bit stealing game

Chapter 12 Treasure of Egypt
It is said in One Thousand and One Nights: "He who has never seen Cairo has not seen the world."Although it is not as good as it was thousands of years ago, the charm of Egypt can withstand time after all.

This is my third year of archeology in Egypt.Three years will basically not leave any changes here, but Ah Tian and Lao Zhang, who are newcomers, feel that everything is very novel.

We were waiting for a man named Ali at the Cairo Museum.He was found by Ah Tian, ​​a better tour guide than me.

While it was still early, I took my friends to accept the baptism of another ancient civilization first.

"Wow, this is so cool!" In the museum, Lao Zhang's eyes widened, wishing he could turn his head 180 degrees like an owl.Ah Tian was also amazed.

As soon as the three of us walked down the steps, we were surrounded by a group of enthusiastic Egyptian students before we experienced it deeply.Lao Zhang and Ah Tian had never seen this kind of battle, and they seemed to look at me for help.I quietly backed away.

"Selfie?" "Selfie!" The group of children moved closer to them and said, their eyes flickering expectantly.Lao Zhang and Ah Tian couldn't help it, so they both smiled and knelt down to take a group photo.

Asian faces are not common in Egypt, and they are more attractive to local children than blond-haired and blue-eyed Europeans and Americans.When the children left contentedly, Lao Zhang looked at me rather resentfully.

I shrugged: "Isn't this giving you and Ah Tian a chance to feel the enthusiasm of Egyptian children?"

Next we slowly move around surrounded by sarcophagi and statues.I was explaining to them, and from time to time, I was asked by Egyptian children if they could take pictures.When I came to the sitting statues of Amenhotep III and his wife Taiyi, I finally had a photo with every Egyptian on this floor.

Lao Zhang sighed with a smile: "I can understand the mood of Chinese people watching around foreigners in the last century when the TV show left. It's really like watching monkeys." After speaking, he glanced at Ah Tian again, He raised his eyebrows meanly, "Especially our Great Sage is still here." Qi Tian gave him a disdainful glance.

We looked up at the seated statue in front of us.Lao Zhang asked: "Why are these two people so big, and the ones in the middle and on the side are so small?" Ah Tian said: "The ones we saw just now seem to be quite different in size."

I cleared my throat and started explaining to them.

"This is Amenhotep III and his wife Tai. The ancient Egyptians paid special attention to order. The pharaoh is usually the tallest one. His wife and children are generally portrayed smaller, and his enemies will be drawn The depictions are small and messy. These are one of the few exceptions." I pointed to the two sculptures in front of me. "There is something unusual about this Taiyi. It is said that she is a commoner, not a member of the royal family, or even an aristocrat. In ancient Egypt, blood is the inheritance, which means that blood marriage is to keep the blood pure. Especially the No.18 dynasty. So In the future, as a commoner, Tai can still be portrayed as big as the pharaoh, which shows that he is very favored."

Lao Zhang choked when he heard the intermarriage of blood relatives.

I turned around and looked at them, and said in a different tone: "I know you have a lot of puzzles, and I hope to find answers in the next tour. Later we will see Amenhotep IV, who is This son of Amenhotep III, the father of Tutankhamun. He is a perfect example of this lineage."

Ah Tian smiled and pushed me, Lao Zhang smiled and said to follow Director Wang.

We arrived at the Amarna booth.This was the reign of Amenhotep IV, and a significant period in ancient Egypt.

"Old Wang, why do people around here look so strange?" After turning around, Lao Zhang stared at the statue of Amenhotep IV and said, "This big head, long face, round belly, look Mental and physical conditions are worrying. Would people still abuse Pharaoh at that time?"

I suppressed my desire to complain, and said sternly: "Didn't I tell you just now that Amenhotep IV is the master of blood rule, and you, a medical student, don't know why he looks like this?"

Ah Tian showed a clear expression, and Lao Zhang even bit his teeth: "My God, this has to be inbreeding for several generations to make it look like this. What do you think they are trying to do!"

I curled my lips helplessly, "Actually, it's not the fault of the ancient Egyptians, it's limited by the times. And that's what they said in their mythology." I got the expression of those two seeking knowledge again.

"Similar to the myth of Pan Gu in our country, Egypt also has creation myths. The gods of the earth and the sky are Geb and Nut. They are not only brothers and sisters, but also a couple. By the way, their parents are also They are siblings and a couple, and their sons and daughters have also carried on the family tradition.

Nut and Geb had four children: Osiris, god of the underworld, Seth, god of the desert, Isis, goddess of life, and Nephthys, god of fertility.Among them, the brothers Osiris and Seth fought against each other, and Seth was defeated by Horus, the son of Osiris.

Seth was executed, but in ancient Egypt gods could be resurrected, so the gods drained his blood, because they believed that the key to God's resurrection was blood.Anyway, just like that, Set was cleared from being a good god to a rebel who wanted his brother's place.Do you two now understand why the pharaohs of ancient Egypt had to be related by blood? "

The speed of the Egyptian mythology obviously shocked them both.

"But Seth is also a blood relative, why can't he?" Ah Tian grasped the point.

"This is like the attention of the eldest son of our country. Seth, as the second son, coveted his brother's position, so he deserved this end. After all, myths are made up by people. This is to consolidate the orthodox position of the pharaoh."

"Then you don't have to marry your own sister." Old Zhang muttered.

I laughed at his ignorance: "Ramses II married his daughter."

"Fuck." Lao Zhang opened his eyes wide in horror, and Ah Tian curled his lips uncomfortably.

I went on to say, "In fact, our country also has similar myths. Fuxi and Nuwa also married brothers and sisters, and the purpose is to maintain blood inheritance."

"But anyway, people in our country have never seen married sisters."

"Every civilization is different, and in ancient Egypt, only the royal family did this." Ah Tian answered Lao Zhang's words for me.

I nodded.

"It's not just about blood, ancient Egypt also looked at death very differently from us. They didn't understand that people can't be resurrected until the end of civilization. That's why there are many sayings about how the soul of the dead finds the body. And this one During the Mana period, Amenhotep IV carried out a religious reform, so he changed his name to Akhenaten later. As you can see, the names of the pharaohs are all related to gods. When I arrived in Luxor, I was in God I will tell you in the temple.”

Lao Zhang said I was not authentic, to whet his appetite.I blinked triumphantly, raised the non-existent guide flag and led my group of friends to watch.

The artistic style of ancient Egypt is more realistic.For example, Pharaoh Akhenaten obviously looked different from ordinary people, but he was recorded truthfully.This characteristic can be seen everywhere.

As he walked, Lao Zhang found a statue with sharp eyes again. It was a kneeling statue of a recording officer.

"It seems that being an official in ancient Egypt is very rewarding. There are many folds on the stomach." Lao Zhang praised, "The ancient Egyptians knew that high salaries kept them honest, and they were amazing."

When I turned to the Rosetta Stone, I suddenly heard someone ask: "Chinese?"

We look back.

A handsome young Egyptian, but with a philistine look between his brows, looked at us with a smile on his face.

Lao Zhang and Ah Tian glanced at me cautiously, obediently waiting for my reaction.Before going out, I told them not to talk to strangers casually outside, because I was deceived a lot when I first came here.

I nodded and asked the Egyptian youth what was the matter.The young man looked at us expectantly with his wide eyes flickering: "Selfie?"

After taking a photo with the three of us, he thanked us happily, and then enthusiastically offered to accompany us around, but we declined.The young man didn't insist anymore.Pointing to the Rosetta Stone, he said, "The one in Cairo is a replica, and the original was taken by the British."

I looked at him with some surprise.

We have already seen the real Rosetta Stone in Great Britain, and just told Lao Zhang that the British are not authentic.Everyone I met in Egypt in the past felt that it was an honor to exhibit Egyptian things in foreign countries, so that the world could understand Egypt.But this man is different.

But when I looked at him again, the young man put on a bright smile again, he reached out and shook hands with Lao Zhang, and said, "Nice to meet you, I have a coffee shop, you can come over after shopping." Find me."

Every Egyptian I met opened a cafe, craft shop and shisha bar.This is the same as Zhihu’s per capita 985.

Seeing that we were unmoved, the young man grinned: "My name is Ali, see you later."

After Ali left, the three of us looked at each other.Although countless people called Ali back in Egypt, we did make an appointment to meet Ali at the museum.

"Is this 'that Ali'?" Lao Zhang asked.

Ah Tian took out his phone and glanced at it. "That Ali" just sent her that group photo, along with a cafe in the Khan Khalili market.Said that it is not convenient for him to meet us in the museum, let us meet him there.

Now we are even more confused.He's obviously a netizen face-to-face, but he looks like a secret agent.

Khan Khalili is a big bazaar in the old city.

Grand Bazaar means bazaar in Uighur, and there are WLMQ, Istanbul, Cairo and other places.The styles are different but the nature is similar. Most of them are small commodities and delicacies with local characteristics, which are quite lively.

The Khalili market in Cairo is also close to two famous mosques: the Imam Hussein Mosque and the Al-Azhar Mosque, which can be described as both religious and secular holy places.

The three of us summed it up for a while, and there was no danger in public places, so we just went to see what medicine was sold in this Ali gourd.

As soon as it got dark, the lights of the mosque came on, which was very majestic.

Ali said he would meet us at the gate of the Hussein Mosque, and he came over as soon as we arrived.This time he pretended to be a babysitter again and dragged us three Chinese tourists to 'his' cafe in Hariri market.We have no temper for his behavior.

There are a wide variety of products in the Hariri market, and the merchants are extremely enthusiastic and can speak a few words of Chinese.When they saw us, they said "Hello", "Come and see", "It's very cheap".Lao Zhang, who came here for the first time, was a little overwhelmed, and kept saying "no thanks", and was distracted to look at the buildings and handicrafts in this market, which was very tiring.Fortunately, Ali helped us resist the enthusiasm.He took us around and walked to a hookah hall.

This shisha hall is quite deep, surrounded by colorful lamp shops and perfume shops, and you have to squeeze through the bright lights and fragrances to enter.

The place in the shisha hall is not small, and there are many locals sitting in twos and threes enjoying and chatting.Ali led us to sit at a table in the corner, and familiarly greeted the store owner to serve us tea.The departing guests in this position are a little far away, the table is leaning against the wall, and there is a mottled mirror hanging on the wall, which makes the space feel distorted and extended.The tea came out quickly, and it was the kind of tea made with black tea foam and white sugar that is common in Egypt.It looks very translucent, and it is quite flustered when you drink it in your mouth.

After drinking tea, Ali said with a smile: "Welcome to Egypt, my friends. I am Ali. We have met in the afternoon."

The three of us also introduced ourselves one by one, and didn't take the initiative to start the topic.Ali went on to say: "I'm sorry to make you have to come here, but I'm not suitable for contacting you in public, I'm afraid it will bring you trouble."

This statement is too outrageous even for some Egyptians who like to exaggerate, but Ali said it very sincerely.Seeing that we were noncommittal, he was not annoyed, and explained to himself: "I was a work-study student in college, but I offended a boss in Cairo. They said that if they met me in Cairo again, they wanted me to look good. Did you leave in a hurry, this is the first time I have come back to Cairo for several years."

I pretended to say: "Then you still took the risk to come to Cairo to find us. If you said it earlier, you would definitely not be allowed to come."

Ali waved his hand and said it was all right, he also had something to do when he came to Cairo this time.

In fact, despite the inexplicable way of appearance and the script he wrote for himself, Ali is a good chat partner.

After heating up the scene, Qi Tian calmly started our real topic.Ali was caught by her questioning creationism on an American god stick forum, and said that he believed in prehistoric civilization.

Luxor plus prehistoric civilization.Qi Tian felt that there was something about this man.

"What Christianity said was deceiving the ancients. What Darwin said is very correct. All species have evolved." Ali was honest.

We looked at each other speechlessly.

"Actually, there is another reason." After we all looked over, Ali gasped. "In the village where I grew up, the old people would always tell what their elders said. There used to be gods in this land. They came from the desert, they didn't need food or water, and they could satisfy people's needs. wishes. Just give them the offerings on time."

This kind of thing sounds pretty far-fetched.

Ah Tian asked: "Since there is no need to eat and drink, what do people use to worship the gods?"

"The old people didn't say anything in detail. After all, it happened a long time ago. But it is definitely not a mortal thing." Ali said seriously: "I think it is very likely that there were solar-powered humans in civilizations who only needed some fuel to survive. .”

It's a good thing Darwin didn't know that he believed in both theories at the same time.

"And I've seen things that make me believe in prehistoric civilizations," Ali added.

I naturally asked him what it was.

Ali didn't answer at first, just took a sip of tea.We waited with bated breath, and he said, "Would you like to try hookah?"

After a while, a woman holding a child came over and asked if we wanted to buy her handicrafts. The child in her arms smiled at us.Lao Zhang didn't ask the price, took out his change and bought four small pendants with rough workmanship from her.The woman seemed to think it was too much, and asked for change, but was persuaded by Ali.

Later, Ali did not let us pay for the consumption in this store.

"I told you this is my shop."

We didn't mention that we saw him secretly giving money to the shopkeeper, and privately thought about giving him some gifts before parting.

When we got back to the hotel, the three of us were so tired that we spread out on the sofa and didn't want to move.Before we came here, we were all busy with school affairs. After the auction last time, there were still a lot of questions that we hadn't researched and understood. After meeting Ali today, we added some new doubts.

Ah Tian told us: "Ali followed his mentor to the United States as an exchange student before disappearing from Cairo. His mentor has now settled in the United States, but there has been no movement recently."

Lao Zhang couldn't help complaining: "This one has disappeared, and the other is incognito. I'm afraid it didn't go to Area 51 in the United States."

I also think that Ali has a lot of problems.But in the days that followed, his actions dispelled our worries.

The next day, Ali drove us to Giza near Cairo to see the pyramids in his friend's golden cup.

I read that there used to be a waterway between these two cities. After all, the Nile River flowed in front of the pyramids at that time.It's a pity that I didn't catch up with that time to experience it for myself.

Both sides of the viaduct are densely packed residential buildings.

Lao Zhang looked out the window: "Hey, old Wang, let me ask you, why are the roofs basically not repaired on the houses I saw along the way?"

I said this is because the taxes on houses in Egypt are relatively high, and if the repairs are not completed, the taxes will be reduced a lot, which has led to the "no ceiling" style in Egypt.After all, Egyptian decency is not superficial.

Fake staff are ambushing tourist attractions in Egypt. We three fat sheep have been targeted since we stepped into the gate of the pyramid scenic spot.A man came over and asked us to show tickets to the scenic spot. Lao Zhang took it out to show him unprepared, but I stopped him.

"Tsk, I forgot to tell you, these so-called staff are all fake, if they get the tickets, they will pester us, and they can't get away without tipping."

Both Ah Tian and Lao Zhang were helpless.

The man continued to pester him, but Ali rushed over from the side and muttered something in Arabic and sent him away.He patted Zhang on the back in a friendly manner and said, "My friend, there are indeed some Egyptians here who are cunning, but it will be fine with me here."

We went to the bottom of the Pyramid of Khufu.Lao Zhang looked up at this masterpiece in human history with admiration.

In fact, Egypt’s ability to build buildings of this level is also related to the social structure at that time. The ancient Egyptians did not mind the power of the whole country to create eternity for the pharaoh.

At this time, I still feel that "common sense" is part of cognition.Simply enviably ignorant.

To visit the pharaoh's tomb, you have to go through a narrow and low corridor.The air inside the pyramid is turbid and hot, and the lighting relies on old electric lights, and all kinds of messy wires are everywhere.

Ali didn't follow, and only the three of us climbed up with our heads buried.

The excitement at the beginning was worn down a bit, and Lao Zhang complained: "How long will it take for this to end".

I said it will take a while.In order to appease them, I talked about the record about [Hymn of the Cannibal] in the pyramid inscription*.

In that version, the ancient Egyptian moon god Kongsu was a 'god who devoured gods'.Pharaoh used his funeral to help Kongsu cheat other gods and feed him.And the pharaoh himself was able to replace the eaten god in the fairy class.

After the story was told, we just climbed into the tomb.

The entire pyramid is made of stone, and the tomb is naturally surrounded by stone walls.There is an empty sarcophagus in the middle, and the pharaoh's mummy has been transported to the museum.

Ah Tian didn't feel the least about Zi's silence.She stared at the sarcophagus without the owner of the tomb and said: "Then we come here, do we count as ushering you into the urn?"

After hearing this, I shivered in the sweltering heat of the tomb.

Lao Zhang was also surprised at the side: "Don't tell me, Dasheng, I feel the wind."

I was terrified by these two bastards.On the way out, I told them a few more weird records about the pyramids, which made me feel better.

Before leaving for Luxor, Ali told us that he would take the train back that night and see you in Egypt.He insisted on being wanted and refused to fly, and we didn't force him.

The Nile River flows from south to north.

Ancient Egypt was bounded by the ancient capital of Memphis, which is now Cairo, with Lower Egypt to the north and Upper Egypt to the south.This is quite different from the saying that our country goes north and goes south.Luxor, formerly known as Thebes, is a religious and political shrine in Upper Egypt, where the famous Temple of Karnak and the Valley of the Kings are located.And the place where our archaeological team is going to excavate is in the Temple of Karnak.

I have never mentioned the real purpose of our trip to Egypt.Ah Tian and Lao Zhang seemed to have seen my ostrich mentality, so they didn't rush me.But what should come will come anyway, and when we arrive at Luxor, there is no room for further delay.

I lay on the bed and listened to the hustle and bustle downstairs after nightfall, and slowly fell asleep with my pillow on the radiant Nile River.

The water of the Nile River has been flowing for thousands of years.Tomorrow I will finally go up the river again to see it.

　In ancient Egyptian mythology, Osiris was killed by Seth and made 13 yuan.It is said that this was because Egypt was divided into thirteen regions at that time, and the last one was Aswan, which is the southernmost and upstream.

　　Later, Isis, as the wife of her brother Osiris, put together the body of Osiris to resurrect him, and he became the first mummy in Egypt.But what is more interesting is that Isis did not find Osiris' genitals, and she gave birth to Horus under such circumstances.

　　Ancient Egyptian texts are roughly divided into pyramid inscriptions, coffin inscriptions and the Book of the Dead written on papyrus.However, because these characters were strictly controlled by the temple and the royal family, they were not circulated, and they were almost broken later.The Rosetta Stone was the key to deciphering hieroglyphics, relying on the three languages ​​that recorded the same content on the stone tablet: ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, demotic and ancient Greek.The hieroglyphs are also different. Pyramid inscriptions are a collection of documents found in a series of pyramids of kings and queens during the Ancient Kingdom of Egypt. Coffin inscriptions, as the name suggests, are engraved on coffins, and the book of the dead is a guide written on papyrus. A how-to guide for the dead to survive the judgment.

　　[Hymn of the Cannibal] As a pyramid inscription, it is a product of the ancient kingdom, and the interpretation of Egyptian mythology is different in each different period.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)