Preserved Pharaohs And Fantasies Of Prophecy

Since then a much simpler explanation of the ‘internal waves’ occurred to me. When you look down in clear, shallow water on a sunny day, you see the effect of diffraction of light passing through the water on the bottom as narrow bright bands separated by broad dark bands. These often seem to have little if anything to do with the surface waves that produce them. Those might be the ‘internal waves.

I agree with your doubts about the pharaonic mummy. First of all, no doubt that all pharaohs were mummified since the New Kingdom. So I’m very surprised if a royal Mummy naturally preserved could be exhibited… Secondly, as you are well aware, the story about Moses crossing the Red Sea is probably mythical. There is not any historical argument about a Pharaoh pursuing Hebrews through the sea.

The mummy usually identified with the pharaoh who supposedly perished chasing the Israelites in the book of Exodus is that of Merneptah, son of Ramesses II. This mummy has, however, not left the Cairo museum to my knowledge. Many regard the Exodus story itself as the pure folktale, but even those who believe it contains some truth doubt that the pharaoh of the oppression was Merneptah, and the story does not, in fact, state that Pharaoh himself was drowned in the sea – just his army. The mummy of Merneptah has white patches left by post-mortem cosmetic treatments, but these were once said to have been deposits of salt from being drowned in the sea. Most mummies have some salt on them from the natron used as a drying agent and preservative, and Merneptah is no different.

The mummy illustrated there is Ramesses II, and the photograph was probably taken in the Cairo Museum. Ramesses II was certainly mummified in the usual manner and is one of the best preserved of the royal mummies, chiefly because he was not so badly damaged by tomb robbers.