This is the the temple where I normally worked.
Journal 2, The 5th Dynasty of the New Kingdom
December 23, 1565 B.C
Dawn
“Everybody WAKE UP!” I awoke to the sound of a blaring shout in the distance. It was my son Nebnefer, I trying to wake us all up. The other side of my mat was always cold when I touched in the morning. I slowly rose from my warm red mat made with chicken features. I woke up as I watched others wake up from their mats. I got out of home with my wooden pail and took one minute walk towards to the Nile River. I took a look at the reflection of mine and charged my wooden pail with water. Than I brought it back to home. I washed my hands and face. After cleaning myself, I walked over to my canvas wrap where I found my silk red cloth and my flute. I wore my cloth and put my amulet on so that no illness would come. With the amulet I always had a happy day.
After eating my breakfast, a rabbit and some grape juice, I took a look at the schedule today that was attached to the door out.
- Pray
- Work
- Easy meal when the sun is in the center
- Play in the funeral for rest of the day
- Get the ordered fish
- Dinner
- Rest
Rising Sun
After praying to the gods and the goddess in the temple near the valley, I was on my way to the temple. Just after I got out from the village I saw my musician friend, Tumin yelling. “Khamen!!! Wait up.” Tumin was very poor although he got the equal amount of daily pay. This occurred because he was the only person who got a job in his family. We saw the two statue of Sphinx guarding the door. We finally arrived. When we got to the temple, we performed music while people prayed to the gods. The priests always prayed in front of everyone who was in the temple. The people consistently bowed in front of the statues that were standing in front of them. There were also some Hieroglyphics that the scribes recoded. The scribes usually write on a paper such as papyrus but in the temple or the palace, the scribes write facts on the wall. People such as peanuts and artisans were not allowed to pray in the temple. Some artisans such as I, was allowed in the temple for its purpose. In the temple when I play flute for a long time, the air inside me disappears so whenever I don’t blow air properly it would make this squeak sound that are very irritating when praying. If I do that while I perform, the priests usually pay me less. Today in the temple, I accidentally made this squeaking noise but the sound was not loud enough to distract people from praying. Luckily the priests did not pay me less. They obviously didn’t notice the noise in the air. The green amulet on my neck has brought me luck!
Center Sun
My work in the temple was complete but not the work I have to finish by today. Yesterday, I was ordered to play music in a funeral. It took seventy days to put the mummy in its tomb. People who were rich was able to effort these all. The mummy was moved to its tomb by a man-shaped coffin on a bier which is protected by effigies of gods. Servants or slaves followed carrying the items that would be buried with the mummy in the tomb. We all believed in afterlife. We thought that life we now is just an organization for afterlife. So the funeral was very important to all of us who could effort it. After drinking my grape juice, in the bar placed near the temple where I work. The priests told me that the funeral was soon going to happen. The mummy was moved to its tomb from the temple where the mummy maker dries the mummy with salt and covers it with gauze. I knew I would be very exhausted walking and playing music for the whole day. I was stressed. Usually, It took about seventy days to put the dead mummy in its tomb. The musicians and dancers took turns playing music while moving the dead mummy in its tomb. Today it was my turn. The mummy was once a rich doctor. As I saw the dead mummy proceeding to its tomb from the temple, the priests ordered me to play music for today in the temple, until it stops in the Nile River. It was going to enormously boring blowing my flute for few hours. When the march of the mummy came near by me, beside the bar I was located, I joined the march starting to play my flute. I walked and played my flute forever. The slaves that were holding the mummy seemed bushed. I was lucky I was not a salve.
Falling Sun
The march was finally arrested and I was free. I was left beside the Nile River when my job was done. I felt lonely while I was walking back home. The sun seemed very orange and somehow exquisite. I saw Neshi, the fisher women I was walking by her, wondering if she has got my ordered fish. I asked her if my fish were ready. Fortunately, they were ready. They were dried too. It looked very fresh. When I got back home with my fish, dinner was ready. It was chicken rice. The smell of it was warm. It had always been my favorite food. In an insatiable appetite (greed for food) I ate my food as fast as I can try to feel my stomach. The dinner was very normal but more our family were extremely talkative. After some few chit-chats the moon emerged. It was time to go to bed.
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