Murder in the Palace: A Nikolas of Kydonia Mystery Read online

  Iain Campbell

  MURDER IN THE PALACE

  Nikolas of Kydonia Historical Mystery Series Book 1

  Second Edition

  Text copyright © Ian Brown 2012 and 2021

  All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the author. This ebook may not be copied or distributed by any person in any format without prior written permission of the author.

  The rights of Ian Brown as author have been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (UK) and the Copyright Act 1968 (Aust).

  The First Edition of this book was initially published by Roundfire Books in

  Second Edition © 2021

  Visit iaincampbell.net for information and maps.

  OTHER BOOKS BY IAIN CAMPBELL

  NORMAN CONQUEST SERIES HISTORICAL FICTION

  Wolves in Armour

  Winter of Discontent

  Fire in the North

  NIKOLAS OF KYDONIA MURDER MYSTERIES

  Murder in the Palace

  The Tomb Robbers

  The Memphis Murders

  The Sea People

  Death in the Desert

  The Cosmos Conspiracy

  MEDLION COLONY SCIENCE FICTION

  Under Two Suns

  Declaration of Independence

  WORLD WAR 2 HISTORICAL FICTION

  The Jigsaw Men

  CONTENTS

  From the Author

  Egyptian Glossary

  Historical Notes

  Map

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Bibliography & Links

  Other Books by the Author

  FROM THE AUTHOR

  Thank you for buying this Kindle book.

  This book is written in ‘British’ English, with the associated spelling differences from ‘American English’.

  I apologise in advance for formatting errors that will probably occur during the process of converting the book to Kindle format. Past experience has shown that these are almost impossible to avoid, and the formatting appearance/ inconsistencies vary depending on the type of device being used by the reader.

  Please post a (hopefully favourable) review, as this will assist me as an ‘Indie’ publisher (which is a difficult path to take, but I have found to be better than using a publishing company), and will assist other readers to find the book/s using the Kindle rating system. If you don’t like the book, you can always Return it within 14 days for a refund, under the usual Kindle rules!

  Storyline

  The premise behind this series is that a noble-born Cretan (Achaean) pharmacologist living in Memphis becomes a special investigator and an unofficial ‘trouble shooter’ for Ramesses the Great, with several books in the series on that theme. The use of a foreigner as the principal character was deliberate as it allows greater explanation of the then current Egyptian culture and a comparison with the only slightly better known Mycenaean and Minoan ‘Western’ cultures and ideas (as Nikolas can ask questions that an Egyptian protagonist would not), and at least in part also places ancient Egypt in the context of several competing, but sometimes cooperative) neighbouring cultures and empires.

  My books are deliberately written with a very great degree of historical (and medical, zoological and botanical) accurate detail – in so far that precise details are known. Names used for the non-royal characters are accurate common names, and I have chosen where possible to use names that are short and not overly difficult. Other than the fictional Ra-em-hotep the names and positions of the royal family and officials are as accurate as possible.

  I acknowledge that the extent of the resulting personal, social and political detail may not be to the taste of all readers. In particular I use correctly translated Ancient Egyptian words (including terms of abuse or swear words) to increase authenticity, and also the constant reference to using formal titles (with my then also using the English equivalent to save constant reference to the Glossary) would have been historically accurate, as the constant references to titles and positions in the written (including painted/ carved) contemporary writings shows an extremely formal and hierarchal society.

  If that isn’t the type of book you want to read, then don’t buy my books, but I suggest that any unwanted detail can simply be skimmed over by those who do not want a social and political commentary of the times!

  For example, these books do not include the presence of camels (which were introduced from Arabia around 700BC).

  Past reviews of the First Editions of my books have shown that people either love that detail, or they don’t. For those who have posted past reviews about the repeated reference to the annoying presence of flies and mosquitoes, I suggest that they have never visited Egypt (as I have – in fact I rewrote many details in many of the drafts of the books I was writing in the series when on the 2 day boring northward river passage from Abu Simbel to Aswan over Lake Nasser – the river journey southwards from Luxor to Aswan was something not to be missed, the Lake Nasser cruise less so!). These details included that in January it can actually be cold and have heavy rain in Cairo, when at the same time at the Winter Palace at Luxor (ie Thebes) the weather was moderately warm with some overcast. The constant presence of flies when in the desert is even more annoying than the presence of modern (and ancient) hucksters, as at least you can say to the modern Arab hucksters ‘ghyr mahtam’ (‘not interested’), avoid eye contact and just keep walking. That doesn’t work even with modern Egyptian flies!

  The only book in the Nikolas of Kydonia series that departs in any significant way from historical accuracy is The Cosmos Conspiracy, where the existence of magic for the purpose and in the construction of the Pyramids at Gaza a millennium before is claimed by the Egyptians (and is received with scepticism by Nikolas).

  While there is no historical evidence that the Egyptians built canals around the First, Second and Third Nile Cataracts, they did build a canal which ran all the way from the Zagazig on the Nile Delta to the Red Sea via the Bitter Lakes, around 150km of actual canal for the ‘Canal of the Pharaohs’ (yet another a magnificent engineering achievement), over 3,000 years before the construction of the modern Suez Canal. The Second and Third Cataracts have now been submerged in what is now Lake Nasser. But I suggest readers have a very close look at the satellite imagery of location of the former First Cataract (just below the the Aswan Low Dam, which is built on the site of the First Cataract), and it was certainly within the capabilities of the ancient Egyptians to build short canals around the Cataracts to facilitate the essential use of the Nile for transport as least as far as the border with ancient Nubia. As far as I’m aware no research has been done on that topic.

  The first edition of this book was published by Roundfire Publishing. Having recently agreed a return of the rights to the book, I have been able to make some minor changes to the Kindle version and to substantially reduce the cost of the Kindle version. The hard-copy of Murder in the Palace will temporarily be unavailable until I arrange to have my own stock of the First Edition sold via Amazon (at a more reasonable price), and then the Second Edition will be published in hard copy via KDP, at a
lower price than previously offered.

  The other books in the series are available on both Kindle and in hard-copy (hard copy available via Amazon and also Book Depository – the latter including postage, which makes it cheaper overall). The problem with hard-copy books (which I personally prefer to read ) is the cost of both production and postage/ delivery, which is avoided with ebooks.

  I must say that when I wrote the first books in the Egyptian series back in around 2008- 2010 that historical murder/ mystery books as a genre almost didn’t exist. Now there are hundreds, if not thousands (mainly either Medieval or Roman), so these books are not a ‘me to’, but were at the time avante guarde.

  Apart from relying on subjective reader reviews, I also submitted Murder in the Palace to the UK-based Historical Novel Society (who are both objective and extremely picky). Their review included ‘Egypt springs to life on the page… A good read and one for taking time over and relaxing with.” The full review is on my website at iaincampbell.net and my Amazon page. Several of the books in the series (including Murder in the Palace) have unique ‘locked door’ problems. I’m particularly happy with the way Nikolas effected justice in The Tomb Robbers against the perpetrators, when there was no effective usable evidence.

  Egyptian Glossary/ NOTES

  Seasons/Time

  Years- these were based on the regnal reign of the then current monarch.

  Seasons- the Egyptian calendar had three seasons each of four months, each with three decans of ten days. Additional ‘holy days’ were added at the end of the year to equal to the solar year.

  Akhet- Season of Inundation. Mid-July to mid-November.

  Peret- Season of Growth. Mid-November to mid-March.

  Shemu/Shomu- Season of Harvest. Mid-March to mid-July.

  Hours of the day- The Egyptian day began at dawn, and comprised 24 hours (12 hours of the day and 12 of the night, so the actual length of the hours varied over the course of the year).

  Measurements

  Area/length

  Cubit- linear length of a man’s arm from fingertips to the elbow. Approx 52cm or approx 20.5 inches.

  Ta- square measure, 10 cubits by 10 cubits.

  Arura- measure of land an ox-drawn plough could work in a day, approx 2,500 m2 or 1/2 an acre.

  Weight

  Seniu- 1/12 of a deben. 7.6 grams (1/4 oz).

  Deben- Equal to 10 kit. 91 grams (3.2 oz).

  Volume

  Ro- 4ml (1/2 of a UK fluid ounce, 4 teaspoons).

  Hin or Henu- (‘Jar’) 1/10 of a hequat, or about half a litre (approx 1 UK pint).

  Hequat- Barrel or bushel of 4.8 litres (approx 1 UK gallon).

  Oipe- A ‘large bushel’ of 19.2 litres (approx 4 UK gallons).

  Khar- 4 Oipe or 76 litres (approx 16 ½ UK gallons).

  Miscellaneous terms

  Ankh- symbol of life.

  Ba- A person’s ‘soul’.

  Ka- immortal part a being, the ‘life force’.

  Bekhen-stone - a highly prized green stone used for bowls, statues, amulets etc.

  Cartouche- Pictograms creating a name surrounded by a round-edged border.

  Canaan & Phoenicia- Modern Palestine and southern Lebanon.

  Deben- measure of weight. 91 grams (New Kingdom). The standard measure of value. Classical Egypt had a barter-economy and no coinage.

  Double-crown (Pschent)- The Crowns of Upper Egypt (the red Deshret) and Lower Egypt (the white elongated conical Hedjet) placed together to form the composite Pschent crown.

  Duat- the Underworld of the Afterlife, where the dead pass trials and are judged.

  Faience- glazed ceramic, usually green or blue.

  Kalasaris- a style of woman’s dress.

  Kemet/Kmet. ‘The Black Land’. Also ‘Egypt of The Two Lands’. Expression of the land and people of combined Egypt- both Upper and Lower Egypt.

  Kenbet/Quenbet- Judicial courts.

  Khamsin/Khamseen- Rstyw- sandstorms occurring usually March-May.

  Khopesh- the Egyptian name of the Canaanite ‘sickle-sword’.

  Klafta- the most common headgear of a fabric square worn by men.

  Gorgerine- an assembly of metal discs worn on the chest.

  Hieratic- cursive form of hieroglyphics used by scribes. At this period the writing form demotic had not been developed.

  Hieroglyphics- writing form using stylised pictures, the earliest form of Egyptian writing.

  Hs- excrement.

  iaw-rA- breakfast.

  Ibeh- dentist.

  Idnw- Deputy or assistant.

  Iry, Imy, Imy-r - Senior ranks (set out in ascending order).

  Lower Egypt/Upper Egypt- Terminology was based on where the Nile rose. Confusingly for modern people Upper Egypt is in the south, Lower Egypt is in the north.

  Mastaba- underground tomb with an above-ground building used for burials of those of middle importance.

  Medjay- Nubian mercenaries who were elite Necropolis guards.

  Megaron- the principal living room of a Greek-style mansion.

  Menat- musical instrument. Castanets.

  Miswak- natural toothpaste from the salvadora plant, the toothbrush tree (usually a bush). That, and the fibres of the bush itself, were used to clean teeth.

  Natron- carbonate salt mixture used in mummifying.

  Nemes headdress- head-dress of starched linen with stripes worn by males of the immediate royal family.

  Nome- administrative region, governed by a hereditary Nomarch.

  Nomarch- a hereditary, and largely ceremonial, ruler of one of the Nomes.

  Obelisk- tall narrow stone monument.

  Pectoral- large neck ornament which sat on the upper chest.

  Pylon - Greek term for the monumental gateways of Egyptian temples.

  Ramesseum- ‘House of millions of years of Usermaatra-setepenra that unites with Thebes-the-city in the domain of Amun’. Ramesses’ funerary and memorial temple built on the Nile valley near the Malkata Palace at Thebes.

  Ramesses the Great. Ramesses II. After his accession Ramesses was named ‘sermaatra-setepenra.’

  Rekh nesu- ‘Known to Pharaoh’ - honorific.

  Sea People- generic name given to those nationalities given to raiding and piracy in the Mediterranean.

  Senet- board game.

  Shadoof- a mechanical device used for lifting water by bucket, a wooden beam with counter-weight.

  Sistrum- musical instrument. A rattle.

  Shendyt - male hunting-kilt allowing free movement, unlike the starched and pleated formal SnDwt kilt.

  Sherden- (also known as Serden or Shardana) one of several groups of ‘Sea Peoples’, some of whom were employed in the Royal Bodyguard.

  Snaw- Civil Police. Sasa- Civil Policeman.

  Swnw- doctor.

  The Great Field- The Valley of the Kings. ‘The Great and Majestic Necropolis of the Millions of Years of the Pharaoh, Life, Strength, Health in The West of Thebes’ or more usually, ‘Ta-sekhet-ma’at’ (the Great Field).

  Uraeus- golden cobra headdress, used as a brow-ornament by Pharaoh and his immediate family.

  Ushabti/Shawabti- figurines used as funeral goods.

  Vizier- Chief Minister of the administration.

  Was sceptre- symbol of power. A staff with a stylised head and forked base.

  HISTORICAL NOTES

  The period around 1,200BC is generally (inaccurately) thought to be Egypt’s ‘Golden Period’. Egypt was actually more powerful and wealthier around the reigns of Ahmose, Hatshepsut, Tuthmosis III and Amenhotep II between about 1,500BC and 1,300BC. Ramesses II’s reign was at the end of that period, when Egypt had already started a decline in its previous military, economic and political eminence, and its international position was then largely dictated by the ability of Ramesses to provide substantial amounts of gold to his international ‘allies’, rather than the projection of military power.

  Ramesses II was the second Pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty, following his father Seti
I (and following the 18th Dynasty which effectively ended with the probable murder of Tutankhamun). His reign was notable by its length, lack of external wars (at least after the peace treaty with the Hittites after Kadesh) and his extreme commitment to monument building (done ‘on the cheap’, often usurping monuments and temples built by previous Pharaohs).

  Following the ‘drawn’ battle of Kadesh Ramesses entered a treaty with the Hittites, which allowed them to concentrate their efforts on the Mitani and the upstart Assyrians to their east, and for Egypt to maintain a relatively small army, with reduced cost.

  The period was followed by a sharp decline in Egyptian power and wealth, at the same time that the Mycenaean and Hittite Empires collapsed (along with most international trade), and just before several attempts by the Sea People to invade and occupy northern Egypt (along with much of Greece, Crete, Cyprus, Canaan, and the southern parts of the Hittite empire). By about 1,150BC the Hittite, Trojan and Mycenaean civilisations had fallen and Egypt was ‘hanging on by its teeth’ against invasions in the north. The actual date of the fall of the then current civilisation of Troy (and indeed its entire history) is questionable, but the Trojan War (if it occurred) is used in The Sea People as occurring after the reign of Ramesses.

  The ‘Great Disaster’ referred to in several books in the series was the volcanic explosion of the island of Thera (Santorini) in about 1,500 BC, which effectively destroyed the Minoan civilisation and resulted its replacement by the Mainland ‘Greek’ Mycenaean civilisation. The devastation caused by the eruption and the resulting tsunami and ash-cloud severely affected all the civilisations of the eastern Mediterranean.

  CITIES & LOCATIONS

  A number of Egyptian cities are now known by the Greek names used in later Ptolemaic times. I’m not entirely consistent in my approach to usage, as some names are so well known that to use the proper Egyptian name will cause confusion (eg Thebes and Memphis, although I don’t use the actual Egyptian names used). However, some cities names are so obviously non-Egyptian that I’ve drawn the line principally those with the suffix ‘polis’. Some locations require the use of the Arabic name, when the Egyptian name is either not known or not in normal usage.