(no subject)
Zombie Christmas
The dig started out rocky. With the political climate in Egypt in state of chaotic upheaval the government was not about to let us near any of the areas we would normally have gone to. Unfortunately you can not get your masters with out putting in the time on a real dig so we had little choice. It was other put our degrees on hiatus or find some place else to dig. We narrowed down our options and chose a sight that while not exactly in what was known to be Egyptian territory during the dynastic periods was at lest close to a possible migratory path for the people who eventually settled in the Nile delta. We figured that if we were lucky we might find some pre dynastic artifacts linked to those early people establishing one more location on the rout they took. What we found turned out to be beyond our wildest dreams. It was mid December when we uncovered the first chamber. Daniel Jackobs said that it was an early Christmas gift. The long hall was covered with faded hieroglyphs and strange images suggesting a war or plague. The strangest thing was that nearly half of the writing consisted of cartoushis' name that in this case had been carved as well as painted into the stone. The images showed people fighting or running from individuals covered with sores and some that appeared to have spears stuck threw them.
A crude translation resulted in a fairly typical Egyptian curse and belief. Do not enter the rooms of the dead that they rise to kill. Hardly a surprise there. The Ancient Egyptians mummified their dead because they believed the dead would return to life. They placed with the body the food and items the person would need and want when they awakened. The use of curses or warning of the dreadful vengeance that the deceased would bestow on any who trespassed in their grave was also very standard. What was not standard were the depiction's and the disturbing volume of cartouches on the walls of the tomb. It seamed that we had lucked out and stumbled on some sort of mass grave that had been built to house victims from a plague or war. Daniel was particularly excited, could we have found real proof of the events from exodus? Evidence of the plagues sent by God? While several of us were quick to point out that we really were not in the right area for that he was not the lest bit detoured.
We found the preparation chamber just off the first long hall. Inside were several long tables all of which had the rusty remnants of mettle and stone restraints. I don't recall who voiced the thought most of us had. It was as if the bodies they were wrapping were expected to move. Like they were mummifying people who were still alive. We did not find any sign of the implements or resins that are more commonly associated with the mummification process. It looked as if once the emergency was over the place was cleaned out. We later determined that the sight was much older then expected and predated the process of mummification. Several halls led away from the staging area and ended in sealed passageways. The seals all carried the exact same statement. Do not open: Dead inside.
What we found how ever suggested that the rooms had been used to seal in the sick and others while still living. The bones and desiccated remains were found piled at the entrance to the chamber. Torn linens were discarded about and hung loosely on skeletal remains. It looked as though nearly all of the people who had been placed inside had gotten up and tried to leave. Daniel cut his leg while examining one body that was still wrapped up fairly tightly and commented that perhaps these people had been prisoners from a battle or had a particularly contagious illness. We did not get much time to study the sight however. We all had to go home for the holiday and packed up what little we had already collected before setting out for home. Daniel's cut had become infected and he said that he was glad to be going back to civilization. I round of streptomycin and he would be good as new.
Daniel died in the hospital two day later, less then a week before Christmas. Two hours later he attacked the lab technician and medical examiner when they took out his body for examination. He killed or injured nearly a dozen people before they finally put him down for good. If they had taken the time to destroy the brains of the people he killed and quarantined the rest the decease would have stopped right there. But he had died of an infected cut on his leg and those with minor injuries were allowed to go home.
The rest you all know fairly well. By Christmas eve parts of London. Had been placed in quarantine. The decease quickly spread out from the quarantine zones though no one is entirely certain as to how. More then likely someone got bit and did not report it figuring that they barely got a scratch and went on their marry way before they two succumbed. New Years came and passed before officials started with the public service announcements describing the symptoms and warning people. By this time cases had been reported in Paris France, Vienna Italy, Prague and even as far away as Moscow. It was too late to contain the decease completely all we could do was hunker down and hope for the best. We had too great a population to feed the illness. Too many victims to rise up and find more. All of which were completely interconnected. Mean while a more thurale translation of the hieroglyphic turned out to be an accounting of an out break of the decease and the methods used to deal with the victims. It turns out that the Ancient Egyptians mummified their dead to keep them from rising from the dead and not so that they could.
The dig started out rocky. With the political climate in Egypt in state of chaotic upheaval the government was not about to let us near any of the areas we would normally have gone to. Unfortunately you can not get your masters with out putting in the time on a real dig so we had little choice. It was other put our degrees on hiatus or find some place else to dig. We narrowed down our options and chose a sight that while not exactly in what was known to be Egyptian territory during the dynastic periods was at lest close to a possible migratory path for the people who eventually settled in the Nile delta. We figured that if we were lucky we might find some pre dynastic artifacts linked to those early people establishing one more location on the rout they took. What we found turned out to be beyond our wildest dreams. It was mid December when we uncovered the first chamber. Daniel Jackobs said that it was an early Christmas gift. The long hall was covered with faded hieroglyphs and strange images suggesting a war or plague. The strangest thing was that nearly half of the writing consisted of cartoushis' name that in this case had been carved as well as painted into the stone. The images showed people fighting or running from individuals covered with sores and some that appeared to have spears stuck threw them.
A crude translation resulted in a fairly typical Egyptian curse and belief. Do not enter the rooms of the dead that they rise to kill. Hardly a surprise there. The Ancient Egyptians mummified their dead because they believed the dead would return to life. They placed with the body the food and items the person would need and want when they awakened. The use of curses or warning of the dreadful vengeance that the deceased would bestow on any who trespassed in their grave was also very standard. What was not standard were the depiction's and the disturbing volume of cartouches on the walls of the tomb. It seamed that we had lucked out and stumbled on some sort of mass grave that had been built to house victims from a plague or war. Daniel was particularly excited, could we have found real proof of the events from exodus? Evidence of the plagues sent by God? While several of us were quick to point out that we really were not in the right area for that he was not the lest bit detoured.
We found the preparation chamber just off the first long hall. Inside were several long tables all of which had the rusty remnants of mettle and stone restraints. I don't recall who voiced the thought most of us had. It was as if the bodies they were wrapping were expected to move. Like they were mummifying people who were still alive. We did not find any sign of the implements or resins that are more commonly associated with the mummification process. It looked as if once the emergency was over the place was cleaned out. We later determined that the sight was much older then expected and predated the process of mummification. Several halls led away from the staging area and ended in sealed passageways. The seals all carried the exact same statement. Do not open: Dead inside.
What we found how ever suggested that the rooms had been used to seal in the sick and others while still living. The bones and desiccated remains were found piled at the entrance to the chamber. Torn linens were discarded about and hung loosely on skeletal remains. It looked as though nearly all of the people who had been placed inside had gotten up and tried to leave. Daniel cut his leg while examining one body that was still wrapped up fairly tightly and commented that perhaps these people had been prisoners from a battle or had a particularly contagious illness. We did not get much time to study the sight however. We all had to go home for the holiday and packed up what little we had already collected before setting out for home. Daniel's cut had become infected and he said that he was glad to be going back to civilization. I round of streptomycin and he would be good as new.
Daniel died in the hospital two day later, less then a week before Christmas. Two hours later he attacked the lab technician and medical examiner when they took out his body for examination. He killed or injured nearly a dozen people before they finally put him down for good. If they had taken the time to destroy the brains of the people he killed and quarantined the rest the decease would have stopped right there. But he had died of an infected cut on his leg and those with minor injuries were allowed to go home.
The rest you all know fairly well. By Christmas eve parts of London. Had been placed in quarantine. The decease quickly spread out from the quarantine zones though no one is entirely certain as to how. More then likely someone got bit and did not report it figuring that they barely got a scratch and went on their marry way before they two succumbed. New Years came and passed before officials started with the public service announcements describing the symptoms and warning people. By this time cases had been reported in Paris France, Vienna Italy, Prague and even as far away as Moscow. It was too late to contain the decease completely all we could do was hunker down and hope for the best. We had too great a population to feed the illness. Too many victims to rise up and find more. All of which were completely interconnected. Mean while a more thurale translation of the hieroglyphic turned out to be an accounting of an out break of the decease and the methods used to deal with the victims. It turns out that the Ancient Egyptians mummified their dead to keep them from rising from the dead and not so that they could.