bit stealing game

Chapter 26 Zodiac Signs

Lou Shiqi and I bid farewell to the archaeological team early in the morning of Laba, and obediently waited for the organization to pick us up.

After coming out of the underground temple yesterday, 279 changed his attitude towards traveling at public expense like a chicken blood, and immediately arranged the itinerary.Even if Li Yuandou just poured cold water on his head, I am still full of expectations for finally being able to participate in 279's actions.

Teacher Bai, Han Jiangxue and He Rongchuan came to pick us up.The driver was a middle-aged man whom He Rongchuan had never seen before. He Rongchuan called him Master Xie.

Master Xie drives very steadily and knows the driving habits in Egypt very well.He introduced us a lot of anecdotes about Egypt along the way, making the journey to the Valley of the Kings less boring.

Teacher Bai wants to take another look at Thutmose III's tomb to find out if there are any clues related to [Bone of Seth], [Metal Mine] and [Unnamed God].

Thutmose III's tomb is famous for its relatively well-preserved [Book of the Afterlife], which is the royal exclusive version of the Book of the Dead.

The Pharaoh's resting place itself is a dark house that symbolizes the underworld.The tomb creates a sacred space through the depiction and inscriptions of the twelve hours of night on the murals, expressing a vision of reversing time and resurrecting the pharaoh.

Unlike 279, which obviously has clues and is full of purpose, this tomb is still an ordinary treasure house of Egyptian civilization to me.After everyone listened to my general introduction to the structure of the tomb and the details of this part, Teacher Bai asked me if I still remembered what was painted on the ceiling of the Nameless Temple.

I recalled it.

Yesterday I was only looking at the murals, and the light was really not very good, so I really didn't pay much attention to the ceiling.I only vaguely remember that there seems to be a star map of the zodiac drawn on the top of my head.

The zodiac sign refers to the orbit of the sun observed on the earth when the earth revolves around the sun.This circle is 360 degrees, which covers the orbits of most planets.And because the twelve constellations are also among them, and the distribution is even, it borrows its name and is called [Zodiac].

But in fact, the twelve signs of the zodiac do not represent the constellations, but the solar terms in the solar calendar.The zodiac signs in some ancient Egyptian temples and tombs basically use specific images to represent various seasons, accompanied by stars on the star chart.For example, the winter solstice is someone or a god stabbing an ox with a spear, and the image of an ox is always missing a front leg.

In ancient Egypt, the zodiac was a circular relief depicting twelve gods.The twelve hours of night in the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead correspond to the dominant deities of the zodiac.It is not only the embodiment of the sky and time, but also the epitome of the worldview of the ancient Egyptians.

Since Napoleon discovered the first ancient Egyptian zodiac sign in the Temple of Dendera in the Eastern Expedition, and frantically moved the ceiling of the temple back to France, many Western scholars have started the traditional art of obsessing over ancient civilizations.

Some people believe that as long as they find out the time corresponding to the zodiac signs, they can crack the code left by ancient Egypt; while some people think that the zodiac signs do not have real astronomical significance, but are just a depiction of religious rituals.

However, no matter what it is, it seems that it cannot explain the zodiac signs in the temple under the archaeological site.

Teacher Bai said that the moon phases of the zodiac signs in the Unnamed Temple are different from those in other ancient Egyptian ruins.It seems that it was not drawn according to the common sense of astronomy, and it is not even a star map that conforms to the ideal of ancient Egypt.

It is normal for ancient civilizations to describe ideal geomantic patterns in important buildings such as mausoleums and ancestral temples, rather than realistic portrayals.However, this is not the case in the Unnamed Temple.

When it comes to the signs of the zodiac, I always feel like something is wrong.

"I don't know enough about ancient Egyptian civilization, and I would like to ask Dr. Wang about some questions." Teacher Bai interrupted my thinking gently.

I waved my hands quickly. "I don't dare to make too much of this. I don't even understand the twelve signs of the zodiac. You know a lot more than I do."

Teacher Bai said modestly: "I just have a good memory, but I only know what it means but not what it means."

It's not as simple as having a better memory.

The murals on the ceiling of the underground temple can be remembered in such a short period of time, and they can even be compared with other existing temples in ancient Egypt.The amount of insight and information processing required is astounding.

And I noticed yesterday that Teacher Bai seems to be able to see in the dark.This is not like a skill that a doctor needs.

"According to what you said, even though the Egyptian mythology system has undergone many additions and modifications, the pharaoh finally wanted to board the sun golden ship of God Ra and be reborn with the sun, right?"

I recovered from my doubts and nodded to Teacher Bai.He continued to ask: "Then why is it a golden ship? Is there any particularity to this?"

I thought about it for a while.

"The voyage of the ship in the underworld means rebirth. In fact, this is also in Greek mythology. Of course, it is hard to say how much it was influenced by Egypt. However, the practice of using daily transportation to describe the journey after death is common in all civilizations. There are manifestations. For example, in the tombs of the Shang Dynasty in our country, there was a chariot burial. The four wheels of a chariot were dismantled and placed in the four corners of the tomb, which symbolized that the soul of the deceased would ascend to heaven in a chariot.

However, because ancient Egypt has never achieved a breakthrough in the axis, that is, it did not understand that people cannot be resurrected after death, so their tomb culture reflects reincarnation.Our country does not have this. What the emperor wanted was immortality, not the resurrection that the pharaoh pursued. "

After all, in a desolate place like Egypt, it is really difficult to survive this life without the desire for the afterlife.

Teacher Bai praised: "We are fortunate to be able to spy on the ancient people's view of life and death. It is really thanks to the hard work of your archaeologists."

I quickly waved my hands, saying that I dare not take it, I have learned it off-the-shelf.

Teacher Bai then said apologetically, "Xiao Wang, let me ask you a question, don't think I'm looking for faults."

I said it wouldn't.

He then asked: "Actually, what I want to know is why this ship is the Sun Gold Ship? Is there something special about it or is it a name given by later scholars?"

I really haven't thought about this question.So I told the truth.

"I don't know much about Egyptian funerary literature, but as far as I know, the sun golden ship was used by later scholars to refer to the ship on which the sun god appeared in the Book of the Dead and the Book of the Afterlife." I pointed to the mural on the boat. "You can see that the painting on the Book of the World doesn't actually have a texture. I guess, maybe it's because the sun is golden? In addition, the flesh and blood of the gods are not all made of gold, maybe ancient Egypt People think that gold is a more divine material. Maybe it is the same as the bronze in Sanxingdui and the jade in Longshan.”

Teacher Bai nodded, and went to look at the "sun golden boat" on the mural.Han Jiangxue pushed his glasses and leaned over to look curiously.

Lou Shiqi pointed to an image of a god on the boat and asked me, "Wang Yu, who is this? Why is there a bug in his head?"

I rolled my eyes towards the ceiling.

"This is the incarnation of the sun god Kebri in the morning. It is a scarab. The ancient Egyptians arranged three persons for the sun god. In the morning, it is the newborn Kebri, and at noon it is the strong Ra, usually with the head of an eagle or an adult. Male, with a sun wheel on his head, and a cobra in front of the sun wheel. At night is the elder Atum. The tomb of the pharaoh is generally called the "eternal horizon" [horizon of eternity], which symbolizes the coexistence of man and god. The place where the two worlds connect, the place where the solar boat cruises.

What we are looking at now is Kaiburi, which symbolizes the rising sun.The reason why it is a scarab is mainly because the ancient Egyptians believed that the sun was rolled up from the horizon by dung beetles like a dung ball.Is it special image? "

Really, I have been following the archaeological team for nothing these past few months.If it wasn't for Mr. Bai and the others being there, I'd definitely say a few words against him.

Lou Shiqi smiled embarrassedly, and He Rongchuan patted him on the shoulder.

Teacher Bai finally moved his gaze away from the mural.He just looked at the wall from the beginning, looking quickly and carefully, as if he wanted to remember every detail.When he turned his head to look at me, he asked a second question: "Where did the statement that the flesh and blood of God is gold come from?"

I was gritted my teeth when Teacher Bai asked me.

This in itself is a good question to answer, because [the hair of the ancient Egyptian gods is lapis lazuli and the body is gold] is similar to the common sense of Egyptology.Hollywood screenwriters know that.

Nobody questions common sense.

But I can't answer at all where this statement comes from.

Teacher Bai probably wanted to find out the connection between the sun gold ship and the god's gold blood, and the sesame cake-like metal mine sacrifice in the underground temple.But I am not good at learning skills and do not seek deep understanding, so I can't answer.

I told the truth, Teacher Bai didn't ask any more questions, but just said: "It's okay, I'm just asking. Weiqing may be able to find some clues."

I still can't hang on, after all, this is not a very advanced knowledge.

Han Jiangxue intervened at the right time and said, "Can I ask a stupid question? How did the ancient Egyptians choose which gods to be on the Sun Gold Ship?"

I thanked her for saving me, so I smiled at her.

"This cannot be said to be a stupid question. In fact, in different versions, the gods on the sun golden ship are different. For example, in the first legend, when the sun golden ship sails to Chapter 7 of the night, it will meet the twins of the god Ra. Brother Apaip, the dark serpent. Apaip, who lived on chaos, was naturally the most difficult opponent for the orderly ancient Egyptians. Seth was the god who fought with it and pierced its stomach to let the river flow out again. At that time, He was still an indispensable member of the Sun Golden Ship. But later, Seth became a god who killed his brothers and seized power and bullied his nephews The villains, no longer appear on the Sun Gold Ship.

But there will be several fixed gods on this ship.The sun god and Thoth and Osiris are usually on board.Needless to say about the sun god, this is his ship after all.Osiris was the first mummy, held the key to resurrection from the dead, and was able to merge with the sun god.The god Thoth is regarded as the creator of ancient Egyptian writing, and it is said that he also compiled the Book of the Dead.So he is on board most of the time.

Coupled with the fact that Thutmose itself means "the person Thoth loves", it is understandable that He appeared on the mural of Thutmose III. "

He Rongchuan and others nodded, and said that I am very good.

As I said, "These are the introductory knowledge of Egyptology, the introductory knowledge", and I thought that I have never explored since when did the legend about Seth change so much.If it is to consolidate the Pharaoh's succession by maintaining Horus' divine rule, then there must be an evolution process.

Moreover, besides Seth, a familiar god appeared in the underground temple, that is, Horus.

Is this a coincidence?Or is Thutmose III trying to express something through the Bone of Seth and the Eye of Horus?Will the clue to the identity of the nameless god lie between the nephew and uncle?

"Xiao Wang, I remember you saying that the left eye of Horus is painted in the temple under your construction site?" Teacher Bai asked suddenly.

"Yes, it's on the picture of the Bone of Set." I replied.Then explain to them that normally the Eye of Horus would appear in the burial chamber to ensure that no evil spirits came to disturb the Pharaoh's peaceful sleep.The Eye of Horus was painted on the coffin of Tutankhamun, who was also the pharaoh of the [-]th Dynasty with Thutmose III.

"Then which eye of Horus is usually used? Is there any difference between his left eye and his right eye?" Teacher Bai continued to ask.

I seem to want to understand something at once.

The mythology of ancient Egypt is constantly changing with the needs of history. Horus was regarded as the god of the sky in a certain period of time.His left eye represents the moon, and his right eye represents the sun.Then the meaning of the Eye of Horus is not only the meaning of guarding the temple, but also the time to guide it?It means to sacrifice iron ore to the nameless god when the moon is out?In addition, the zodiac signs on the ceiling of the temple, which I overlooked, are probably related to the phases of the moon.

Speaking of the moon, the god Thoth, the source of Thutmose III's name, was also revered as the moon god for a certain period of time.According to legend, he also made a bet with Kongsu, the full-time moon god.Kongsu lost to Thoth, the god of wisdom, in the game of Senet, so he cannot have all his mana outside of the full moon.Toto would also be depicted as a baboon holding a crescent moon.Then the Eye of Horus in the Nameless Temple may have something to do with the time of the sacrifice.

As long as we can look at the zodiac signs in that temple again, we may be able to know the phase of the moon during the sacrifice.

The more I think about it, the more it makes sense.

But it's like confirmation bias.When people have an idea, they will look for clues that can prove their point of view, and interpret the existing information in a direction that can support their point of view.

Rational viewing is one aspect, and another reason why I am not immersed in inertial thinking is: even if these speculations are true, whether they are moon phases or sacrifices, the most important question is still unanswered:
Who is the god to be worshipped?
Why does Thutmose III appear in the murals as a priest and a pharaoh at the same time?
To whom is the message in the frescoes of the Temple of the Unknown addressed?
Why did the pharaohs of later generations bury this temple instead of destroying it more directly?

Unfortunately, these ideas may not have a chance to be tested.

After going to the underground temple yesterday and watching the sequel, I called Lao Zhang and Ah Tian out for a big meal.

They lost their nervousness for the first time when I was invited into the VIP theater again, and instead showed great enthusiasm for research.

"You have been touching the pillars every day during this time, why did you get invited to watch a movie today?" The food in Egypt remained the same, and Lao Zhang pushed the plate aside in a lack of interest. "Is it because you went to the temple under the construction site?"

I said it is possible.

This time in the small theater, apart from the bionic lotus pillars and the overwhelming starry sky, I also saw an altar.The altar is exactly the same as what we saw in the underground temple, the only difference is that there are statues of gods on the altar in the small theater.It's a pity that I couldn't see the face of the god clearly from my angle.

Speaking of which, my induction of the magnetic field is a bit limited, and I basically didn't show it before I came to Egypt.Except for the stone Da Da brought back from Sichuan, there was only that time when Arno approached me in London.

"It's not necessarily because of the underground temple." Both Lao Zhang and I looked at Ah Tian, ​​and she stared at me and said, "The trigger condition may also be Li Yuan."

I get angry when Li Yuan is mentioned.

This kid is really nothing.Obviously he knows a lot of things, but he hides them from me.And say I shouldn't come to Egypt.I came here for archaeology just in time, and they are the ones who do some shady things.

But I also fully understand that I am indeed dispensable to Li Yuan.The poor little boy that Grandpa Li and Li Zheng mentioned did not exist at all.Yin Yuechen has a close friendship with Arno who has the [Eternal Eye] and Alex who can retreat from the magnetic field.Not only that, but he is also the savior of the Yin family once in a thousand years. Even 279 who can stir up the situation has to beg him, and he even helped the American expedition in Antarctica.Why don't you come to Egypt, why don't you just go to heaven.

But you can't tell Ah Tian and Lao Zhang about this kind of folding, and I don't think the small theater I saw has anything to do with Li Yuan.

"You asked that Yin Yuechen to touch the pillar too?" Lao Zhang repeated suspiciously. "He said he didn't feel anything?"

I nodded.

Lao Zhang dropped his fork. "I said, old Wang, can you be more considerate? Yin Yuechen said he didn't watch the short movie if he didn't watch it! He can lie to you even who he is. Do you still believe him?"

Ah Tian looked at me disapprovingly.

I sighed. "I can't say whether he lied to me or not, but there must be something wrong with that temple."

The team leader went out for a trip in the afternoon, and his face was not very good when he came back.The Egyptian side took the Americans into our construction site without permission to see the underground temple, but he hit it.The team leader immediately arranged for the temple to be backfilled for protection.The unnamed temples on the left and right are not within the scope of our excavation, so it is better to seal them up.Although the archaeological work has not progressed, some people have got what they need.

"Hey, why are these Yankees here to join in the fun? Aren't they going to the desert?" Because of Professor Holmes being tricked, Lao Zhang now distrusts the Americans very much, and feels that it will be a bad thing if he gets involved.

"Do you remember that there are people who also know about this temple?" Ah Tian looked at us with the eyes of a fool.

That's right.Ali said before we excavated the temple that it belonged to the gods that his village had been worshiping, and we had to find an opportunity to ask him later.

And the small theater of the temple also needs to control the variables and try again.Now that the underground temple can't go down, I can only find Li Yuan to see if the plot is triggered because of him.

But these are things for later.

I told Teacher Bai truthfully about the many problems we are facing now, and the underground temple has been sealed again, so it is impossible to verify how the zodiac signs on it are different.

In fact, I have some complaints about the team leader's choice of backfilling without recording the information in the temple, but maybe he also has his own considerations.

Teacher Bai said that it doesn't matter if there is a problem that cannot be solved now, and the person who will meet in a while may have the answer.

The purpose of coming to the Valley of the Kings this time is very strong. After seeing Thutmose III's tomb, we went directly to join Meng Weiqing and the others.Go meet the one who has the answer.

　An important NPC is about to appear again

　　
　
(End of this chapter)