Chapt 1
Fate makes reaching what we previously believed to be unattainable achievable more easily than the wind carries tree pollen.
It has been eleven years since I left my hometown of Thebes and headed in the direction of the new empire's capital,(Akhet Aten). Akhet Aten is the city of art and beauty, the seat of faith and idolatry, the capital of love and peace, the epicenter of thinking and creation, the country of idols, and the city of beauty.
I moved forward, leaving behind arduous years of toil and fatigue as well as lengthy years of training and study. I was pulled there by a deep conviction in a new doctrine. Strong optimism for a brighter future is what motivates me to go for it.
The chance to work as an engraver in one of the major temples of the empire was difficult and unexpected, but fate and destiny alone that carries us to what we thought was far and impossible more easily than the wind carries tree pollen.
I can still clearly remember the day I first stepped foot on Akhet Aten's home land. I had conflicting emotions at the time, including sadness over leaving my family behind and optimism over the participation of reforming people who were prepared to do so in a building a strong and sublime empire, as promised by our pure and revolutionary king (Akhenaten) always.
I had just finished a lengthy period of study and training, during which I had learnt about the many construction methods for temples and royal palaces, how to decorate and embellish them, and learned many several arts various, including painting, engraving, coloring, and drawing. I have always felt that individuals who work in every field of the arts do not excel in any one of them, and those who follow all paths of the arts will not be masters in any of them.
I had the decision to dedicate my time and efforts to only one creative form; I devote all of my time and effort to it. I only give my whole attention and contemplations to one form of art, the art of engraving on the temple walls and royal obelisks.
I'm not sure why I was attracted to this art in particular and not others. How come I choose it over others? Maybe it's because I used to be captivated by engraving tools and they still attract my attention whenever I see or hold them , or maybe it's because I used to still see in engravers a sparkle and a brilliance in them that I don't see in others.
A brilliance that combines the genius of performance, the beauty of appearance, and a shine that combines the passion of poetry with the sober of the wise. The close relationship between the art of inscription and other arts, the variety of its techniques, and the variety of its sections between one intaglio inscription and another with high relief could all be contributing factors to my passion for this art.
And now the days pass by and the years have helped me accomplish my goal, little by little, I will be_ as I hopped_ an engraver working in the greatest temples of the Egyptian Empire, and I promised myself, from the first instant to learn the minor details of this art and comprehend its characteristics, so that I will learn and gain a lot of experience from it.
Since my childhood, I've desired to be one of those artists who work in the Ammonite temples at Thebes, the capital. These artists were in particular; they had a distinguished position, received compensation handsomely, and were they receive ongoing training that enhances their skills and abilities and helps them perform better than their peers in terms of skills and expertise. I had made enormous progress in this direction and finished all the tasks and training that the priests of Amun had assigned, as well as all the tests and challenges they had set.
However, when the long-awaited moment arrived, that moment which I and my companions had been waiting patiently for and due to the concern that the corrupt philosophy of the heretic Akhenaten would be spread, several of the senior priests prevented our presence and rejected our entering the Amunite temples due to the fear that his erroneous beliefs will spread with the new philosophy in the Ammonite temples and its institutions of learning.
I won't deny that I had a profound impact by the ideology of that young king, Amenhotep IV. I was also strongly impacted by his religious teachings. I even briefly touched on his new sect and his creative ideas, a serious desire for reform and a real will towards change.
I have to admit that a lot of his reflections and his teachings which he shared with the general public and those who around him—were very much in accordance with my ideas and supplied the answers to a lot of my queries.
It is true that I was raised with the same beliefs as my father and the other residents of my village, who believed that Amun was the greatest god in the universe and deserving of worship and sanctification. I also believed that every blessing we in our life has a deity who is worthy of our thanks and reverence for the blessings He bestows upon us.
But there were always issues that confused me and I had no responses for, these questions kept me up morning and night and I wouldn't be able to tell anybody about them. Other times this question run through my mind leaving me confused at times and with a headache other times.
How could the deity who created himself require assistance from other gods?
Is not the God capable of everything? Do the All-Powerful require assistance from anyone?
Should not the God who made everything in existence be only one in His kingdom? Should not he be independent in his rule like the lords of the earth?
Why does Amun invite someone to co-rule with him in his kingdom?
Are not all other deities supposed to be free of imperfections and deficiencies? How then do these Gods accept that we depict them as animal or engrave them in human form?
Is God thirsty and hungry? Eats and drinks? Both clothed and naked, furthermore, he has sex and delivers birth!
Oh, if the priests of Amun knew of the worries I feel in my chest and the questions I have in my head, they would sacrifice me on the closest altar to Amun. If they were cognizant of how much I detest the priests of Amun and abhor their hypocrisy, they would have presented my body as an offering to the Nile and give the crocodiles my meat.
The practices and deeds of the priests of Amun over many years were a major cause for my adoration for our revolutionary king (Emhotep IV) and my determination to back him in all he says and does. For many years, these priests have fanaticism towards unjust norms and traditions that they have inherited; they were eager for these customs and traditions to continue in order to preserve their authority and influence.
Lean years they used to take public lands in the name of gods and deities, several years during which they forcibly seized whatever gifts and sacrifices and offerings people made to the temples, unfortunately, these priests were able to gain total authority and enormous wealth by creating an unfriendly classism among the members of one people. Yes, I abhor the Amun priests and their awful behavior. I detested their dishonest language and their false speeches. I loathed them and everything they had to say about deceptive discussions and false promises. In fact a majority of them do not faithful to Amun and have little loyal in most of Gods.
I felt a lot of good of rising in Horizon and our nation is about to witness a great renaissance, and the time has come to establish authority and control when our king Amenhotep IV revealed his new ideology and changed his name to Akhenaten. Last but not least, our diligent will have the chance of gaining important positions and high-ranking positions. Finally, in our big Kemet empire, the offspring of laborers, farmers, fisherman, and builders shall have the opportunity to participate in decision.
All of this and more was enough motivation for me to contribute to the spreading King Akhenaten's philosophy, and the call to it was made at the residence of the priests of Amun themselves. In Thebes, I occasionally make my invitation public and other times keep it hidden. But Thebes rapidly shut its doors and temples in my face the doors closed quickly in the face of Thebes and its temples, leaving me with no option but to go for the new empire capital (Akhet Aten).
