Egyptian Military of the New Kingdom

E1: We were inserted into the Egyptian frontier, near the heavily contested region close to the Hittite Empire. Large formations of soldiers and chariots appeared to be on the move. We followed them at a distance. After about an hour of marching, they stopped to make camp. A man on a chariot seems to have noticed our presence and sent a troop of men to investigate. The men questioned us as to our origins. As I responded, they took note of my accent and escorted us to the camp. The man on the chariot, an officer, seems to have recognized me as the “ambassador of Amun-Ra”, and apologized for the brash behaviour of his underlings.

I requested only to survey his troops, if possible. He obliged and ordered a herald to call the troops up into formation.

As he led us out of his tent, the troops were already in position, in stark contrast to the general disorganization moments earlier. I took note of their armaments. Many were dedicated bowmen, armed with composite bows. Some appeared to be Nubian levies. The melee troops were armed with a variety of weapons, not limited to khopeshes, spears, and axes. They bore small shields covered in hide, and some form of linen armor.

A khopesh from the New Kingdom

Next were the chariots. The officer explained that they were used as a sort of shock unit, designed to throw enemy lines into disarray, so that the following infantry may exploit the breakthrough. They were manned by a driver and an archer and were adopted after the invasion of the Hyskos.

He then led us to the shoreline, where several ships were anchored. They appeared to be operated by both sail and oars. The ships, the officer informed us, were constructed of Phoenician cedar, in contrast to the reed boats of the Nile. They were meant to transport supplies, troops, and provide a platform for archers to shoot from, as well as for destroying enemy ships.

I thanked him for the survey and took our leave. We withdrew and returned to our reality.

E2: We were inserted behind Egyptian lines at the site of the Battle of the Delta, between the forces of the Sea People and that of Rameses II. A drone was brought along, and powered on. The difficulties of observing the battle on the ground made it impossible to provide an accurate account of the conflict.

A relief of Rameses II atop a chariot

Drone Log:

00:00 Drone is powered on.

00:30 Drone launches.

01:00 Drone assumes altitude of 200m above sea level.

02:00 Drone assumes altitude of 400m above sea level. Drone moves towards Egyptian forces.

02:50 Drone ordered to standby and observe. Sherden ships visible, approaching Nile.

05:00 Rameses II deploys archers on banks of Nile. Sherden ships continue approach.

10:00 Sherden ships enter the Nile. Egyptian ships downriver appear and begin closing distance.

20:00 Egyptian forces open fire from land and sea. Sherden ships make contact with Egyptian ships, which pull them closer to shore.

40:00 Sherden ships are beached and make contact with expectant Egyptian land forces.

50:00 Remaining Sherden forces rout. Egyptians capture and kill many remaining Sherden land forces.

56:00 Drone returns to launch site, is powered off.

LOG END

Egyptian Art/Architecture during the New Kingdom

E1: We were inserted into Thebes, during the reign of Akhenaten. We approached a construction project nearby. Unlike Old and Middle Kingdom architecture, the grand buildings of the New Kingdom made use of “pylons”, large ornate gateways depicting scenes of the pharaoh.

Painters and sculptors were at work applying details on a bas-relief. Despite the stubborn nature of Egyptian art, the art style had changed dramatically. The relief was made in the “Amarna style”, a change sponsored by the Pharaoh himself. The figures on the wall looked feminine and grotesque, with distended bellies and prominent lips, depicted gender notwithstanding.

A portrait of Akhenaten in the Amarna style

The painters were making use of several dyes. I inquired as to the composition of said dyes. One of them curtly replied that they used ochre of several varieties, malachite, and azurite.

We exited and reentered normal reality at approximately 1500 hours.

E2: We were inserted into Tanis, during the reign of Rameses IV. We were tasked with inspecting various monuments and temple complexes.

We paid a ship to take us upriver as far as the 2nd cataract. We stopped at several locations along the way, all of which were built during the New Kingdom:

Luxor Temple - A temple not dedicated to either the pharaoh or any god(s), but rather as a temple to the concept of the rejuvenation of kingship. Many pharaohs were said to have been crowned here. The Amarna style present during the reign of Akhenaten seems to have been supplanted in its’ entirety by the style preceding it.

Temple complex at Karnak -  Over time, 30 pharaohs, each seeking to leave their own mark on the complex, expanded and added to it. Each precinct of the complex is dedicated to a different pharaoh, god, or set of gods. The Precinct of Amun-Re is by far the largest, encompassing several buildings, pylons, and a sacred lake.

The complex is spread over an area of 200 acres.

Medinet Habu

Medinet Habu - This temple was the mortuary temple of Rameses III, and as such, it serves to commemorate his life and accomplishments. There are three pylons in the entire complex, and the walls are adorned with steles of Rameses smiting the Sea Peoples single-handedly. The temple was planned to receive sunlight directly in the doorway during the 21st of February and October.

After inspecting the final site, we returned to normal reality at 1600 hours, about 2 weeks after our insertion.

Egyptian Science/Technology in the New Kingdom

E1: We were inserted into the industrial center of Thebes, during the reign of Rameses III.

Smithies were at work, producing bronze tools and weapons. We observed as they mixed copper and tin ingots in a furnace, and casting the rough shapes of a spearhead, scales, and swords. The objects were cooled and refined by smiths and tossed into baskets to be fitted.

We exited the industrial center into a palace complex under construction.

Several architects were at a table, surveying the site and consulting a rough schematic. There appeared to be some semblance of mathematic calculations involved.

Masons hewed at rock with bronze chisels and adzes and drilling holes with copper drills.

Bronze and iron daggers from the New Kingdom

Laborers moved masoned stones up earthen ramps and slid them into place with logs. They were constructing a corbel arch, a piece of design innovated during the Old Kingdom, and one that the workers of Rameses II were applying in copious amounts.

Workers finishing a meal would rub their teeth with a cleaning paste made of bones, while those with ailments would seek out a practitioner of Egyptian medicine for a quick cure.

We left and returned to normal reality at approximately 1800 hours.

E2: We were inserted into the banks of the Nile, downriver from Thebes, during the same time period as the preceding insertions.

We observed the farming projects currently underway.

Farmers appeared to be using two ox-drawn plows at the same time: one to cut up the furrows, and another to stir up the earth. Workers with stone and copper hoes followed the plows, scattering seed and breaking up soil/. Little canals fed water to the fields, as more workers operated a shaduf  (a construct used to transport water over very short distances) to bring water in. Irrigation was brought to Egypt by the Hyskos, and also supplied water to villages and farms.

We returned to normal reality at approximately 1600 hours.

Fresco depicting a farm worker plowing a field

Egyptian Religion of the New Kingdom

E1: We were inserted into Akhenaten, also known as Amarna, during the reign of Akhenaten (1346 BC). We were to investigate the dominance shift from the traditional religion to Atenism.

We ventured into several non-Atenist temples, to find that there were few worshippers. A lone priest presiding over an idol of Amun-Ra was one of the only people present. We requested to speak with him regarding the Akhenaten. Although we expected him to be reluctant coming forth, he was surprisingly eager to share his opinion.

Relief depicting the Royal Family praising Aten

He told us that Akhenaten had elevated Aten to the chief god of the pantheon. Despite that, no one save for the royal family was allowed to worship Aten directly. People were to worship Akhenaten as a sort of divine ruler - a proxy - as the people normally would. Many of the priests felt that this was a power grab on Akhenaten’s part. Belief in the other gods was heavily discouraged, and so the priests had lost whatever economic and philosophical authority they once had. The priest was confident that the new religion would not outlast 2 generations.

We thanked him for his time and left the temple. We returned to normal reality at approximately 1400 hours.

E2: We were inserted into Amarna, during King Tutankhamun’s rule.

We entered a resident’s house in exchange for a silver piece. The house appeared to adorned with household idols of Bast and Osiris, objects banned during the reign of Akhenaten. The resident explained that the priestly class had allowed a sense of personal piety to develop amongst the common people, rather than squander it on themselves. This allowed the Egyptians to retain personal relationships with the gods, instead of relying on the priests as a conduit through which the gods communicated and acted.

We entered a series of temples. The once desecrated figures of Amun-Ra and the other gods were restored to their former state, and the temple was filled with worshippers. No sign of any Atenist icons were to be found. It would seem that they were disposed of by the current religious authority. The cult of Amun-Ra appeared to have benefited greatly from this boon.

We exited and returned to normal reality at approximately 0900 hours.

Fresco depicting a seated Amun-Re

Egyptian Trade in the New Kingdom

Foreword:

The Egyptians maintained a massive trade network across the Bronze Age world, which extended to far-off places such as the Indus Valley, to Punt, a kingdom located on the Horn of Africa.

This trade financed massive building projects and military campaigns.

E1: We were inserted into Myos Hormos, a port on the Red Sea, during the reign of Hatshepsut. We encountered a portside market on our way to document the trade expedition to Punt. There were several merchants haggling with one another over a variety of goods. Ships were stocked with Arabian spices, Nubian gold, and ebony, lapis lazuli, as well as native Egyptian wheat, papyrus, and linen.

A relief depicting Tia, Queen of Punt

We moved through the ports to witness Hatshepsut’s fleet of five trade ships returning from Punt. Several dock workers and merchants expressed their surprise and awe, exclaiming that they had not expected a successful trip to such a distant destination. As they approached the shore, Hatshepsut’s envoys began declaring their accomplishments done in her name. They brought forth 31 live myrrh trees and boxes of frankincense. Several observers exclaimed that they were able to smell the fragrance of the incense. We returned to normal reality at approximately 0800 hours.

E2: We were inserted into the port city of Tanis in the 5th Year of Rameses XI, at 1060 BCE. We were tasked with locating and journeying on a trade ship. Several ships of varying origins were docked at the port, some loaded with urns, others with crates. I approached a man who appeared to be a captain and offered to exchange a small bag of silver in exchange for passage on his ship. He accepted, and we set sail the next morning.

The captain’s name was Semet, and he was seeking to stock up on Phoenician and Cypriot goods. We sailed for a week before we reached the city of Tyre. Semet disembarked and haggled with a Phoenician supplier of cedar. They settled on a deal of 50 shekels, and workers began to load the logs onto the ship.

We left port after restocking on supplies for Cyprus, which was another week away. There were a few stormy nights which tested our faith in the vessel, which made it to port largely undamaged, much to our collective relief.

A fresco of an Egyptian trade ship

Semet filled his remaining cargo space with ingots of copper, relatively scarce in Egypt. We returned the same way we came from, which took 2 weeks. As we sailed back into Tanis, we hastily disembarked and returned to normal reality at approximately 1300 hours.

Egyptian Food of the New Kingdom

E1: We have arrived in the outskirts of the city of Thebes, New Kingdom Egypt. The Nile is visible from our location. It appears to be around 30 degrees Celsius.

The insertion was virtually soundless. We were deposited in a quiet alley between two houses, and no one seemed to notice our abrupt appearance, save for a stray cat.

We exited the alley to find ourselves on a busy street filled with vendors selling fish, wheat, and other foodstuffs. The din of the street made it difficult to converse with my compatriots.

As we advanced through the street, I took note of the variety of goods offered. Poultry, unplucked and plucked, no doubt both domesticated and feral, salted and dried. Sacks of lentils, onions, and garlic. Spices sold at expectedly high prices. Cumin, coriander, salt. I purchased a loaf of bread from a vendor for a silver piece as a sample.

We made our way to a mud brick house and request to share their meal with them. I offered a silver piece in exchange, to which the residing family agreed.

A woman of the household was shaping dough in a stone mold. The dough was transferred to an oven. Another woman was preparing a beverage and poured it into a clay cup. Each of us received a cup and drank from it. It appeared to be a variety of barley beer flavoured with dates.

A senior woman took note of my imperfect Egyptian and inquired as to my origins. I replied, “Upriver”, to which she seemed to take as a satisfying answer. The bread was thoroughly baked and served with a bowl of fish stew. There were no utensils to speak of. The meal was described as “wholesome” by one of my compatriots. We excused ourselves from the house after finishing and returned to the same alley whence we came, and returned to normal reality. The bread was taken for testing.

Fresco of a rich household's dining scene

E2: We have returned to Thebes. The location of our insertion has changed, however. We appear to be in the midst of the city. Our abrupt appearance startled the crowd around us, which promptly formed a circle. They appeared to have taken us as ambassadors or personifications of deities. We broke through the circle without violence and continued down the street. Eventually, it became evident that there was a man following us. He caught up with us and prostrated himself at our feet. I assured him that we were not envoys of Amun-Ra, as he thought we were. My accent only seemed to convince him further. Nevertheless, he introduced himself as Paser, a rich landowner. He invited us to supper at his house. As it suited our purpose, I accepted.

We were escorted into a relatively large complex which was presumed to be his residence.

We were seated amongst other guests. We were served stews and roasts of beef, catfish, perch, goat, and a plethora of other meats. Both beer and wine were poured out and drunk. As dessert, melons, figs, and dates were served. Servants were on hand to refill quantities of bread and drink. I obtained several samples of food for testing. We thanked Paser for the meal and made our excuses to leave. We returned to normal reality at approximately 1900 hours.

Fresco of meats, wine, and dates

Expeditionary Force Debrief

June 5, 1986

Historical linguist and historian Dr. Zhao has been prepared for insertion at approximately 1250 BC, during the reign of Rameses II. His complexion has been treated to assume the appearance of an Egyptian. He will be equipped with a bag of silver pieces to facilitate trade. Accompanying him will be two armed security personnel. Temporal tethers will be unlocked to maintain a safe passage back to normal reality.

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