The Riddle of the Sphinx: Solved (Preview)
(C) 2014,2017 Victor D. Lopez
The
Riddle of the Sphinx: Solved
The midday sun blazed in blinding glory
directly over the Great Sphinx of Giza as Dr. Zahi Hawass, the famous Egyptologist
whose love of Egyptian antiquity seems rivaled only by his love of the camera,
faced the score of reporters with his well worn Indiana Jones hat and best
cat-who-swallowed-the-canary-smile.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. This is a
great day for Egypt and the world,” he began with an enthusiastic smile and
eyes sparkling like a sleepy child’s on Christmas morning. “Our efforts over
the past year to excavate the recently found chamber under the right paw of the
Sphinx is complete and we are ready to reveal its content for the first time.
Please, come with me that we may share this moment together.”
Without further ado and in an
uncharacteristically brief fashion, Dr. Hawass turned to his left, gesturing
for the cameras to follow. As he walked, he continued, turning to the cameras
and beaming contentedly. “We have uncovered a portal but have not yet broken
the seal as we wish to share this moment with the world.”
“Zahi,” a reporter following closely to
his right called out, “Can you tell us what you expect to find?” The
Egyptologist stopped and turned to the reporter, with a patient, avuncular
smile, and stopped, facing the cameras directly.
“I have no idea, but I expect it will be
wonderful things.” He then turned and took several steps before once again
stopping and turning to the camera. “You will see that there are no artifacts
in the small antechamber we have uncovered, nor any artwork or extensive
writing. There is, in fact, no traditional writing of any kind but for a line
of undecipherable writing above a sealed doorway that is unlike anything that
has been uncovered in the past.”
“You mean the writing is illegible?” the
reporter interrupted.
“No,” Dr. Hawass replied, dabbing at his
damp forehead with a large, white handkerchief.” “The writing is quite legible
but is unlike any writing in the ancient or modern world. There are no glyphs,
but previously unseen symbols over the doorway. The writing is not painted but
etched onto the stone and glows quite visibly even in low light. I expect it
will take us quite some time to decipher its meaning and the means utilized to
achieve the bright glow, though we suspect it is some type of radioactive
material similar to that used in instruments and watches in the recent past,
though no trace of radiation has been picked up by our instruments.” He then
resumed walking again towards the excavation, still some fifty feet away. “It
is all part of the mystery, and it augers well for whatever archeological
treasures may be secreted beyond the sealed wall, don’t you think?” His
statement ended right on cue at the foot of the vertical tunnel that resembled
more a well than the traditional entrance to a burial chamber.
“You must be careful descending the wooden
ladder. There is only room for a few people down there as the antechamber is
only approximately two meters by two meters and we already have two workmen
down there ready to breach the sealed door. I can only take a camera operator
down with me and will be happy to hold an extensive news conference later, once
what lies beyond the seal is uncovered.”
Dismissing the numerous questions shot at
him by members of the media present with a wave of the hand, he pointed to the
closest Egyptian camera operator and said “You can accompany me. Careful,
though. The workmen will steady the ladder below, but it is a long way down and
the ladder will be unsteady.” He then stepped onto the ladder protruding above
the meter-wide circular hole with the camera operator first filming his
descent, and then following carefully, holding onto the ladder with his left
hand as he balanced his the light but awkward camera on his shoulder harness
with his right hand, filming nothing but his handhold on the ladder as he
descended, not wanting to break the suspense.
Approximately three stories down, he
finally hit solid ground, finding a chamber that appeared dug out of bedrock,
with perfectly smooth walls everywhere but for the circular hole on the ceiling
through which they had descended. The cameraman immediately swept his camera
around the tiny room panning back to the limits of his camera’s wide angle
view. Two workmen could be seen to each side of a wall directly opposite the
ladder, covered in sweat to which clung rock granules and dust from their
intense chiseling into the rock. The cameraman focused on the recessed symbols
that arched above the perfect outlines of a rectangular door approximately a
meter in width and two meters in height.
“Keep the camera on the writing,” the
Egyptologist commanded and wait to be amazed.” He then turned off the intense
halogen lights lights by pressing a switch on the line leading to the dual work
lights that had brightly illuminated the small room, and the symbols came alive
with a blood-red glow from within the carved stone. The symbols themselves were
reminiscent of geometric figures and mathematical symbols, but were neither
glyphs nor words in an unknown alphabet but a sort of combination of the two
that was disorienting to the mind.
***** END OF PREVIEW *****
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