Lord and Pharaoh by Brian Fagan

Author:Brian Fagan [Fagan, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Archaeology
ISBN: 9781315425115
Google: 5mWTDAAAQBAJ
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2015-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

The Pharaoh Rebels?

Tutankhamun would not have accompanied the army on its campaign. Some military equipment came from his tomb, including a folding campaign bed and folding stools, and a sleeveless bodice made up of thick leather scales, of a type worn by earlier pharaohs. By the time war broke out, he would have been well into his teenage years, perhaps quick tempered and rebelling against his regimented life. Ay and Horemheb would have flatly told him that he was staying in Egypt. They would have pointed out, quite rightly, that he had important religious responsibilities at home; there was a country to be run, decisions to be made every day. There was, of course, an unspoken point—Tutankhamun with his clubfoot and stick would have been unusually susceptible to an accident or to capture when helpless. We can imagine a sudden burst of pharaonic anger: “How dare you tell me that I cannot go? I’m the one responsible for decisions here. I’ve decided that I’ll go to battle.”

The outburst was quite unlike the normal mien of the pharaoh, who was judicious, humble, and reasoned during royal audiences. Ay and Horemheb looked at each other. They had their disagreements, for both were ambitious courtiers with an eye to the future. Both knew they were dangerously close to breaching centuries-old protocol. However, Tutankhamun’s outburst was a token of his youth and inexperience and of his growing frustration with his physical limitations.

Horemheb nodded slightly at Ay and spoke calmly, with all the subordination and tact of a loyal senior official. At the same time, he allowed a quiet, but unmistakable authority to creep into his voice. “Life! Prosperity! Health!” he murmured in ancient formality. “Ay, Father of the Gods, and I are your servants, loyal to Amun and to you, his beloved. On your shoulders lies the present and future of the Two Lands. You are the living presence of the God. Since you became king, you’ve worked hard to restore the ancient ways of Amun. This work is incomplete and cannot be completed without your presence, your intercession with the god. We respectfully submit that this god-given task is more important than conquering savage Syrians.”

Tutankhamun gestured angrily. “My place is in my chariot at the head of my soldiers,” he retorted. “I have the equipment, I can fire a bow, drive a chariot. I’m the king, a warrior like strong-armed Horus, lord of action. I’ll return with prisoners and booty captured with my own hands. It is my decision.”

Horemheb had witnessed battle at first hand and knew well the brutal reality. He reached back into the past, to comfortable precedent, which all pharaohs respected. He spoke soothingly. “You are the most powerful king on earth, the successor of great rulers who governed the Two Lands with serenity and justice. Some of them, older than you, were indeed successful in battle. If Amun grants you long life, you’ll be a great pharaoh remembered and honored by the gods. My advice is to be patient, to wait, for this is not an important war, and there’ll be others.

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