Isn’t that a great title? I totally want to nab it as the title of any follow-up novel I write to my forthcoming book, which we’re tentatively calling CARNAL CREATURES. It’s about a modern day sphinx and a modern day minotaur caught in a desperate struggle for survival, but enough about that…let’s talk about the sphinx in Egypt. Thanks to Michelle Moran’s tip, I found this article in the Smithsonian and it’s fascinating.

Amongst the many interesting tidbits contained in the article is this bit of evidence that the Egyptians may not have been using a slave labor force to construct their great wonders:

Near the cemetery, nine years later, Lehner discovered his Lost City. He and Hawass had been aware since the mid-1980s that there were buildings at that site. But it wasn’t until they excavated and mapped the area that they realized it was a settlement bigger than ten football fields and dating to Khafre’s reign. At its heart were four clusters of eight long mud-brick barracks. Each structure had the elements of an ordinary house—a pillared porch, sleeping platforms and a kitchen—that was enlarged to accommodate around 50 people sleeping side by side. The barracks, Lehner says, could have accommodated between 1,600 to 2,000 workers—or more, if the sleeping quarters were on two levels. The workers’ diet indicates they weren’t slaves. Lehner’s team found remains of mostly male cattle under 2 years old—in other words, prime beef. Lehner thinks ordinary Egyptians may have rotated in and out of the work crew under some sort of national service or feudal obligation to their superiors.

A massive pharaoh’s statue was discovered in the Sudan. The article reads in part:

About a week back Heritage Key published a story about the discovery of a massive, one ton, statue of Taharqa that was found deep in Sudan.

Taharqa was a pharaoh of the 25th dynasty of Egypt and came to power ca. 690 BC. The pharaohs of this dynasty were from Nubia – a territory located in modern day Sudan and southern Egypt. When Taharqa came to power, he controlled an empire stretching from Sudan to the Levant.

The Nubian pharaohs tried to incorporate Egyptian culture into their own. They built pyramids in Sudan – even though pyramid building in Egypt hadn’t been practiced in nearly 800 years.

Taharqa’s rule was a high water mark for the 25th dynasty. By the end of his reign a conflict with the Assyrians had forced him to retreat south, back into Nubia – where he died in 664 BC.

Egypt became an Assyrian vassal – eventually gaining independence during the 26th dynasty. Taharqa’s successors were never able to retake Egypt.

After my interview with author Michelle Moran, I wanted to read her book about the very last Ptolemaic Queen a second time, and I’m glad I did. It’s in the second reading of Cleopatra’s Daughter that the atmospheric details and astute editorial choices not only surprise but delight.

As far as ancient women go, Selene, isn’t as famous as her mother, but she was arguably more successful, and this book is a captivating story of her youth as a virtual prisoner of war in Rome. Ms. Moran stays close to the true events of history, but like all the best writers of historical fiction she adds some flair of her own. She conjures up a mythical figure of the Red Eagle, a Spartacus-like hero who encourages slave rebellions.

This was a fantastic addition both because it highlights the sociological problems that slavery presented to Rome, and also gives us a romantic figure for Selene to admire as a young girl. What’s more, it emphasized the turbulent nature of the times. Because Augustus lived to be a very old man, we often look back on his reign as a time of stability and peace. He wanted us to remember it that way. The truth is that it wasn’t always peaceful, or inevitable that he should remain in power, and this book illustrates that very well.

Ms. Moran is a world traveler and it shows. This novel effortlessly brings Alexandria and Rome to life. The scenery, and particularly the architectural exploration, is not only well-researched, but fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the way Selene was portrayed as an artist and budding architect (something very relevant to her later life). Also, it was a rare treat to explore ancient Rome through Selene’s eyes, giving us fascinating insights into the daily life of the imperial family and the odd customs of the Romans, many of which would have horrified a young princess of Egypt.

As a heroine, Selene is plucky and ambitious, rebellious, but a survivor. She’s exactly the kind of character young girls will love–and older girls will respect. But the secondary characters in the book are also well-drawn and exciting. The author takes telling stories and uses them to illuminate the character of historical figures like Augustus. (For example, the fact Ms. Moran actually managed to work in the incident of Augustus, the slave and the eels in a perfectly organic way is a testament to her creativity and skill.)

In all, Ms. Moran has a gift for telling the stories of women that history has forgotten, and her talent is on full-display in Cleopatra’s Daughter, which will have a proud and permanent place on my book shelf. Everyone should read this book and lucky for you, it’s on sale now.

OMG, how did I miss this rumor? Apparently, Ray Stevenson (aka Pullo from HBO’s Rome) has confirmed that a movie is in the works to bring the awesome show to the big screen.

Oh, writers of Rome, I will overlook the travesty you made of Cleopatra. I will pretend you did not get many things wrong about Egypt. And I will even forgive you for presenting the Battle of Actium as a plume of smoke in the background of Mark Antony’s rowboat. Come back to me, my love. I have missed you so…