Chapter 2: 609 BC
Saius, Egypt
Necho, Pharaoh of the "satrapy" of Egypt sat on the "throne of the living one" and "shone" as he waited there with impatience. The throne room, lit with sweet smelling torches, was decked out with myriad wreaths of flowers, their heavy scent mixing with that of the torches and filling the air. The throne itself sat on a rich carpet but was merely a seat, neither it nor its footstool were any different from any other in all of Egypt. It was the canopy with its uraeus snakes that shouted the royal status of the man below it. The richly carved wooden pillars of the canopy rested on the dais with its row upon row of painted royal griffins. The pharaoh wore the chepresh rather than the red or white crowns. The war helmet reflected his mood. He gripped the symbols of his office, the whip and the shepherd's crook scepter in his left hand, tapping them irritably against his leg, for the throne had no arms or back. His bare feet rested on the cushions of the footstool--a god had no need for sandals, at least not in audience. The traditional attire did nothing to appease Necho's mood. His fake beard itched. His golden collar sat heavily on his sheer linen robe, which made no effort to ease the chaffing of the jewelry. His stiff overskirt, its fashionable pointed front stating his prowess in no uncertain terms, refused to fold itself correctly to a seated posture. It interfered with the movements of his right arm and its ridiculous lion's tail was not proving to be comfortable to sit on in what would probably be a long drawn out meeting. All this bode ill for the health of the chief bleacher. It was not easy being a god.
Necho calmed himself. It was not easy being a god, but he had waited all of his life for this and he was not young. Psammetik had been in his 70's when he was killed and Necho had had to wait until his middle 40's for his father's death. But now the two crowns were his at last.
Finally the ceremony which would escort the emissaries of Lydia into his presence began. It was a clandestine meeting, held in the dead of night against the chance of the Babylonian overseers hearing of it. It was the pharaoh's intent to establish an official alliance with Alyattes of Lydia. Though Lydia was a small country, in essence, Alyattes ruled Asia Minor, all of it. He could command the entire region and all would obey, therefore the boundaries of Hatti1 were the boundaries of Lydia. An alliance with Alyattes brought the resources of all of Asia Minor against the Babylonian Coalition. If things went well, the Babylonian occupation forces would be deported from the Two Lands or under arrest within a ten-day. 2
This was another reason for keeping this meeting secret. The Milesians, the only Greeks to actually hold land in Egypt, had a large fortress north of Saius. King Thrasybulus of Miletus would not be pleased if he knew that the new pharaoh, supposedly his ally, was dealing with his worst enemy. Lydia raided Miletus yearly for its crops.
Besides, it was not only the Babylonians and the Milesians who must be kept in the dark on the meeting, it must also be kept secret from Nitocris, consort of the god, ruler of Thebes, now also known as the great consort of the king, queen of Upper Egypt and queen of Lower Egypt.3 The pharaoh hoped he wouldn't have to arrest her. Necho knew only too well of the queen's temper. He himself felt some guilt on this point. He was sacrificing his daughter for Egypt's independence. Princess Nitocris, hostage in Babylon itself, would surely fall victim to Babylon's wrath. He was grieved at the necessity, but reasoned she was already lost to him. The queen was not likely to see things so rationally.
Truthfully though, Necho did not actually need his sister-wife anymore and that was where Nabopolassar had made his mistake. The king of Babylon had understood the queen's devotion to her daughter. He had counted on her to keep her husband in line. But since his crowning between the bright red paws of the Sphinx, Necho was a god himself. He no longer truly needed his wife, and he hoped she realized it, or he might have to do without her as well as his daughter.
And what about his son and heir, Psammatik? Psammetik had been betrothed to little Nitocris and he too really cared for the girl. What would he say if he were to find out about this meeting? Necho admitted to himself that neither his queen nor his heir were likely to quietly accept this. When they discovered this new alliance, they were almost certain to cause trouble. Psammetik could be kept in line, he decided. There were other sons, and Psammetik knew it. But if the queen couldn't see reason, an accident would have to be arranged. If the gods were willing, it wouldn't come to that.
"Forty thousand uten of silver," the royal fan bearer announced. The gifts the Lydians had brought began to arrive and to be displayed before Pharaoh. Slaves, bowing low and kissing the earth, set the silver before the throne. Necho nodded and the slaves scooped up the treasure to follow a servant from the room. They would be shown where to put it.
"Thirty Grecian vases filled with olive oil." They were large and very beautiful covered in black heroic designs, but it was the oil within them that held the value. He waved them on without more than a cursory glance.
"Twins from Ionia." It was a pair of girls, identical twins. They did appear to have been from Ionia, but they could just as easily have been from Lydia. He toyed with the idea of saving them to use as a gift himself, then decided to keep them after all. He waved them off to the harem. Gifts received, he granted the audience.
"The emissaries of Alyattes, king of Lydia and the ambassador of Ashurubalit, king of Assyria." The pharaoh's eyes widened in surprise. As the fan bearer had introduced them, the emissaries entered and there among them, wearing Ninevite diplomatic dress was an Assyrian! Since they were high officials, it was not needful that they actually kiss the earth in the pharaoh's presence. Holding their arms stiffly by their side they bowed low, as was the fashion.
And the fan bearer began: "His Majesty Horus, the good god, beloved by the goddess of truth, Pharaoh of Upper Egypt and Pharaoh of Lower Egypt, great chieftain of the West, lord of the diadem of the vulture and of the snake, the son of Ra, Necho son of Psamme..."
Necho abruptly cut him off by handing him the whip and scepter. "What is this?" he demanded of the Lydians. "Why have you brought this Ninevite?"
The entourage, still bowed over waiting for the end of the fan bearer's spew, glanced confusedly at one another and slowly straightened. The spokesman of the group came forward. "The pharaoh is like Ra in all that he does and all that happens occurs according to the desires of his heart. Never have the Two Lands seen such wondrous works and prosperity as have been their good fortune since his crowning..."
"Yes of course," Necho snapped. Etiquette required that any and all supplicants supply a hymn or poem of praise before they began, but etiquette could take a long time. "Put it in writing and get to the point. Answer the question."
"The good god is gracious to recognize his servants with such rapidity," the spokesman said uncertainly. "May the god Ra smile upon the reign of his son and make it prosper. I bring greetings from Alyattes, king of Lydia, monarch of the seas. My liege bids me give one his well wishes as one dons the red and white crowns to begin one's reign. As tokens of his esteem he has sent the gifts already brought before one and dispatched his humble nephew to discuss arrangements which may be of advantage to both Lydia and the Two Lands. I am Gadah, prince of Lydia, nephew of Alyattes and one's humble servant.
"The most worthy ambassador of Assyria, Mesharapli, has traveled with us from Sardis at the bidding of his illustrious lord, the great king Ashurubalit, to express his condolences on one's father, Osiris Psammetik, who has taken his place among the gods, and to assure one of his continuing dedication to the Egyptian cause."4
"Why?"
"Uhh, Great Pharaoh?"
"Why is this Ninevite here? Assyria has fallen and thanks to Ashurubalit, Egypt lost a great deal of her strength at Harran. We were pursued by the Babylonians all the way back here to Saius itself! It is for this reason that we are talking of an alliance with Lydia. The Two Lands are not interested in further dealings with a defunct nation that has already cost them so much. Besides, Ashurubalit deserted Egypt just before Babylonia attacked!"
The diplomat chose his words carefully. "One must know that Ashurubalit is only a man, he can not read the future and in this, his seers admittedly failed him. It was never his intention to desert Egypt, only to obtain the help of Lydia. This he has done..."
"Enough!" snapped Necho. This was absurd! The Lydians had always counted the Assyrians as enemies. But then why should Alyattes of Lydia welcome Ashurubalit of Assyria with open arms now? Well, why not? The past was the past. Alyattes obviously had nothing further to fear from Assyria. Both Lydia and Assyria had a common enemy in the Coalition. Unfortunately for the pharaoh the Assyrians appeared to be well entrenched in the Lydian capital of Sardis by this time. And... Necho's frown deepened, he suddenly understood. Lydia didn't want a too strong Egypt. If their alliance retook the Assyrian lands, Assurubalit held the first claim to those lands and that was the point. This move effectively kept Egypt from expansion beyond Syria. Lydia preferred a weak and easily controlled reborn Assyria to a world dominating Egyptian Empire.
In anger and frustration, Necho considered expelling the diplomats on the spot, but... What could he do? He needed Alyattes. He would just have to be satisfied with bargaining for some of the Babylonian lands and for Palestine. With ill grace he nodded acknowledgment to the Assyrian ambassador and scowled as he noted the relief evident on the face of Mesharapli.
"Mother, may I enter?" The queen of Egypt woke to hear her son calling to her from outside her quarters. She rose and slipped on a robe. Psammetik, son of Necho, grandson of Psammetik, heir of Horus waited in the hall. A man in his mid-twenties, Psammetik was tall and handsome with the hawk nose of his maternal/paternal grandfather. Queen Nitocris haughtily ignored the guard at her door as if he were beneath her notice. She knew he was there not so much for her protection as to keep an eye on her, but she didn't care. She escorted the prince inside her chambers.
"You are out early, my son," she smiled at him and motioned him to sit on a long low couch beneath her window. It had been a favorite place for them over countless conversations as the prince grew.
He did not sit now. "I have come at the bidding of the good god," he said.
Puzzled, Nitocris raised one eyebrow but said nothing.
"My sister..." he faltered.
The queen regarded her eldest with compassion. Though he had many consorts, Psammetik had no wife. Her youngest, her namesake, was to have held that position. "She would soon have been old enough for you to wed," she murmured.
The prince nodded briefly. "Mother, one commands you to remain sequestered and pray for her well-being."
She paled. "What has happened?"
"The good god has renewed the alliance with Assyria and entered into a new alliance with Lydia."
The queen sat down hard, her eyes wide. "But... our daughter! Is he mad? What will the Babylonians do?"
Psammetik looked away. He held no illusions. Pharaoh was a realist and had already dismissed the girl in his mind. She held no further place in his calculations. "Mother, I am sorry. And I don't know what the Babylonians will do to her. I will offer sacrifices for her. Perhaps... Perhaps we will yet win her back."
"Perhaps? Perhaps the Babylonians will kill her!"
"Mother, if they do, they do. It is already too late."
"But..."
"It has been decided. We can do nothing. If they harm her, we will avenge her."
"But she will be dead in a foreign land and her ka will be lost forever!"
"That will be her fate sooner or later regardless," the prince gritted his teeth, thinking of the small girl he had watched grow until she was almost old enough to wed.
"Thanks to your father."
"Mother!" Psammetik was shocked.
"He has done this to her. Never forget it, prince of Egypt! Perhaps we cannot help her, but at least we can know. I must know what becomes of her. Send me someone who can find out."
"Someone?"
"Someone with contacts in Babylon. Someone who can act as a spy..." she stopped then smiled slowly. "Send me the merchant Ramose, son of our cousin Kaptah."
The prince hesitated. "A merchant?"
"Ramose's father was half Miletian, but his mother is the sister to the last sheik of the Chaldean House of Amukanni! He carries the blood of the old Babylonian kings... and his mother works in the palace of Babylon. Send him to me."
Psammetik frowned. His father would not be pleased if he were to find out, but then he thought of his sister and he nodded shortly. "Madam, as you will." He bowed and backed from the room. That same morning, he sent for the merchant. ...And that afternoon, he sailed upstream to Thebes.
Thebes
The holy city of Thebes, site of the temple of Amun and the queen's throne, did not even remotely resemble the Greek city of the same name. In fact, Thebes of Egypt was really two cities, the city of the living on the east bank, and the city of the dead with its tombs, monuments, shrines and temples on the west. The dead were ruled by the high priest of Amun, the priest Mentemhe. Mentemhe was also governor of the living city and received his authority from the god's wife herself. His was a lineage without peer. He was descended from the priest/kings who had been deposed as pharaohs by the Kushites. The priests were no longer pharaohs, but they were still the only line from which Amun could draw his high priests and governors.
Prince Psammetik needed to see the priest.
Mentemhe was surprised to see the prince. He had not been informed that there was to be any royal visit. He received him at the temple, before the queen's throne.
"Lord prince, son of Horus," he said, "we are honored by your visit. The god's wife is well?"
"She is well," Psammetik answered. "And your family?"
"As always, Amun has blessed us," the priest responded.
"Of course."
"Have you come to make sacrifice?"
"Yes," Psammetik answered, "but what I have really come to talk to you about is your daughter."
"My daughter?" Mentemhe was even more surprised. "But your sister..."
"Is in Babylon. Realistically, she may not return. But then again, she may. Mentemhe, I cannot ask to marry your daughter, only to contract for her, you understand."
The priest thought about it. "But if the daughter of the god's wife does not return?" he prompted.
"Then your daughter's daughter will be the next god's wife. I swear it. It will be through her that I will earn the right to my divinity."
"And after you, through her, the priest/kings will once more come into their own."
"Yes."
Mentemhe smiled and bowed his bald head. "I will draw up the contract and have the sacrifice made ready."
Footnotes
1. Hatti was the ancient term for Asia Minor.
2. The Jews had a seven-day week, the Babylonians had a quarter-moon and the Egyptians had a ten-day.
3. Necho I, Great Chieftain of the West, the grandfather of Necho II, was a native of Saius in Lower Egypt. He was a Libyan, more related to the Bedouins than the Egyptians. During his time, the Kushites held power in Egypt. Psammetik I and Necho II had fought under Assyria to push the Kushites south once more. Unfortunately, a pharaoh was not only a political ruler, he was a god. Though Lower Egypt recognized the Saite regime easily enough, Upper Egypt was another story. It was not Assyria's decree, but Nitocris' adoption by the god's wife Shepenwepet II, which made her the heir of the Kushite Pharaoh Tanwetamani. She held the line of succession. This allowed the people of Upper Egypt to accept the Saite dynasty under which Necho II now ruled. "Empire" postulates that she had royal Kushite blood herself and that this made her an acceptable candidate for the adoption.
4. When a pharaoh died, he received the title "Osiris" before his name to denote his status as having ascended to the gods.
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