3/5/2009
101
The First Corridor
As
Paul’s eyes became accustomed to the dim light, the vivid
markings and colors of the walls became evident. They
were bright and appeared new, as though the pigments
were just applied. Paul took a step forward through
the gapping stones that had been pushed into the tunnel.
The intricate designs of the hieroglyphics were cut deeply
into the walls, and this relief was colored in the brightest
shades imaginable.
Paul
was unfamiliar with the hieroglyphic symbols. He couldn’t
make out any of the word pictures, but the pantheon
of the Egyptian gods of the early kingdom marched
boldly across the inner wall. Ra was followed by Bastet,
Khnum, Thoth, Apis, Sobek, Anubis, and then Osiris.
From end to end, the inner wall was illustrated with temple
wards and Egyptian mythological sequences.