The Sacred Sistrum of Ancient Egypt

In Khamsin, The Devil Wind of The Nile, this ancient instrument is described as being used for worship as well as entertainment.

Excerpt:

With expectant stillness at its height, [the High Priest of Ptah] intoned the old sacred chants, his rich baritone echoed by the pure high voices of his temple chantresses. The simple notes of a lonely flute rang out, a harp adding its melodic strings.

Sistrum-players rattled their papyrus stems. The beat quickened. With nothing more than belts around slim waists, the undulating chantresses mesmerized the crowd; it often fell to these lithe servants of the gods to keep the beer-drowsed audience alert.

Found: King Nectanebo Shrine

Shrine Dedicated to King Nectanebo I 
Unearthed in Egypt 

An Egyptian and German archaeological team sifting through the ruins of a temple dedicated to the ancient King Nectanebo I has found building blocks and parts of the ceiling, which was decorated with stars. Authorities hope to rebuild and restore the shrine.

(Egyptian Ministry of Antquities photo)

The 30^th Dynasty king, whose name is also spelled Nakhtanebu, lived in the fourth century BC. His house was the last native Egyptian royal line before Persians reconquered Egypt in 343 BC and overthrew Nectanebo’s grandson.

Shared by Mark Miller in Ancient-Origins 

Read the entire article here: http://www.ancient-origins.net/shrine

Herodotus on Burial in Egypt

Herodotus Wrote:
 * II:85. Their fashions of mourning and of burial are these: Whenever any household has lost a man who is of any regard amongst them, the whole number of women of that house forthwith plaster over their heads or even their faces with mud.

Then leaving the corpse within the house they go themselves to and fro about the city and beat themselves, with their garments bound up by a girdle and their breasts exposed, and with them go all the women who are related to the dead man, and on the other side the men beat themselves, they too having their garments bound up by a girdle; and when they have done this, they then convey the body to the embalming.

Book of the Dead

Read the entire article at Ancient Origins - and perhaps be glad you live in our times. Although women are known to still plaster their faces with mud; but for very different reasons - and usually at considerable cost.

http://www.ancient.eu/article/89/

*Herodotus, The Landmark Herodotus (Quercus Publishing Plc, 2008)

Published under Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

An Ancient Egyptian Bark (also referred to as "Barque")

There was some discussion about me using the word "bark" in

KHAMSIN, The Devil Wind of The Nile.

So, I thought I had better give an explanation.

The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt by Ian Shaw and Paul Nicholson calls it a bark.

So do other publications.
Thus, I settled on this spelling.

Hor-Aha Solar ships (Also called "Barks" or "Barques.")

In 1991 in the desert near the temple of Khentyamentiu near Abydos, archaeologists uncovered the remains of the 14 ships dating back to the early first dynasty, possibly associated with Hor-Aha.

These 75-foot-long (23 m) ships are buried side by side and have wooden hulls, rough stone boulders which were used as anchors, and "sewn" wooden planks. Also found within their desert graves were remains of the woven straps that joined the planks, as well as reed bundles that were used to seal seams between planks.

(Just as an aside, we mostly associate the more modern word "barque" with a three-masted schooner nowadays.)

Diana Wilder goes South

Here is another superb writer of Ancient Egyptian fiction who went “South.” If this is a trend, it definitely is a worthy one, although Diana Wilder’s Egypt is something to behold.

While you are at it, don’t miss checking out The Memphis Cycle, a four-volume saga set in New Kingdom Egypt after the time of Akhenaten—fascinating (and there is the promise of a fifth, Kadesh).

But, back to Diana and the American South:

The Orphan's Tale

(Here, Diana’s website has great background information)

Imagine Paris in the 1830's. If you can’t do so readily, Wilder’s colorful descriptions will carry you along as if you were there, listening for echoes of Napoleon's France, light, darkness, splendor and poverty, all blending into a stunning tapestry that is The Orphan's Tale.

Diana’s interest in the American South began when she wrote a story some years ago, then put it aside. Lately, and luckily, she retrieved and polished it until it became a story of hope, courage and love set in 1864 Georgia, told so beautifully in

 The Safeguard

If this hasn’t wet your whistle for some great reading, I don’t know what will. And, as always with Diana, she has two more Southern tales in store. Now, go check out Diana’s author page(s):

Diana-Wilder-AmazonAuthor Page

DianaWilder on Goodreads

You know, this is where you can buy her books for Kindle as well as in print; and when you do and after you read them, please let her know how much you appreciate her talent, time and dedication to research – by leaving a nice review.

Of course you can, nay, must be honest; we wouldn’t have it any other way. Writers don’t mind working hard, getting up in the middle of the night to jot down that perfect turn of a phrase; we don’t even mind starving for our passion and craft – but, oh, how we do appreciate a reaction to all our sweat and tears (true-sometimes) from our readers.

Great Story about Pocahontas

Today, I am so pleased to acquaint you with a brand new novel by my
historical fiction writer-friend, 

Libbie Hawker

TIDEWATER is a story about a woman who has captured our imagination for a few centuries now, mostly with myths and legends overshadowing reality. In her novel, Libbie did not shy away to let the truth be known; and therefore instill in us even more admiration for this extraordinary life.

Don't you just love this hauntingly beautiful cover?

Here is what Libbie shares with us about 

researching and writing her novel:

Many people, especially women, are acutely aware of how few women are represented by the annals of history. When our deeds and contributions are recorded by historians, it's often in the context of how we related to the men of our times. Women are frequently given "supporting roles" in history, acting as motivation or reward for the men who move the world.

But of course, women have always played an equal part in shaping politics, culture, and history. It's our status as second-class citizens that relegates us to the sidelines of history. How much more extreme is this effect for non-white women in European and North American history, who are remembered not only for their relationships to men, but to white men specifically?

The Pocahontas myth is one that is hugely beloved by many people around the world, especially in the USA. But I knew that Pocahontas was a real woman with a true history, and that the story of her life probably had little or nothing to do with a tempestuous love affair with a white man. I became interested in writing a novel about Pocahontas's life years ago, and as I researched the true history of this woman and the changing world she lived in, I found that the real story was even more exciting, moving, and awe-inspiring than the familiar myth.

I worked hard to portray Pocahontas and her people as accurately as I could. I hope that Tidewater will give readers a clearer idea of what life was like for the people of the Powhatan Confederacy as the sun began to set on their empire. I hope, too, that seeing Pocahontas in her own light, outside of the requisite context of her supposed "love" for a famous white man, will make her more real to everybody who reads her story.

She was an exceptionally intelligent person with many talents, a charming personality, and a generous heart. She and her family shaped history in such incredible ways that the influence of the Powhatans is still evident in American culture and in the English language to this day.

Without Pocahontas, the history of the United States would have been very different for both Europeans and Native Americans... for good or ill.

* * *

So hot off the press it is still steaming, TIDEWATER is available in Kindle format for right now, but Libbie is working on the print version to be available soon.

Libbie Hawker's Amazon Author Page 
(which also includes her acclaimed Egyptian series, written as L. M. Ironside)
http://www.amazon.com/Libbie-Hawker/e/B00CCRAKWM

Also, make sure to visit Libbie Hawker's web site: http://libbiehawker.com

Guest at BigAl's Books and Pals

BigAl's Books and Pals do an outstanding job of reading and reviewing Indie books, all to introduce Indie writings to a wide audience.

This morning, BigAl featured my guest post about my own experience of researching historical fiction - notably for KHAMSIN, The Devil Wind of the Nile.

If you like, you can read the entire blog post here - and laugh at my silly hat to boot.

BigAl's Books and Pals: The Minefield of Writing Ancient Egyptian Fiction, a guest post by Inge H. Borg

Another 5-Star Review for KHAMSIN

5.0 out of 5 stars Like the Wind, May 13, 2014

By 

deha - See all my reviews

This review is from: KHAMSIN, The Devil Wind of The Nile: A Novel of Ancient Egypt (Legends of the Winged Scarab) (Kindle Edition)

An incredibly interesting dose of fantasy and science fiction... a fable which transports you into ancient Egypt historic sites and then to present day. Ms. Borg must have a deep love for culture and the nature of the universe. The events of the Egyptian dynasties, are spun together to create a highly original and ingenious alternative history of Egyptian civilization, one that will seem attractive to many. Ms. Borg isn't only an excellent writer taking advantage of her natural skills she's also an outstanding scholar of Egyptology. Very few people could have pulled this off and created a story with such layering, a story that reads like a credible Hollywood screenplay in the mold of Raiders of the Lost Ark with the scholarly underpinning of espionage. All three are must read for those who love this genre.

* * *

I relish it when my readers agree with me. I love KHAMSIN best mof all my novels. Not, because it is my "first-born," but because I believe that it is the one book combining literary prose with enough action and probable history (and mystery) to capture anyone's imagination about this amazing long-lost civilization. It captured my fascination a long time ago--as it still does.

And - yes, I am listening: We must finally know where these "first" Egyptians came from. I am working on it, people. Just give me a few months...

In The Spotlight

All of my seven books are included in The Indie Tribe's May Spotlight.

You can check here:

http://www.theindietribe.com/category/may-spotlight/

You count six?

Well, Pasha too managed to get his whiskers in.

http://www.amazon.com/Inge-H.-Borg/e/B006QYQKUS – Amazon

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/505050 -  Smashwords

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/inge-h.-borg - Barnes & Noble

http://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomInge_H_Borg – Goodreads

For those of you who prefer to read a quality paperback, all my titles are available as such through Amazon.