Written in the Ashes (67 page)

Authors: K. Hollan Van Zandt

Alaya clapped, bouncing on her toes.

That gossamer cloud was followed by another, and still another, until the alabaster jar was empty as an eggshell, and the city of Alexandria and Gideon’s ship were separated by a floating white veil that slowly settled to the sea.

“To the wind,” said Hannah.

Gideon smiled and kissed her.

To the wind.

End Of Book One

Epilogue

Historically, it is still unknown how or when the Great Library of Alexandria burned. Credible sources diverge, creating a window of possibility that spans over seven hundred years during which the Great Library may have been destroyed, perhaps even more than once. Legends vary, probably because original sources are sparse due to the library having burned. Some sources argue that the main stacks were burned by Julius Caesar when he lit the harbor on fire as part of a military strategy, while others attest that the Arabs used all that was left in the library to fuel the city’s bathhouses for six months after their conquest. I found it a worthy coincidence that the last known librarian of the Great Library is often acknowledged to be Hypatia of Alexandria, and that very few references to the Great Library can be found after her death. Thus, the account that I have offered here of the Great Library’s demise is purely fictional, although plausible.

Though very little is known of Hypatia’s actual life, it is quite evident from Synesius’ letters that Hypatia was well known and adored throughout the Mediterranean; she was a celebrity. She is looked upon as one of the last Greek philosophers, holding significant sway among great leaders of her era who consulted her on matters of politics, science, mathematics and astronomy. Her death has been sighted by some bold scholars as the singular event that ended the Hellenistic era and invoked the Dark Ages that were to enshroud all of Europe until the Enlightenment many centuries later. Some sources even go so far as to suggest that Hypatia’s murder set the stage for the persecution of women as witches and practitioners of black magic by the Christians in centuries to follow. We cannot know for certain. While much of Hypatia’s life remains a mystery, her contributions to science and mathematics are still in use today, and she is currently recognized as the first female mathematician, philosopher and astronomer in history.

What is referred to in this story as the Celestial Clock of Archimedes is known today as the “Antikythera Mechanism”. It was found by Greek divers off the coast of Antikythera in 1901, and later reconstructed by scientists, some of who suspect it to be an invention of Archimedes, though there is no conclusive evidence.

Hypatia, Bishop Cyril, Heirax, Ammonius, Peter the Reader, Orestes, Emperor Theodosius II, Pulcheria, Synesius, Alexander the Great, Ptolemy, and Hypatia’s father Theon of Alexandria, are all historical figures. I attempted to alter their lives as little as possible, though a few liberties have been exercised, as with Synesius, who did not expire in Alexandria, but had already taken up residence in Cyrene as the bishop by the time of Hypatia’s death. In fact, it is through his letters that we know most of what we do about Hypatia today. The legend of Alexander the Great and the Indian mystic Kalanos, as well as the origins of the Emerald Tablet, are ancient, and I explored them in depth by inventing the Nuapar. Although the temples of Isis and Poseidon did stand on the isle of Pharos, nothing is known about the rituals or lineages they held.

Cyril’s exile of the Jews from Alexandria, the stoning of Orestes, and the burning of the daughter library at Serapis are well-documented historical incidents I have attempted to alter as little as possible. However, the specific details of Hypatia’s death (such as where her body was disposed of) have been slightly altered to suit this narrative.

While Cyril’s involvement in Hypatia’s death was widely suspected over the centuries, it was never proven. Though Cyril was never brought to trial, in 416 A.D. an Imperial Edict was made to disband the Parabolani permanently.

More than one saint came out of the city of Alexandria from this era. For nearly a thousand years, Saint Catherine of Alexandria was one of the most venerated saints in all of Christendom. She was known as the patron saint of nurses, philosophers, spinners, teachers, jurists and clergy. But there is a lack of evidence that Saint Catherine ever existed, eventually causing the church to discredit her. There are, however, certain indisputable similarities between her and our Hypatia. For one, she was tortured, dismembered and murdered. She was also a virgin, like Hypatia, and held a standing among philosophers, claiming the title of martyr. Though the story bears a few dissimilarities as well, such as Hypatia remaining a Platonist to her death while Saint Catherine was a loyal Christian, the parallel between them is undeniable. Because Hypatia was adored by such a vast number of people, it is entirely possible that the myth of Saint Catherine was constructed so that the life and death of Hypatia could be remembered and honored without endangering the lives of her followers.

Many centuries after Hypatia’s murder, the bishop of this story was canonized St. Cyril of Alexandria in recognition of his contribution to Christianity, namely, that the Virgin Mary became recognized as the mother of God. A great many of his writings have survived the centuries. He died in Alexandria in 444 A.D. and Cyril’s saint’s day is celebrated February 9.

I must make a note to serious scholars and historians. While I utilized original source materials from university libraries wherever possible, it is clear that many of these sources and the commentaries about them, especially when having anything to do with Egypt, commonly disagree and more often than not, completely contradict one other. Inevitably, I would follow a promising thread to have it conclude by saying, “And whatever else might be known on this subject was probably lost in the burning of the Great Library.” Thus, wherever sources diverged, I chose the text most complimentary to the structure of my work.

It is most important to recognize that this novel in your hands is a synthesis of legend, history and imagination. Had I opted purely for history, this would be a bland tale indeed. Thusly, you will find a sprinkling of intentional anachronistic details. For instance, I opted for a more liberal expression of sexuality than the era was known for. Also, I made Hannah twenty years old at the beginning of the story, when, if I truly followed history, she would have been closer to thirteen—a choice I knew modern readers would shun for obvious reasons. The same was true but reversed for Alizar, as seventy years old would have exceeded the average life expectancy of the era for men by more than twenty years. At The Oracle of Delfi by this era, the priests of Apollo would have attended the Pythia, but I found the women of an earlier era in the oracle’s history more appealing. To list other details here would be trite. It is my hope that a playful reader will enjoy searching them out in the same way a child engages in a treasure hunt, with alacritous curiosity.

While the character of Alizar is not based on any living historical figure, I must say he prompted me to write this novel. When I learned of the discovery of the assorted Gnostic Gospels and texts of the Nag Hammadi library, I imagined some wise individual during the early centuries after Christ had the prescience to realize that certain texts were in danger and needed to be concealed for discovery in later centuries. I like to imagine we have not found them all but will one day, and in so doing, discover more hidden truths of history; for history, dear reader (to paraphrase Napoleon) is incomplete, and merely a fiction that all the scribes agree upon.

Glossary

The following italicized words from the text are of Greek, Roman, Latin, Hebrew, Aramaic, Sanskrit or Egyptian origin

Agora
– the town square

Amenti
– Egyptian heaven

Amphora/amphoriskos
– a ceramic vase with two handles and a neck thinner than the body. The amphoriskos are smaller amphora. Both held liquids like wine or olive oil.

Armaria
— a wooden or stone cupboard, usually labeled

Brucheon
– the royal quarter where the noble and wealthy live

Challah
– holy bread baked on Shabbat by Jewish women

Corona
– a wreath worn on the head by men for festivities

Dolmas
– spiced cooked grain wrapped in grape leaves

Fellah
– Egyptian peasant

Fibula
– a large pin fastened at the shoulder of a garment to hold it in place

Fuul
– an Egyptian breakfast of bean stew

Gabbeh
– a traditional variety of Persian carpet

Himation
– a light or heavy woolen mantle worn by women going out of the house

Hydria
– vase used for carrying water

Impluvium
– the rectangular pool in an atrium designed to catch rainwater

Kairos
– the eternal moment, the feeling of time standing still, often experienced in sacred ritual

Kalimera
– good morning

Kemi
– “the black land”, the term the Egyptians use for the desert

Khamsin
– refers to the hot and fierce North African winds that blow for fifty days across the desert starting in March/April, from the Arabic word for “fifty”

Khiton
– The common clothing of the day. For men, a khiton (also tunica) was a garment of simple rectangular cloth belted at the waist, hanging to the knee. For women, the khiton was a longer flowing linen cloth that fell beneath the knee. It could be worn with or without sleeves, and was often decorated with decorative strips along the bottom edge, or simple designs, and was occasionally pleated. For simplicity, I referred to masculine clothing as tunica, feminine as khiton.

Klamys
– A woolen cloak with a decorative stripe along the bottom edge typically worn by Greek travelers and horsemen

Kolossofia
– (author’s creation) the two reigning masters of the Nuapar, Greek for ‘Great Wisdom’

Kronos
– linear time as it occurs in the passing of hours, days, nights, months and years. Also the god known as Saturn, father of the major Greek deities.

Kukla/Kuklamu
– a Greek term of endearment, like sweetheart or darling

Merles
– Roman board game much like chess

Mudra
– a hand gesture performed in religious Indian dance or meditation with specified meaning, often to indicate a deity

Neh
– Yes

Nuapar
– (author’s creation) the sect of yogic Egyptian monks, founded by the mystic Kalanos and Alexander the Great, who protect the ancient teachings of the Emerald Tablet

Palla
– the Roman style of himation that was worn as an outer garment, simply a long length of cloth, often with a border, pinned at one or both shoulders with a fibula or penannular

Parabolani/Parabolan
– a sect of Christian priests in Alexandria created by bishop Cyril to help the poor, later used as a small militia

Penannular
– a Celtic design of fibula the Romans were fond of using, shaped like an unfinished O with an adjustable pin down the center, still used today in traditional Scottish dress

Peripatos
– a sheltered colonnade often used to walk in contemplation

Petasos
– Greek hat with a wide brim often worn by travelers

Pinakes
– literally “lists”, typically refers to the lists created by Callimachus who created the library classification system in 50 BCE

Pythos
– a large pot used to store wine

Raks-sharqi
– the tribal predecessor of modern belly dance

Rython
– a drinking cup meant to be held not set down, made of a broad range of materials from simple ceramic to decorous silver or gold.

Shabbat
– the Jewish Sabbath

Shema
– the most sacred of the Jewish prayers, traditionally only recited by men

Taenia
– headband

Tholos
– a circular outdoor platform for sacred ritual surrounded by columns, sometimes roofed, typically Greek

Tribon
– the long grey or white robe commonly worn only by philosophers

Triclinium
– a seated arrangement for guests and hosts of three couches popularized by the Romans

Tunica
– in the Egyptian style of dress usually a simple over shirt belted at the waist, often pleated, that hung to the knee, or in some instances to the floor

Yaffe
– beautiful

MONEY

Nummus/ Nummi
– tiny bronze coin, the least valuable currency

Silaqua/Silaquae
– silver coins sometimes referred to by citizens as
drachma

Tremissis
– A smaller gold coin worth about one third of a nomisma

Solidus / Solidi
– a solid gold Roman coin used all over the empire

Translations

THE SHEMA

(Hebrew prayer from the Torah)

Veahavta et Adonai eloheikha bekhollevavkha uvekholnafshekha uvekholmeodekha.

Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. (the Lord alone).

Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever.