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| Egypt's Philae Temple - the last hieroglyph was carved here |
I can always feel a strong current of
history swirling around the Temple of Philae, even though the
whole temple has been moved from its original island to this one to save it
from the horror that is the Aswan dam. These temple stones have been flooded not only by Nile waters over thousands of years, but also by the arrival of a new faith as a Roman decree swept away the old religion and ritual and even took away the
old language. The last ancient ceremony took place here in this precinct, the
last chant of the priests, the last rattle of the priestesses’ sistra, and the
last hieroglyphic texts ever written were carved on its walls. I imagine the
last moment, when a stone mason cut the very last glyph and then the chisel
fell silent and so did Egypt.
It's a special place for me and for my archaeological fiction hero Anson Hunter.
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| The last rattle of the priestesses’ sistra |
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| It's a sad reflection |
