The Egyptologist - Arthur Phillips [145]
Saturday, 2 December, 1922
WALL PANEL B: “THE MAGNIFICENT RISE TO POWER OFATUM-HADU, FINAL LORD OF THE TWO KINGDOMS”
Text: Atum-hadu—may he live mingled with the body of the god and in the company of Isis for one million years—was strong and brave. He made himself a soldier in the army of the old king Djedneferre Dudimose, who had seen the Lower Kingdom consumed by enemies as the young of a turtle are consumed by even an extremely lazy crocodile. Foreigners from the north and east plundered. Little men near the mouth of the Nile dressed themselves as kings just as children do but killed those who would not play with them. The few victories in these days came from the bite of Atum-hadu’s arrows. All who saw him knew that Montu [the god of war—RMT] favoured him.
When at last General Atum-hadu seemed to have stopped the million enemies, the old king called for this son of Seth. Atum-hadu came to Thebes. The court was full of animals and acrobats, but there was not food. The people had their heads upon their knees, and had no desires. There was fear.
Atum-hadu [entered] the palace. He was beautiful and strong and bloodied from battle. He was rubbed with oils, given food and drink, and he took a young woman whose limbs pleased him, and no one knew if they should tell him that she was the old king’s newest queen. Behind a curtain she showed Atum-hadu the colour of her limbs, and he was pleased. A messenger brought Atum-hadu to the king.
Illustration: The animals are not bad, it must be admitted, and show a certain improvement in style over Wall Panel A. The vast illustrations must have taken hours if not days to complete, and the artist’s skills progress over the course of the wall; he controls his materials better, with less dripping. I would draw the tourist’s eye to the depiction of the young Atum-hadu, embracing a woman with a warrior’s hunger, then feeding dates to a giraffe. I would point out the tenderness displayed in his obvious love for the animals of the dying king’s menagerie. The court of Djedneferre Dudimose is depicted with great care, and the array of statuary, furnishings, flower-garlanded pillars, and other trappings of royal power is elegantly achieved. The couch with the carved lion-head footboards, upon which Atum-hadu takes the reigning queen (with her remarkable birthmark), is a marvel of decorative arts, both as a painting and as it must have once appeared (and perhaps still does in an unopened chamber, or a nearby tomb annex elsewhere in Deir el Bahari). The broad lapis necklaces on the court’s women are jewellery depictions of the first order.
Analysis: We have confirmation of Atum-hadu’s historical context, as he comes after Djedneferre Dudimose, until now recognised as the last king of the XIIIth Dynasty.
Journal: Tired from my translation and transcription. Wedge my door into place and hobble down to the ferry. No post. Bank closed—a pity, as I am hoping that O’Toole and the other partners might take up the responsibilities CCF has so far fumbled. Feed the cats, though now I must approach the villa with as much discretion as I do the tomb. Return to my work after a sad and prolonged farewell to Maggie and the Rameses.
WALL PANEL C: “ATUM-HADU IS CHOSEN BYTHE DYING KING DJEDNEFERRE DUDIMOSE”
Text: The old king, Horus resident in the palace, could not rise. He said, “General Atum-hadu, I have lived 110 years. All around me are those that hunger to be king, though I cannot say why, as there will never again be joy in the black land. I do not fear death, Atum-hadu, but I fear that all that we have received will be lost. Guidance must be preserved for those who might someday restore our land. I pray there is time for scribes to write the glory of our past and hide the texts. This is all one can hope the next king might achieve, and even for this strength will be necessary. No man who is clever would wish to be king,