The Eye of Horus (43 page)

Ankhesenamen (Ankhes)
Tutankhamen’s Principal Wife and Queen of the Two Lands: daughter of Nefertiti and Akhenaten

Aset
Daughter of Nefertiti and Ramose

Ay
Primary Adviser (Fanbearer on the Right) to Tutankhamen, who succeeds the young Pharaoh

Hiknefer
Nubian prince schooled at Pharaoh’s court; boyhood friend of Tutankhamen

Horemheb
General of the Army under Tutankhamen; Pharaoh’s Deputy in the North and the South under Ay

Ipwet
Basketmaker on Ramose’s estate

Khary
Tenre’s gardener, later manager of his medicine dispensary

Khay-Min
A physician in the House of Life: Mena’s father-by-marriage

Merenptah (Mena)
Tenre’s boyhood friend and collaborator in his medical experiments; physician in Pharaoh’s army

Merit
Aset’s nurse-mother

Mutnodjme
Nefertiti’s sister; Horemheb’s wife

Nebet
Daughter of Mena and Sheri

Nefertiti
Once Queen to the “Heretic” Akhenaten and coregent during the final three years of his reign, as Smenkhkare; daughter of Amenhotep III

Nofret
Tenre’s elderly aunt

Pagosh
Merit’s husband and personal servant to Ramose

Paranefer
High Priest of Amen

Ramose
A priest of Amen, overseer of the God’s lands and treasury

Ruka
Ipwet’s son

Senakhtenre (Tenre)
An ordinary physician who treats laborers, women and children

Senmut
Son of the King of Aniba, a young physician who becomes Mena’s protegé; Hiknefer’s half-brother

Tamin
Khary’s wife

Tetisheri (Sheri)
Mena’s wife

Tutankhamen
Young half-brother of Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV), who succeeds him on the throne

Uzahor
Elderly friend of Ramose; Aset’s first husband

The lyrical verses used in the text and as epigraphs for the Egyptian chapters are from
Awakening Osiris: A New Translation of the Egyptian Book of the Dead
by Normandi Ellis (Phanes Press, 1988). In leaving behind the archaic language of earlier translations, Ellis allows us to see the changing color of the desert sky through the eyes of a people who lived thousands of years ago—to share their aspirations and disappointments and come to realize they were capable of both soaring flights of imagination and the most mundane ordinariness—until, in the end, we hear ourselves in their voices.

Dr. Robert Pickering, physical anthropologist and former chairman of the Department of Anthropology at the Denver Museum of Natural History, opened the door for me to forensic reconstructions based on CT scans of a mummy, sharing not only his expertise but his enthusiasm for learning more about how the ancient Egyptians lived, not just their way of death. It was an exhibition,
Egypt’s Dazzling Sun: Amenhotep III and His World,
organized by the Cleveland Museum of Art in collaboration with the Réunion des Museés Nationaux, Paris (catalog by Arielle Kozloff and Betsy Bryan, 1992) that truly opened my eyes to this artistically magnificent period of Egyptian history. And while there were many other collections and exhibitions along the way, none were so thought-provoking (indeed, mesmerizing) as this one, set against the backdrop of architect Louis
Kahn’s equally magnificent Kimbell Art Museum in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Many people had a hand in shaping this book. Eunice McWharter was ever ready to read one more draft, allowing me to test one idea after another. Dr. George Beddingfield provided insightful observations on the story and how to tell it, Christina Harcar gave generously of her time and editorial expertise, and Leslie Kronz lent her ear for voice and tone when I needed it most. In between, the Sunday Afternoon Connoisseurs read and offered thoughtful counsel, then came back for more. Perhaps it was for the wine. Jennifer Sawyer Fisher, my editor, provided not only editorial guidance but unfailing equanimity and good cheer in the face of one more read. Elizabeth Ziemska and then Nick Ellison, my agents, opened still another door for me, all the while giving generously of their wisdom, confidence, and enthusiasm. My thanks to all.

“Two compelling stories … The mystery of ancient Egypt and some of the most up-to-date techniques found in forensic medicine are combined to breathe life into an ancient mummy.”

Dr. Robert Pickering, former chairman. Department of Anthropology,
Denver Museum of Natural History

“Parallel tales of personal and professional intrigue, loss and recovery … Thurston stirringly mixes … religious, medical, and social alternative histories.”

Kirkus Reviews

“A fascinating journey from the present to an era more than 3,000 years ago … [that] keeps the reader turning pages until the end.”

San Antonio Express-News

“Intriguing … Thurston effectively builds suspense … [and] provides plenty of fascinating insights into everyday life in fourteenth century
BCE
Egypt.”

Booklist

“Highly literate, packed with minutiae about ancient Egypt and modern-day forensic medicine.
The Eye of Horus
challenges the reader … The appeal of the characters is substantial.”

Austin-American Statesman

“Wonderfully detailed … a great read … This treasure-filled mystery will have other writers regretfully murmuring, ‘Tut, tut.’”

Texas Monthly

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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Copyright © 2000 by Carol Thurston
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ISBN: 0-380-80223-6

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