The Atlantis Keystone (16 page)

“Professor Palaikastro convinced me to borrow his yacht. He said it would be more pleasant than flying and that Greeks would never dream of flying from Athens to Crete. I believed him. And Crete is not my end destination. There have been some new very interesting Minoan finds in Alalakh on the Mediterranean Lebanese coast. Professor Palaikastro informed me yesterday and I decided that I had to go there to see for myself. Apparently, what they’ve found could confirm that the Minoans had taken over the city for a brief period of time just around the 1600s BC. I promised Palaikastro that I would deliver his yacht to Rhodes on my way to Lebanon and fly from there tomorrow evening. As I said, it seemed like a brilliant idea at the time…” He fell silent for a moment and then continued: “It’d be great if you could join me in Lebanon, Emma”, he said looking at her with anticipation. And you too if you want to come for a laugh”, he added as an afterthought to all of them.

“Why do you need me to come?” Emma asked, secretly hoping that he wanted to be alone with her, travelling romantically by boat.

“Your expertise on Linear A is becoming unsurpassed – I could really do with your help. I’ve heard some very encouraging feedback from Athos at the museum about you”.

The offer seemed very tempting. She needed to work on her dissertation but how could she refuse a trip to Lebanon with Paul? He was her professor anyhow – he could not really complain about her dissertation not being finished when he had kept her constantly occupied. She hoped that the others would decide not to come so she could have Paul to herself.

“What about the political situation in Lebanon and Syria at the moment?” Erik asked. “I know it’s much better than it has been but the place is still full of religious and political tension. It might not be safe”.

“Rubbish”, Paul said. “I was in Beirut only three months ago. The city is literally heaving with tourists, westerners, prosperity, trade; it’s becoming a beautiful modern metropolis; not the war-ridden, bombed place we all remember from the past. Sure, there are still traces from that period to be seen but it has really progressed in recent years and a fortune has been spent to transform it; a job well done in my view. Take my word for it.”

“I would love to come actually,” Laura said. “Alalakh is one of those places I’ve wanted to visit. I had a theory a while back that Alalakh was named after Atala – the place mentioned in the old Hindu script Vishnu Purana and other later Hindu myths and with certain similarities to Atlantis”.

Emma looked at her with poorly disguised disappointment. Laura clearly had not grasped that there might be something between her and Paul – or maybe she had? She could have set out to prevent her and Paul’s relationship for some reason. No, she decided, looking at Laura. She genuinely had not spotted their attachment and she clearly wanted to go to Beirut. Was there an attachment? Emma was suddenly unsure. For several months Paul had done nothing to suggest that he had feelings for her, not since Sweden. Spots of memories flashed before her eyes – the kiss just then which he had not returned, professional behaviour towards her, avoiding her after lectures. Maybe she was imagining that he still had feelings for her – he could have changed his mind or thought the better of it. Maybe it was all in her mind. Maybe he really only wanted her to join him because of her Linear A skills. She felt a perverse sting of disappointment at that realisation.

Erik, who had not intended to come, seemed to ‘wake up’ at Laura’s words. He hesitated for a moment and then said: “Sounds like an adventure. Maybe I could join you too if I could get another couple of days off?”

“Great”, Paul exclaimed. “Ball, would you like to come as well? There’s definitely room for one more.”

“No, I will have to pass. I have lots of work to do here on Crete, as you know. Sounds like fun though.”

“Yes! It’ll be great! We’re leaving early tomorrow morning!”

E
rik didn’t trust Paul, whatever Emma said. He was concerned that he hadn’t been able to get hold of Mary since Athens, that the phone numbers she had given him didn’t work and that he hadn’t managed to get hold of a professor by the name Mary Brown upon calling Athens University switchboard. He trusted his own instinct and by that logic he knew that Paul was up to something. The fact that he couldn’t get hold of Mary made him even more apprehensive – who was she? He had not wanted to ask Paul about her – to avoid having to reveal that he suspected him of something. He had even been worried that Paul might abduct them after having lured them into his motor boat or that he would suddenly go berserk. He had volunteered to join them on this mad journey to Lebanon for the sole reason of protecting Emma and Laura from Paul but nothing untoward had happened so far.

Apart from his strong, surprising sickly feelings of what he must admit was jealousy of Paul and Emma he had enjoyed the boat ride to that point. The weather had been perfect all day, not too much wind and sunny. Thick jumpers and jackets were nevertheless required for outdoor navigation but it was far from unbearable. The boat was amazing; much larger than Erik had imagined. He had no idea that Greek professors earned that much money, as from what he knew of boats, this would have cost as much as a family home. The cabin was roomy with a built in table and sofas which converted to beds, and cockpit for navigating at the front. It even had a small but well equipped kitchen and next to it was a tiny bathroom. It only had bed-space for two people, but that wasn’t an issue given that they were hoping to get to Rhodes that same evening and then fly straight to Beirut from there. On the roof was another cockpit exposed to the elements, where Paul had spent most of his time. Erik and Laura had found it too cold up there when the boat was moving and had decided to stay in the cabin with some warming beer bottles. Emma had alternated between the cabin and the upstairs cockpit, informing them at one point that Paul was nearly starting to grow icicles in his hair.

They were now more than half way to Rhodes and so far the four of them had got on remarkably well, all things considered. He had a silent agreement with Emma not to mention their quarrel and he had no choice but to simply ignore his wariness about Paul – for now. As soon as he had some sort of proof he would contact the police and tell them about his suspicions. Until then, he would be on the lookout – constantly.

For the last couple of hours Erik had been waiting for a good moment to speak to Laura about ‘the treasure in Athens’ episode and his concerns about Paul’s sincerity. He wasn’t sure where to begin and how to approach it, eager to avoid a reaction similar to that of Emma’s a few days ago. He had decided to start with Paul’s theory, something which he felt a need to at least share with someone more knowledgeable than himself. The theory seemed important. He was still confused by the fragments of information he had gleaned from Paul about Ahmose and the Hyksos conquest and tried to get his head around whether this was in any way connected to the Torpa tablet. When Emma once again went upstairs to Paul he seized the opportunity. Laura sat next to him on the sofa. He turned towards her. The boat rocked like a baby’s cradle, making him feel drunk even though he wasn’t. He composed himself but Laura spoke first.

“You know you’re probably the most attractive man I’ve ever met!” This took Erik by surprise. It was so unlike her he almost had to laugh. He didn’t know what to say.

“Oh, thank you…” he chuckled. There was an awkward moment of silence. “Paul seems to think that the Mycenaean gold at Athens archaeological museum was a payment from Egypt to Greece,” he said watching Laura’s eyes widen. He felt silly bringing it up like that. She was surprised at his sudden change of topic and to hear something about ancient Egypt from him.

“What did you say?” she managed to utter just as the boat wobbled violently. Laura’s beer bottle on the table fell over. She went to get some paper to wipe it up. He repeated what he had said. “Since when are you interested in ancient history?” she laughed as she cleaned up the mess. When he remained serious she went to get another beer, sat back down and asked him to continue, giving him a look as if he had acquired new appeal beyond his good looks. She removed her hair band, put it on her wrist and let her long dark hair out. She took her glasses off and put them on the table.

“Well, the Mycenaean gold collection was found in graves on mainland Greece from the exact time when Ahmose managed to expel the Hyksos rulers from Egypt.” He took a sip of his beer and gazed at her, waiting for her to respond.

Laura stared out at the sea through the window considering what he had said and then asked deep in thought: “But what was it a payment for? Surely, that must be the next question.”

“Assuming I’ve understood it correctly, Paul thinks that this was a payment from the Egyptians to the shaft grave warriors for their involvement in expelling the Hyksos from Egypt.”

Laura coughed on her drink. She was not easily impressed. “That’s absurd. The Greeks were not powerful enough to do that! Their power came at least a couple of hundred years later.”

Erik had already thought of that. “Yes but I think, and I believe this is Paul’s theory, that the Minoans, who basically controlled mainland Greece at that time, provided the Egyptians with a navy and manned it with people from the islands and the mainland.” He gazed out the window as if to check to see if he could see one of the islands or perhaps a Minoan ship. He couldn’t of course. There was only water as far as the eye could see. “I understand from what I’ve read that it’s thought that at that time, the Egyptian rulers of Upper Egypt didn’t have a fleet – at least not a significant one. They basically struck a deal with the Minoans to use theirs – for a price.”

Laura was now sitting on the edge of her seat, displaying an increasing degree of interest. “So the shaft grave princes and princesses from mainland Greece got paid handsomely in the form of gold, silver and bronze… But what did the Minoans get? If some Mycenaeans got gold, what did the Minoan rulers get?” Laura looked at him, sunlight through the window reflecting her hair.

Erik knew the answer; at least the answer that he thought Paul would have given. “I’m not sure but I think they would have got something much more powerful than gold; something of immense importance.”

“What do you have in mind?” Laura asked intrigued.

Erik paused for effect. He knew that this next contention was highly controversial. “The rule of Egypt… I believe the Minoans effectively got the rule of Egypt.”

They were both silent for a moment, Laura contemplating his assertion. She finished her drink. It didn’t suit her to drink from a beer bottle, Erik noticed. “That’s impossible,” she said finally. “Ahmose ruled both Upper and Lower Egypt after he’d conquered the Hyksos. There was never any talk of another ruler.”

“Yes, I know. But I believe the theory is that Ahmose himself was of Minoan origin.”

A brief laugh of surprise and scepticism escaped her. “What do you base that claim on, may I ask?”

“Well, you probably know who Ahmose’s mother was.”

“Of course, Ahhotep I”, Laura responded without a moment’s hesitation. A few days ago he himself would never have known the answer to that question but then again he wasn’t a student of ancient history at Oxford.

“From what I have read, she had a title of ‘Mistress of the Haunebut’”, Erik added.

“That’s right, she did.” Laura was suddenly excited. “But no one knows where ‘Haunebut’ was, although the most common theory is that this indeed refers to Greece.”

“Yes.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense.” Laura objected. “How could Ahhotep have been queen there? Ahhotep’s mother was Tetisheri, an Egyptian queen.” She paused to think and then added enthusiastically, answering her own question: Unless… queen Tetisheri was of Minoan origin!”

“Exactly! I have to confess I overheard Paul and Emma talk about this possibility after Emma had found a silver-pin. So this is not actually my theory – it’s theirs. I just put two and two together from what they said.”

“Whoever came up with it, it does make perfect sense! Tetisheri was a commoner, apparently of non royal birth who married a weak and short lived Egyptian pharaoh and then became one of the most powerful queens of ancient Egypt. This has always been a mystery. But according to this theory instead of a ‘commoner’ she was actually Minoan royalty. Very interesting!” she said just as the door to the stairs rattled and Emma entered.

She froze at the door when she thought she might be interrupting something but immediately saw that it was alright. “What’s interesting?” she asked. She then smiled as if something had happened which she tried to cover up.

“Oh, nothing,” Erik said quickly. “How’s Paul? Is he alright up there?”

“Sure, he’s wearing about five woolly jumpers so I think he’s ok. The view’s wonderful if you’d like to come up.”

They agreed and put their jackets on, following Emma up the few narrow steps.

“Hey you two, come over here!” Paul shouted cheerfully when he saw them. “We have everything under control. Look, there it is!” he pointed at a tiny dot in the horizon. “Not far to go now. We should be there in the next hour or so.”

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up too much though,” Emma laughed. “He’s been saying that for at least two hours. Every time we see an island or even a stone he thinks it’s Rhodes. Are you sure you know exactly where we are Paul?”

“Yes, of course! This time I’m sure.” Paul didn’t take his eyes off the island in the distance. They all waited eagerly for it to get closer so they could see whether he was right. The three of them sat down on the seat, covering their legs with two blankets.