Is it just me? Do many of us secretly prefer "Egypt's ancientness" today rather than Egypt when it wasn't ancient, i.e. in its original gaudy technicolour?

Yes, we can all appreciate the original colours of say Nefertari's painted tomb... And yet, and yet... Where I love to dwell most of all is on the sensation of 'ancientness' itself, on experiencing ancientness – brushing up against its cobwebs, descending its worn steps, being in its ruined and compelling presence, the past refracted through, and impacting on lives today. I want the patina of the ancient past... rubbing off on my characters’ skins today. The pleasure of ruins? As a result I prefer writing modern day archaeological thrillers to the 'khepesh and sandals' costume variety.

Roy Lester Pond fiction is on Amazon