed the mouth of a side tunnel going towards the northern end of the burial chamber. It is full of sand and may lead to the storerooms at the back of the structure. Sennefer probably designed the sand system to fill those rooms as well and I assume there will be more compacted granite fragments in the second shaft. At least now we know what to expect when we break into that area.”
I mused “I am a bit surprised. All the elaborate basalt armour below us and a simple rubble filled tunnel don’t fit together.”
“Sennefer probably thought the sand fill was a sufficient barrier.” Jean-Claude offered.
Whilst workmen cleared the area around the tunnel mouth, I rang Tamaam who joined us on the hill. I described what we wanted, she took measurements and some photographs, kissed me, which generated hoots from the workmen and left, promising to have something fabricated as a temporary cover as soon as possible. She scrambled down the hill and I followed her with my eyes. I thought what a beautiful little creature she was. Very sexy looking in her jeans, boots and white cotton shirt. Her copper coloured hair flared out under her hard hat as she strode towards her office.
Jean-Claude, a man well versed in the ways of women, tapped my shoulder and said, with a smile. “Dennis, if I was not happily married, I would ask if she has a sister. Time to get back to work, mon ami, although I am not sure a dead king is more interesting than a living princess.”
Having received Richard’s assurances that work could safely resume, the fallen rock was removed and the labourers recommenced removing the residue of sand. The rear wall was revealed, with its recessed basalt door set into grooves, next to which were two holes with what looked like broken clay pieces embedded in their edges. Further clearing uncovered jagged clay shards in the sand.
“I believe these are pieces of clay sealing pots. What do you think?” I asked Jean-Claude, who agreed. I rang my father, told him what we had found and he said he would come over and have a look. By this stage of the excavation, my father had given up any plans to return to England and had rented a small apartment in Luxor. When he arrived, I told him about the incident with the shaft and showed him the two holes in the rear walls.
“Get a photographer in here as soon as possible, Dennis, and photograph this entire area, especially those two holes. Keep every piece of pottery you find. I suspect you are going to uncover a hammer somewhere on the floor. If I am correct, you have just revealed a rare example of the starting mechanism of a sand hydraulic device. I have never seen one but there are a few reports of this type of mechanism. Time to get Abdullah or Yousef down from Cairo again as I think we may have to make a large hole in the wall above this door.”
We were discussing the pots when Jean-Claude noticed fine sand falling onto my father’s shoulder. He made to brush it off when, suddenly, he called out “Everyone, get out of the tomb now!” in Arabic and English. “Out, out as fast as you can.” Men dropped their shovels and we all fled to the safety of the well shaft and scrambled up the ladder. “What’s wrong?” I queried.
“Get Richard over here urgently. There is something moving in the tomb. Didn’t you hear a grinding sound?” Alerted by the sight of men scrambling out of the tomb, Richard and Marc came over to the entrance. Jean-Claude told them he had heard a grinding noise somewhere within the tomb when Richard noticed the fine sand on our shoulders. “Where exactly were you standing when you heard the noise?”
“I think almost under the tunnel opening.”
“Okay, Marc, go up to the top of the hill, put on a safety harness and look down into the tunnel. I think it is time to see if my ability to hear the rock talking is still as good as I have boasted. I am going back into the tomb by myself and I don’t want anyone else to go in until I come back.”
‘Will you be safe?”
“Aye, laddie, dinna you worry yourself about me. I am going to stand just outside the well shaft entrance and have a silent moment with my rocks. If the roof looks like coming down, I’ll nip back into the safety of the shaft.” With that, he disappeared into the tomb. We waited, and waited some more. Finally, he spoke on the walkie-talkie.
“Gentlemen, come down as I want you to see something I guarantee you have never seen before. Marc, can you hear me? Stay where you are but move to the side of the tunnel directly above the secondary tunnel.” We re-entered the tomb and met Richard, who was standing right under the chute, his cupped hands full of sand.
“You are safe enough here. Look up the tunnel and you will see a steady but very slow trickle of sand coming out of the side just below the point where the rocks where compacted.” We cautiously peered upwards. Richard was right. A thin stream of sand was seeping out of a small hole. “Listen” Richard whispered. I could hear a very faint grating sound. “Be ready to spring back if rocks start to fall. It won’t be much, if I am right, but still enough to dent some skulls if they hit you. As soon as material stops falling, look up again and you will see the work of a genius in action again.”
Marc’s head hung over the tunnel silhouetted in sunlight. A section of the tunnel side appeared to bulge, then gave way, showering the floor with chunks of stone.
“Now, look up.” yelled Richard
I could not believe my eyes. “Mon Dieu. What the hell is that?” asked Jean-Claude before I could ask the same question. A round nosed slab of rock was slowly sliding out of the side of the tunnel, accompanied by a slight grinding noise. As we watched in fascination, it came to rest against the opposite side of the tunnel, effectively sealing it closed and shutting off the daylight completely.
“Gentlemen, you have just witnessed a time delayed lock in operation. It has been just over four days since the rocks fell out of the tunnel. When I returned to the tomb and saw the sand trickling out of its side, I put a ladder up and had a close look. The falling lumps had broken a very small clay pot, one that is almost undetectable. On closer inspection, I discerned the outline of a rectangular piece of limestone set into the side of the tunnel, matching the radius perfectly. Our clever architect set up a mechanism that would trap robbers within the tomb, if they been able to break in through the sand chute.”
Totally amazed at what I had just witnessed I asked. “What do you mean?”
“You were surprised about the chute. The builder knew it was the weakest link in the armour he had developed. He filled the whole tomb with sand, placed a layer of jagged edged rocks just above the little clay pot and topped the lot up with material from the area immediately around the tunnel mouth and then went home. Without the heavy compaction equipment we all use, rollers and vibratory tools, he may have expected the material in the chute to settle and leave an almost imperceptible depression at some time. In anticipation, he set up his booby trap.”
“At some time, robbers would arrive, find the depression, pull out their spades and dig down. They are happy men, they work hard and keep digging and they are not deterred by finding rocks. They just dig away but in doing so they break the small pot in their enthusiasm. They continue just like the seven dwarves, pulling bucket after bucket of sand out of the top of the burial chamber. There is no way they would have noticed a small trickle of sand coming out of the side of the tunnel. How do I know this? Because Mr. Smarty Richard didn’t see it either and I am trained to see anomalies in rock formation.”
“Anyway, Messrs. Tom, Dick and Harry, members of the tomb robber’s guild, are now down a few metres into the sand pit within the tomb. Suddenly, the trickle of sand stops and the big plate you saw sliding out of the side of the tunnel pushes out the limestone insert the builder had cleverly disguised and the portcullis slips, almost soundlessly, right across the tunnel. The plate was positioned at a downward angle and its weight, together with the slow release of sand through the broken pot, combined to produce a time delayed lock, one that would have trapped the robbers inside the tomb for eternity. If they had any associates with them that were not trapped, I guarantee they would have had the living daylights frightened out of them and never ventured near the tomb again.”
“Richard, if what you describe is correct, the builder of this entire structure would rank way up the list of ancient builders for his ingenuity. I am willing to bet there is nothing like this anywhere in the ancient world.”
“Dennis, he was smarter than any engineer I have worked with in my life. He was an absolute cracker!”
“I wonder if there are any more little surprises hiding around us?” asked Jean-Claude, who was still looking up at the blocked tunnel with trepidation. “We will have to be tres, tres vigilant from now onwards, mes amis.”
It took some time to calm our workforce, even though none of whom had seen how the tunnel was blocked, but they were still spooked by Jean-Claude’s urgent injunction to leave the tomb, post haste. For the time being, he ordered the tunnel left untouched until we had investigated the mechanism more closely. Taking the Frenchman’s advice to heart, we proceeded with extra diligence as we continued the clearance. Luckily, we had affected our initial entrance through the well shaft, otherwise some of us might have had a few unpleasant hours locked inside the tomb with no other means of escape, whilst rock breakers were brought up to smash through the tunnel blockage. That would have created a real panic with our workmen.
We found a copper headed hammer and a long copper rod lying on the floor under the last of the sand, the purpose of which we could not determine. By the time Yousef arrived, the tomb had been fully cleared and vacuumed free of sandy residue. The stark light of site lamps revealed the extent of Sennefer’s creation - granite pillars, basalt faced floor and walls, buttressing steps and the doorway with its clay fringed holes. Dominating the whole room was the massive, glistening black block.
Richard announced “Just like the black monolith in ‘A Space Odyssey’. Better not tell reporters too much about the monolith otherwise we are going to have alien stories everywhere. Let’s have a close look at this beastie.”
My father pointed to the holes in the wall near the basalt door. “I think we will find a number of storerooms behind the door, which came down like a portcullis using sand hydraulics. Given what Richard said about a second shaft directed towards that part of the tomb, you can expect to find a chamber with the whole roof section and corridor filled with sand, like the burial chamber, and quite probably another time lock in its sand shaft. We may be able to fit the door with lifting bolts and draw it up and out of its housing but to get into that section, you may have to open a hole in the limestone wall, dig out the sand and try to get equipment in to lift the door. Once it is open, we should have a clear field, apart from any further surprises.”
We looked to Yousef. “If there is no alternative,cut through the wall. Whatever damage we do can be repaired later with an insert. Once through, remove the sand and then we will see what we need to do next. Now what about this mysterious item you mentioned on the phone, the copper rod?”
“We actually have two mysterious items, if we disregard the whole tomb we are standing in.” We all laughed. “Here, give me a flash light as I wish to show you something.” said Jean-Claude. He led us to a square opening in the lower edge of the block and turned the light on, indicating we should each look into the aperture. My father was the first to peer into the darkness. We each took our turn, finally admitting its purpose could not be identified. I suggested Richard get his camera equipment and feed the flexible cable into the hole and have a look-see. There had to be a reason for this singularity in an otherwise solid piece of masonry
“There is one other thing that will be, I believe, of considerable interest.” said Jean-Claude. “Have a look at this.”
He turned his torch onto the corner opposite the entrance. Engraved into the basalt were two cartouches, one with the throne name of Ramesses and other of Queen Nefertari. Both had been filled with gold foil. “Mes amis, I believe we are in for a greater surprise as I suspect lying in the middle of this sarcophagus there are two bodies, not one. I believe Ramesses and his queen were re-united when he was entombed here and if I am correct the entire front tomb was part of an elaborate charade to fool potential tomb robbers. That would explain why the corpse in the Cairo Museum is not a blood relative of anyone of the Ramesside family. The real king is right here beside us and the storerooms will contain his funerary goods.”
My father said “If that is correct, you have uncovered possibly the greatest find in archaeology. You tell me you cannot prise any of the paving blocks out of the floor or wall?”
“We drilled holes into one of the pavers in a corner, glued in threaded sockets, put in eye bolts and tried to lift it out. It would not budge. Reginald, the precision with which these plates were cut is incroyable. Just to design the plate grid would have been a major feat of mathematics and drafting skills. There is no discernible pattern or duplication and frankly, I am a bit concerned that, if we prise off one of the vertical tiles, the whole lot may come crashing down on us. Sennefer’s ingenuity is beginning to un-nerve me somewhat.”
Richard returned with his remote camera and a lap top computer. He set it up, then fed the flexible cable into the square aperture. Slowly, the head approached its end and the image on the monitor showed what looked like a jagged piece of pottery. He swivelled the head around until its light illuminated a layer of sand below the jagged edge.
“Good God” my father exclaimed. “Do you have an overall tomb schematic on that computer? If you do, please pull up a view showing what is underneath this mass”
Richard found the folder, opened it and put a side projection on the monitor.
“Revolve it around on the same plane, please.”
Part of the image was obscured by rooms at the lower level of the original tomb but it showed a discontinuous and hazy area below the block’s white bulk. Consulting Marc’s written synopsis, Richard said there was no definitive analysis of this part of the hill other than an abnormally high degree of unnatural fractures in the limestone under the tomb.
“Gentlemen,I believe you are looking at another ingenious piece of ancient engineering. The long copper rod was thrust into this hole where it smashed a clay pot. Sand ran out into pits or tunnels under the floor, allowing one half of this block to descend and completely seal the sarcophagus. Before any of you tell me it is impossible to suspend hundreds of tonnes of basalt, I will further suggest the top came down in sections in a sequence to make up the entire upper half. If that is the case, I have serious doubts we will even be able to break into this block, short of using laser cutters or dynamite. The man who designed and built this device was an engineering marvel.”
“Look here. Each face is an irregular mosaic of basalt plates. When the top half descended, the upper plates meshed with corresponding but random edged plates on the lower half. Where would you start to prise it open without smashing up a lot of the surface? If the top came down in sections then, after you dismantle one face, you will be confronted with the next fashioned in another random pattern. If we succeeded in dismantling the shells, we will have ruined the lot. Dennis, you’re a civil engineer, what do you think?” he queried.
“Frankly, at the moment I don’t know what to think. I am still trying to work out why Jean-Claude could not pull a paving plate out of the floor. As to the block, whatever Sennefer built another man can pull apart.”
Yousef spoke up. “Dennis, forgive me but I have two comments to make at this moment. The first is the Council will not permit the destruction of such a monument. I am sorry, but we have suffered enough at the hands of people smashing open tombs. The second consideration is one of greater gravity. It is one that may engender external debate but the outcome will be the same as I now state. I am a Muslim living in a Muslim country and hence I have no belief at all in the gods the Ancient Egyptians worshipped. However, you will find all Muslims respect the dead as much as the people who developed our ancient civilisation. If Ramesses and his builder went to this much trouble to effect a burial that could not be despoiled by tomb robbers should we not put ourselves in the same frame of mind? In this country,we permit the excavation of tombs but we do not permit the removal of bodies from burial grounds unless there is an overwhelming possibility of a body being stolen. To Muslims, it is of no consequence Ramesses was interred three millennia ago. He deserves the same respect as though he was buried yesterday. You may take it as an absolute, the Council and our government will not permit the opening of this sarcophagus.”
My father, who had been kneeling on the floor and looking at the computer screen, stood up and shook Yousef’s hand. Still holding his hand he said,
“That is one of the finest sentiments I have heard in all the long years I have been an archaeologist. I agree wholeheartedly, as it accords with one of the strongest concepts motivating our Society. Too much of your country’s heritage is scattered around the world in museums and galleries and too many of the dead of your ancient times sit in glass cases for the curious to gawk at. I appreciate it is important to undertake research on ancient bodies and buildings so we can learn more about our past but, in this case, we should go no further. Maybe we will never be able to open this sarcophagus without damaging it and the real mystery of Ramesses will remain as we witness it now, a mystery. If indeed he lies entombed with his wife within this basalt crypt, we should respect the effort he put into denying us, tomb robbers or archaeologists, access to his body.”
Jean-Claude extended his hand to both my father and Yousef.
“Bravo, mes amis, I agree with everything you have both said. As a Frenchman, I carry on my conscience many of the sacrilegious acts committed by my forebears in the course of discoveries here. Their work was magnificent, and we all owe them much for their labours, but I will not be party to the desecration of this sarcophagus.”
All three looked at me in anticipation. I suddenly realised the yawning differences between the worlds of civil engineering and archaeology and how far I had yet to travel on my road of personal discovery. Silently, I shook each man’s hand and we left the king and his queen to their eternal peace.
Later, upon leaving the tomb I saw, high up on the eastern escarpment, a falcon, gilded wings spread out wide, shining in the rays of a golden sun. The falcon wheeled over the Great Place in a slow arc, hovered for a moment before turning westward and, as I followed its path, it flew straight into the sunlight and beyond.