When Herry Fortner and George Edwin talked on the phone, they thought they were exaggerating and that a few pieces of pottery were usually just a few pieces of pottery. But he and Edwin have been friends for more than 20 years, and have identified many truly rare artifacts together, so there is no doubt in his heart that they are no longer young men in their twenties who studied archaeology at Cambridge, and they will not be so emotional for a long time.

In addition, this Nubian region on the border between Egypt and Sudan is an important site for excavation, with many temples, fortresses, tombs, etc. During the New Kingdom, 1553-1085 B.C., ancient Egypt annexed this place, so although it is remote, good things can be unearthed.

After the phone call was over, Herry Fortner immediately set off and flew from the city of Lundi to this place.

It's only been three days since I had spoken with him on the phone.

However, when Fortner walked into Edwin's local office, he was shocked, "George, you look terrible. ”

Although Edwin is 57 years old, he is still a member of the rowing team when he was studying at Cambridge, and his body is very strong.

But now, Edwin's face was shy, with two dark circles under his eyes, and he was very haggard, perhaps because his eyes were bloodshot, and even a little strange.

Because of his close relationship with the other party, Fortner did not be polite, nor did he hide his surprise and worry, "Did you sleep badly?" ”

"Hello, old friend." Edwin greeted and turned to walk to his desk, "I haven't slept much in the past few days......

"Because of those pottery fragments?" Fortner followed suspiciously.

The office was not large, except for a desk, a few cabinets on the wall with some identification tools, and some imitations of cultural relics, there was nothing left, and the street outside could be seen from the window, but at this time it was tightly covered by Edwin's curtains.

"Yes, that's right...... I don't understand what the words and sentences of the Holy Book above mean...... Herry, I feel like there's a secret hidden inside, and we have to uncover it...... Perhaps Jean-François Champollion was in the same mood when he looked at the Rosetta Stone......"

"Wow." When Fortuna heard Champollion's name, he couldn't help but exclaim in self-deprecation.

Who are they? Underground dealers in Egyptian antiquities. Even at Christie's auctions, they don't show their faces.

Putting his and Edwin's names together with Champollion, Fortner was ashamed.

Moreover, how can those few pieces of pottery be compared to the Rosetta Stone? This old friend of mine is really tired......

"Herry, if you come and take a look, you will know that these fragments have a strange attraction......"

"It's better to be." Fortner was still laughing as he walked, "I haven't tasted any attraction in my wife in a long time. ”

Edwin ignored his old friend's jokes, operating a safe on his desk, slowly turning in circles to enter the password, and the safe made a chirping sound.

Fortner knew that the other party had already bought the four fragments, and it cost a lot, "Didn't you say that the sellers said there was something better?" Have you been there? He watched as the safe was opened, and Edwin carefully and ceremoniously removed its contents.

"Not ...... yet," said Edwin, "I want to wait until you come and see it, and then discuss it." ”

All four pieces were removed and placed on a white cloth on his desk, and Edwin put them together, "What do you think this looks like?" ”

"A bowl of water." Fortner raised his brow, "It's obviously a water bowl." ”

Edwin had been vague and hurried on the phone, and this was the first time Fortner had seen this thing exactly.

Bottles, cans, bowls, these are all common funerary goods of the ancient Egyptians, because the Egyptian civilization is a civilization built on deserts and semi-deserts, and it is very dependent on the water source of the oasis to survive, and these bottles and cans are used to hold water and grain, especially bowls.

Whether it was when the pharaoh made sacrifices to the gods or when he presided over the funeral, water bowls were used to perform the rituals.

The water bowl is arguably one of the most common Egyptian artifacts, and it is not rare to see common things, but it can also be very rare - because it can come from any tomb.

"I think so too, the water bowl ......" Edwin's voice was a little hoarse, "you look at this holy text on the bowl......"

At this moment Fortner went to the table, for the holy text on the bowl was so obvious and clear that he could see it clearly, and his heart was immediately raised.

"Wait......" Fortner wondered, but he didn't know what he was suspicious, and Edwin's "strange feeling" and "strange attraction" seemed to be pouring in, and he had seen so many ancient Egyptian artifacts and countless other ancient civilizations......

Including Rosetta Stone, the stunning Rosetta Stone......

It's not like the feeling brought by the thing in front of you, it's obviously just four pieces of pottery, why is it like a giant tower? It's really not that simple......

【】

Fortner stepped forward a little more, and the more he looked at it, the more waves in his heart surged, and he understood Edwin's feelings more and more in the past few days.

"What do you think?" "What I know now is that these fragments were unearthed in a mass grave, not a mausoleum, without coffins, much like the graves of rebels." I listened to the sellers, they dug up a few mummies, which should be the owners of the tombs. ”

"This thing ......," Fortner wrinkled, taking off his glasses and shaking his head, to calm his heart for a moment, before looking at it more closely, "this style of carving should be no later than the New Kingdom." Old friend, you may have really picked up the treasure this time. ”

"What do you think?" Edwin asked again, looking slightly agitated, "What do you mean by this?" Is the rebel's grave, stone + disease, the cause of the rebel's death or the way of rebellion? And the god of the sun and the god of the ram's head, this is an expression of the same deity, right? God Amun? ”

"I think about it, let me think about it." Fortuna groaned, put on his gloves, and gently stroked the surface texture of the fragment, and as his fingers gradually approached the line of holy writing, it paused slightly, as if it were a cursed line of infected text, although it had been sealed for thousands of years, but once it was touched, it would still be infected......

Stone + pustule ...... Stone + Disease...... Stone-Caused Disasters, Stones and Medical ......

His mind was messy, but Fortner remembered something again, and asked, "Old friend, have you ever wondered why the stone?" ”

"What?" Edwin wondered.

"In Egyptian civilization, don't you think of anything about stone and medicine?" "And the birds, why the birds?" New Kingdom period, water bowl, do you have anything to remember? ”