The Amarnan Kings, Book 2: Scarab - Smenkhkare

by Overton, Max

  Khai squirmed under his tutor's gaze. "Yes master," he whispered. "Tall and mighty trees of ebony and mahogany come from the land of Kush. If I, as governor of Kush, am to meet the quota set by the king, I must be able to calculate the volume of each tree, work out how many men I will need, how much bread and beer to give them."

  "Well done, Khai." Keneben smiled broadly. "Learn from your friend, Hiknefer. Now, young Tutankhaten, have you anything to add to this discussion? How would you use mathematics in the service of your king?"

  "I...I would build temples to glorify the gods," the young prince said slowly. "For this I would need to know how much land to clear and level." His high-pitched voice quickened as he warmed to the subject. "The quarrymen would need to know how many blocks of stone to cut and what size. How many men would be needed if twenty men are needed for each block and there are fifty thousand blocks in the great temple of Amun? I would have to calculate..."

  "How many men would you need?" Kenemen interrupted.

  Tutankhaten screwed up his face, his eyes raised to the clear blue skies above, his lips moving silently. "A...a million," he concluded doubtfully.

  "There are not that many men in all Kemet, boy."

  Hiknefer laughed. "You won't get to build your temple to Amun then."

  "There is a way," Kenemen said. "Think."

  "Bring men in from other lands?" Khai's face brightened. "We shall declare a great war and conquer the Hittites, the Mitanni and the Babylonians, taking a million captives. They will build the temple."

  Tutankhaten shook his head, smiling. "We do not need a million men. If each gang of twenty men moved a hundred blocks, we would only need ten thousand men. We could find that many in Kemet."

  Keneben clapped his hands with delight. "Excellent, prince Tutankhaten. Your example of the temple was a masterly one, for in the temple we see a microcosm of Kemet and of the world."

  "Which temple, master?" Hiknefer leaned closer, as if he dared not speak louder. "Is it the temple of Aten here in the City of the Sun, or..." He licked his lips and flicked a nervous glance toward the young girl on the stone bench beneath the blossoming tree. "Or is it the temple of Amun?"

  "A good question, Hiknefer." Keneben leaned forward in his turn, beckoning the boys closer. "I will tell you a secret, a sacred secret, one known to scribes and priests but few others. All temples are the same."

  Khai gasped. "The gods are the same?"

  "Did I say that? I said the temples are the same, not the gods, you foolish boy. No, each god is different and you will find different things in each temple, but the plan of them, the mathematics, is the same. The temple can be called the Divine House, the Per Neter, in which the divine principle, the god or Neter, resides while on earth. It is the halfway point between the heavens, the abode of the Neteru, and the earth, the abode of man, and as such reflects both." Keneben settled back on his chair and the boys recognized the signs of one of his lectures, reclining on the grass in front of him.

  "You are already aware of how everything in life is paired? We have had lessons on the innate bifurcation of all things. Look around you and you can see this--the living and the non-living; the living further divided into plant and animal; animals into human and non-human; humans into man and woman. It goes further. Our Kemet is made up of two kingdoms, Upper Kemet and Lower Kemet. The River divides both upper and lower into East, the realm of Life and Light; and the West, the realm of Death and Darkness. So too, there are the gods and men. The temple is the sacred space where they meet and it is no accident of design. When the gods first created man, they set out ways for him to worship the gods. The place they chose was the temple. The gods set out the temple in such a way that it reflected their divine laws."

  Ankhesenpaaten paid scant attention to Keneben's lecture. Some she already knew, for even princesses have their tutors, other bits she did not know, and did not care. Her attention was on the young boys lounging on the short-cropped grass of the courtyard. She amused herself by reminding herself of what she knew of them.

  Hiknefer was the eldest, about the same age as she, a prince of Miam from the province of Wawat or Lower Nubia. The hot land to the south went through cycles in which it was conquered by Kemet, then shook off its tyranny before falling once more. Many soldiers in the Kemetu army came from Nubia, being tall and strong, though undisciplined unless they were ruled with firmness. Ankhesenpaaten smiled to herself, examining the strong straight limbs of the youth, the dark skin almost black with a sheen of blue like a ripe grape. She knew he was tall, having stood next to him many times. She was no stripling herself, yet if he held out an arm parallel to the ground, she could have walked under it without touching. The boy's nose was straight, his teeth gleaming and his gaze, which drifted in her direction from time to time, were warm and inviting. She considered his unspoken invitation for several delicious seconds before putting the thought away. She was after a bigger prize.

  "There are four parts to sacred mathematics," Keneben was saying. Ankhesenpaaten felt a flush in her young body and dragged her attention away from Hiknefer and back to the old scribe. "Four dimensions." He lifted a hand and marked them with his fingers as he talked. "First, the dimension of number. We can define a temple by its size, the area it occupies, its boundaries. Number provides the plan of a temple. Second, there is the dimension of Time. We can orient the temple in relation to the Nile, central to our physical world, and the celestial world above us. Time defines the purpose of a temple."

  Purpose , Ankhesenpaaten thought. I know what purpose Hiknefer would have. Very different from the other one . Khai, from the land of Kush or Upper Nubia was as different from Hiknefer as two Nubians could be. Only a year younger than the tall youth, Khai was short, shorter than herself, but broad and muscular. She had seen this type of body before and knew that when he was an old man, as old as...well, in his twenties or thirties, he would be fat. Already, dimples of fat could be seen beneath the earth colour of his skin.

  Ankhesenpaaten did not enjoy Khai's gaze. He seldom looked at her, but when he did, she felt as if she were being examined by a crocodile, a hungry one. The looks he gave her were calculating, comparing their stations in life and how they might be turned to his advantage.

  With a shiver she turned to an examination of the young prince Tutankhaten. Four years her junior he was actually her uncle, being the youngest brother of her own father Akhenaten. You could tell he was the king's brother, being slim, but without the strength of Hiknefer. A sickly child, still wearing the side lock of youth, he had, until recently, spent more time inside the palace than outside it. Where other boys ran and played and fought, he spent his days in the cool shade being looked after by nurses and tutors, or playing games of dice or senet.

  Only last year, when the political situation in Nubia abruptly changed, necessitating the taking of hostages, did Tutankhaten's life also change. Into his life came the two boys Khai and Hiknefer, hostages to their fathers' good behavior. Despite the very different backgrounds, and ages, which often meant more to youngsters, the three boys became firm friends and were now seldom seen apart.

  It was at this time that Ankhesenpaaten really became aware of the young prince for the first time. She knew he existed, of course, but she had never had reason to talk to him. She was a woman and a queen, also a mother at twelve years and was not interested in a boy still with his side lock of hair. Then things fell apart. Her baby daughter, darling little Ankhesenpaaten-ta-sherit, died and her father-husband put her away, though he still tried a half-hearted grope or fumble when the heat rose in him. Worse was the fact that with her estrangement came a distancing from the affairs of state. True, the court at Akhet-Aten was limited; the governing of the country being under the aegis of Smenkhkare and Ay at Waset, but it was a start. Then just as she acquired the taste for power it was snatched from her. Rather than complain or become bitter, she sat down and thought it through, made her plans. She jumped as Keneben's words echoed her thoughts.

 
"...a plan. Geometry is the growth plan of a temple. Lastly, there is Volume for the choice of building materials evokes associations with the divine forces. Volume provides the goal of a temple."

  What is my goal ? Ankhesenpaaten asked herself. She found herself looking at Tutankhaten again, considering his place in her plans. Akhenaten was senior king in name only. His sway held only as far as the city limits. Smenkhkare was the real force in the Two Lands--and Ay the Tjaty, her grandfather. She put no faith in her family relationship with Ay. Had he not consigned his own daughter, her mother Nefertiti, to exile and possible death? The royal family of Kemet was sparse now, the dynastic hopes rested on very few individuals. The old king Amenhotep had been virile, fathering a profusion of sons and daughters on lesser wives--they did not count--yet only two sons by his queen Tiye. The first, Tuthmosis, had died before ever gaining the throne, her father Akhenaten benefiting from his death. Then Amenhotep fathered the princes Smenkhkare and Tutankhaten, and Akhenaten fathered six daughters. Yet who was left to carry the hopes of the family into the next generation? Two kings and a prince, two queens and a princess.

  Keneben's lecture wandered on, leaving behind the mathematical aspects of temples and entering the realm of colour. "Blue is the colour of the sky, and hence of the cosmic divinities, while green is a colour of growing things and is associated with Hapi and Asar. Black is the land itself, a colour of death and putrefaction, yet out of it springs white, the colour of life, and red signifies animation and the completion of the cycles of life."

  Full circle. Young and old. Akhenaten is past it, she thought dispassionately. He represents the old. Smenkhkare will be king for a time, but my sister Meryetaten will not be his queen. Her life is past. Besides, rumor has it that his sister Beketaten will soon take her place in Smenkhkare's bed and beside him on the throne. Who does that leave? Tutankhaten and myself.

  "The gods themselves are associated with colours. Blue and black are the colours of Amun, red and black with Set. Auset is blue and green, Asar black and green, Djehuti, blue and yellow."

  "What of the Aten?" Hiknefer asked.

  "Aten is the disc of the sun. All the solar gods are associated with yellow and white, save Heru, the Ascended Light, who as he sinks toward the western horizon is coloured red and yellow."

  Smenkhkare will soon be senior king. Ankhesenpaaten nodded to herself and unseen by her, Keneben preened, thinking she praised his erudition. That leaves Tutankhaten as junior king here in Akhet-Aten. Beketaten will be queen in Waset, but I could be queen here. And why stay here? Two kings and Two Lands. Smenkhkare could rule Upper Kemet while Tutankhaten and I could rule Lower Kemet from the old residence at Ineb Hedj.

  Ankhesenpaaten felt a rising surge of excitement. Here was her purpose, and all it took was marriage to this little boy lolling on the grass in front of her. But how to make him king ? She pondered the question. There was only one man in the whole of Kemet strong enough to make a king, grandfather Ay. She must write to him immediately and suggest it.

  Keneben cleared his throat, breaking into the young girl's thoughts. "Well boys, you have been a most attentive audience. Tomorrow we shall investigate some of the intricacies of measurement, area and volume. All these things will be of immense use to you in the service of your king. But for now, the morning is well advanced and I feel the need of a little...er, refreshment." The old scribe rose to his feet, wincing as his joints protested his actions. The princes scrambled to their feet also and sketched enthusiastic if somewhat clumsy bows of respect for their departing tutor.

  "What shall we do now?" Khai asked. He stared at the young girl sitting on the wooden bench nearby and a slow smile upturned his lips.

  Hiknefer glanced at the position of the sun. "It is nearly time for archery practice. We should get something to eat and drink beforehand."

  Ankhesenpaaten ignored the two Nubian boys and concentrated her attention on her young uncle. "Tutankhaten, come here please." She smiled as he immediately obeyed. As the other two princes followed their friend however, her smile slipped and she lifted her head up, staring at a spot above Khai's head but of necessity, to one side of Hiknefer's. "I will speak with the prince alone. You other boys have my leave to go."

  A few moments of hesitation and first Hiknefer, then Khai, nodded at Tutankhaten and left. After a few backward looks they broke into a run and soon disappeared among the tall colonnades of the surrounding palace halls.

  "Come and sit beside me." Ankhesenpaaten patted the bench and smiled encouragingly.

  Tutankhaten sat down, staring sideways at the beautiful young girl, but said nothing.

  "I was listening to Keneben and I heard what you said about wanting to build temples. Only kings build temples."

  The boy sat with his bony shoulders slumped and his narrow chest caved inward, staring at his hands which rested on his thin legs. He swung his legs back and forth slowly. "I know," he whispered.

  "So what makes you dream of doing so?"

  A shrug. "The king has no sons. Maybe he will make me his heir."

  "Is that what you want?"

  He looked up and met her eyes. "Yes," he said simply.

  Ankhesenpaaten met his gaze and held it, looking into the depths of his deep brown eyes. "Why do you want to be king?"

  Tutankhaten looked away again, reaching down with one bare foot to trace in the sandy path. "The gods need me."

  "Are you sure you have that the right way round?"

  "Yes, the gods need me. They want me to build them temples and bring their worship back to the people."

  "I thought Smenkhkare was doing this already."

  The boy shook his head, the single lock of hair swinging. "He brings back Amun and Amun will be a tyrant like Aten. The people need all the gods. Besides, he is...is oppre...oppress...taxing the people too much, and he is spending all the taxes on jewelry when women and children are hungry."

  "How do you know these things, Tutankhaten? I have access to the couriers from Waset and I have never heard he was anything but upright."

  "Kadore tells me. He brings me letters from uncle Ay."

  Ankhesenpaaten sat and thought about this for a few minutes. The sun rose above the surrounding palace roofs and the shadowed light fled before the burning rays. The strum of insects in the shrubbery faltered. A breath of hot wind stirred the blossoms and a single red petal fell, slipping through the thickening air to land on the gauzy white of her dress. The scarlet petal looked like a splash of blood.

  "What does Ay say?" she asked at last.

  "Many things. He tells me how the rest of Kemet is troubled and looking for a strong leader. He says my brother Smenkhkare is failing to unite the people."

  "Does he indeed? And does he tell you what the remedy is?"

  Tutankhaten nodded. "He says that when Akhenaten failed, the gods sent a king to replace him in the person of Smenkhkare. Now that he has failed the gods will provide another king, a stronger one."

  "Does Ay say who this king will be?" Ankhesenpaaten's voice trembled.

  "No."

  "A king must be of the family of Amenhotep. There are only three living males in this family--Akhenaten, Smenkhkare and you." She looked sideways at the little boy fidgeting on the bench beside her. "Who do you think he means?"

  "Me. I will be the next king."

  Ankhesenpaaten took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, composing herself. "I can help you become king."

  "How?"

  "A king needs a strong queen beside him, someone who can help him bear the burdens of ruling a great nation, someone who can bear him many fine sons and daughters. You cannot marry just anybody, Tutankhaten, you must marry within the family. Later you can do as you please but your first wife, your queen, must be a family member." Ankhesenpaaten paused, listening to her hammering heart. "Only by marrying a family member can the king and queen present a strong and united house, one that the people will have faith in." She reached out and took his hand in hers, turning it over and tracing
the lines in the palm with one finger. "Meryetaten and Beketaten are too old for you and are tainted by Smenkhkare's failings. I am the only other princess. You must marry me."

  Tutankhaten's eyes grew large. "Me? Marry you?"

  "Yes. Don't you want to?" Ankhesenpaaten drew back slightly, dropping her head modestly. "Don't you find me beautiful?"

  "Oh, y...yes. Of...of c...course I do," he stammered. He blushed, his bronzed skin turning a shade darker. "I mean, you want to? But I'm only nine."

  "You are older than your years, everyone says so. Besides, we don't have to share a bed yet." Ankhesenpaaten smiled demurely and glanced at the little boy. "We can get betrothed and when you become king, I will marry you and become your queen on the same day."

  "I don't know that I can be betrothed. I'm only a boy."

  "Then it is high time you lost this." She reached out and flicked his side lock of hair. "I shall write to Ay immediately. Kadore can take the letter back to Waset when he goes."

  Ankhesenpaaten stood and pulled Tutankhaten onto his feet also. He only came to her breasts so she bent down and kissed his cheek. "Now kiss me, husband-to-be, then go and play. I have many things to do."

  The prince reached up and put a clumsy kiss on his niece's lips, before turning and scampering away over the grass.

  Ankhesenpaaten watched him absently, her mind already elsewhere, turning over phrases for her letter to grandfather Ay. She could not entrust this to a palace scribe, she would have to write it herself.

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  Chapter Six

  Jebu the Amorite sat in the feasting hall of his lord and master Aziru, king of Amurru, in the city of Taanach and lifted his cup of wine in salute, politely drumming on the table with his other hand. He wiped the wine that spilled into his beard with the back of one hand and set the ornate silver cup back on the table with a thump, whereupon it was at once refilled by an attentive servant. Resting one arm on the side of his great carved chair he settled back to listen to the rest of the speeches, idly picking at the remnants of the feast that covered the tables and a good part of the floor of the hall.