The Moses Legacy

Chapter 23

‘It couldn’t have come from the Aswan High Dam excavations,’ said Mansoor.

‘Why not?’ asked Daniel, defensively.

‘Because I’ve been thinking about why the jar and papyrus are undocumented and I think I know the reason.’

In Mansoor’s office at the SCA, Daniel and Gabrielle sat forward.

‘Which is?’ Daniel prompted.

‘The most likely cause of an artefact not getting recorded would be if it were found round about the time when the museum moved to a new location. The museum was built in 1835 and has moved twice, first to the Boulaq district in 1858 and then to its present location at Tahrir Square in 1902. But the High Dam wasn’t constructed till the 1960s.’

Daniel thought for a moment about Mansoor’s comment. But then a thought came to him.

‘What about the old dam?’

‘The Low Dam?’ Mansoor considered this. ‘It was initially constructed between 1898 and 1902 and then raised twice after that.’

‘So maybe it was found when they were nearing completion… in 1902.’

Mansoor was shaking his head.

‘They would have been more likely to find an artefact during initial excavations than when they were finishing construction. Besides, the Elephantine papyri date from the fifth century BC. There’s no way they’d still be using the script then, when they already used the Aramaic alphabet!’

Daniel felt frustrated. He and Gabrielle had already considered this objection, but hearing it now from Mansoor reminded him how far off the mark that particular theory had been.

‘What about Deir el-Medina? Could it have been found there?’

‘None of the papyri that survived from there were in Proto-Sinaitic.’

‘I guess that puts paid to both those theories,’ said Daniel with a wry smile.

‘I’m sorry to put the dampener on it,’ said Mansoor. ‘Especially after you came back here to help out.’

‘Actually, what really prompted me to come back here was your message about that outbreak of illness.’ He preferred not to mention what Harrison Carmichael had said about the plague at this stage. ‘Any more news on that front?’

Mansoor looked tense.

‘It’s not looking good. We’ve had four more deaths. Most of the rest are on the road to recovery. But we still don’t know what caused it and we’re having a hard time keeping the lid on it. They are foreign citizens after all.’

‘Why are you trying so hard to keep it a secret?’

Mansoor looked at Daniel as if he were an idiot.

‘My country thrives on the tourist business. Can you imagine what it’ll do to the trade if it leaks out?’

‘You’re right, I’m sorry. I just wish I understood what was causing it.’

‘We have our best doctors working on it. They’re checking dust samples from the site. They sent teams there to conduct chemical and radiological analysis, but so far they haven’t turned up anything.’

Daniel was on the verge of mentioning Carmichael’s cryptic words, when Gabrielle changed the subject again.

‘I just had a thought about what you said about the public works projects, Daniel. Could it have been found in some other public project?’

‘Like what?’ asked Mansoor. ‘A road? A bridge?’

‘Yes,’ said Gabrielle.

‘Holy shit!’ Daniel blurted out.

‘What?’ asked Mansoor, ignoring the vulgar language and latching on to Daniel’s contagious excitement.

‘I think Gaby may be on to something – sorry, Gabri elle.’ He looked at Mansoor. ‘When was the Suez Canal constructed?’

‘Between 1859 and 1869.’

‘And you said the museum moved to Boulaq in 1858?’

‘That’s right.’

‘So the jar and papyrus might have been found during the initial Suez Canal excavations.’

‘Quite possibly,’ Mansoor replied, approvingly. ‘And the chief engineer of the Suez Canal project was Linant de Bellefonds. He was a close friend of William John Bankes. He would have made sure that it was handed over to the authorities!’

‘Then we’ve cracked it!’ said Daniel, his voice rising with elation.

‘But why is that so exciting?’ asked Gabrielle, confused. ‘If it was found by workers excavating the Suez Canal?’

‘You don’t understand, Gaby. If this papyrus was found during the Suez Canal construction, then we don’t just know where it was found. I know what it is! ’

‘What?’ Mansoor and Gabrielle said in unison.

‘The Song of the Sea!’