The Amulet of Amon-Ra Read Online Free PDF

watch over you all.”
    He bowed and left the kitchen. Ramose followed, then came back alone.
    â€œNow,” said Meryt-Re, business-like, “we must get going. Mentmose, I need you to go to the river and fill the water jar.”
    Mentmose scowled. “But father was going to show me how to make tjehnet today.”
    â€œIt will have to wait. I will probably need your help this afternoon to do the cooking, too.”
    â€œBut,” said Mentmose. “Oh, all right.”
    Ramose clapped him on the shoulder. “We would need more water to make the paste anyway. Help your mother today. We can grind the turquoise and the clay for the tjehnet tomorrow. Besides, it might be wise for you to learn some cooking skills.”
    â€œThat’s for girls,” scoffed Mentmose.
    â€œYes, but it is still worth learning,” said Ramose. “Now I must be off to my workshop to choose which pieces I should present to the honorable Ka-Aper.”
    Mentmose sighed. Hefting the water jug onto his hip, he headed for the doorway.
    â€œI think we’ll take two baskets,” said Meryt-Re. “I’ll carry one and you can carry the other, Dje-Nefer.”
    She plucked two woven baskets out of the pile, one of which she had slung over her arm. She handed the other to Jennifer. Meryt-Re rummaged on the shelves and proceeded to fill her basket with several flat round pastries that looked something like cinnamon buns.
    â€œThere. We can go now,” said Meryt-Re. “Oh, wait—why haven’t you put any kohl on your eyes yet? Oh, never mind. I’ll get some.”
    She left, and Jennifer could hear her trotting up the stairs. It was only a minute before she was back, carrying a small clay pot and a brush. With quick, expert strokes, she outlined Jennifer’s eyes with a sticky black paint. It dried instantly, but itched. Jennifer had to stop herself from rubbing at it.
    â€œDon’t you smudge that,” said Meryt-Re, holding up a warning hand. “All right, let’s go.”
    She picked up her basket, and Jennifer followed her into the larger room, which had a wide wooden door set into one wall. As she opened it, a blast of noise from the street poured into the room.
    People streamed past in both directions. Most of them wore Egyptian-style outfits like Ramose and Meryt-Re, but there were also men and women wearing baggy tunics and head scarves, or outfits of gaudy fabric wrapped around their bodies, or short woolen kilts and vests. Some even wore shining helmets and pieces of armor. A group of children ran by, all of them naked. The boys’ heads were shaved bald, except for one long lock that dangled from the right side.
    As she and Meryt-Re stepped outside, Jennifer blinked in the bright sunlight. It nearly blinded her after the cool darkness of the house.
    The sweat that trickled down Jennifer’s sides in the intense heat dried almost as soon as it formed, too quickly to wet the fabric of the dress. She thought she now understood why the ancient Egyptians wore such loose, light clothing, and briefly envied the naked children. She licked dry lips, feeling like she was turning into a mummy on the spot.
    Jennifer tried to keep up with Meryt-Re’s purposeful strides. Her bare feet slapped the paved road, sending up tiny puffs of dust from between the stones. Sand filled the cracks and mounded up in miniature dunes against the edges of the tall buildings surrounding them.
    The buildings were covered from top to bottom in hieroglyphs and brightly-painted reliefs of people, animals and gods. They weren’t as nice as the ones inside Dje-Nefer’s house, she decided.
    On one building, a giant mural of a god with the head of a bird dominated the wall. The bird’s beak curved gracefully downwards, and he held a scroll in one open hand. From a door near the base, a man wearing a white kilt and a thin leather strap that lay diagonally across his chest led a single