Time Meddlers on the Nile Read online

  Back to research. It was time to focus on the Nubians, and Taharqa in particular. Taharqa was the only connection I could find between the Nubians and western civilization: his name is written in the Christian Bible. I had to discover everything I could about the young prince. Taharqa liked to build temples and statues, and through photographs of a cache of statues discovered at Doukki Gel, I could study Taharqa’s features: his almond-shaped eyes, his full lips, the pleated kilt he wore and the double uraeus crown on his head. Taharqa left inscriptions on his building projects and one even referred to his mother—how he summoned her to his coronation. A great number of inscriptions and references to queen-rulers led me to come to the conclusion that women were consulted and respected in Nubian culture—a rather pleasing discovery for the time period. I also learned that the priests of Amun may not have had a stellar relationship with royalty—the reason I included Taharqa’s difficulties with the priests. At the same time, I read about the usual method of succession to the throne—brothers of the king first, then eldest sons—and the exceptions throughout Nubian history. Taharqa wasn’t the eldest son, so he must have been chosen for other reasons. That, at the age of twenty, he was a general in the army and leading troops into battle suggests he was an exceptional leader. I tried to convey this in the prince’s methods of leadership that Matt witnesses as his travel companion.

  Which brings me to ma’at. I was surprised to stumble across this concept, an Old Kingdom concept in Egyptian civilization—a period in the 3rd millennium BCE also called “the age of the pyramids”—that refers to order, justice, truth, and righteousness, living in harmony with the gods, etc. A goddess, Ma’at, symbolized this concept. The Kushites were generally devoted to ma’at, according to one expert—David O’Connor PhD, Egyptologist at the University of Pennsylvania. (10) The turmoil in Egypt, in particular the quarrels between the princes around 736 BCE, disturbed King Piankhy, and he decided to restore peace and ma’at to that region by taking control. Perhaps mysterious forces were at work in my decision to write about this time period and culture, since my own character, who has strong principles and is always concerned with justice and peace, happens to have the name Matt.

  I could go on and on about endless research. How lions stalk their prey by stealth, circling and ambushing them. How horned vipers, along with cobras, are the most deadly snakes in Nubia. How the scorpions there are harmless. How goats can be really smart—just kidding. And did they really use the stem of a palm branch, horn, and sinew to make bows? Yes! But I think you get the point. Facts are carefully simmered with lies—fiction—to make for a delicious stew, so that you can experience history anew (accidental rhyme), but if it’s not to your taste you can always spit it out. After all, some people don’t even like stew.

  D. J. J

  1. Aubin, Henry T. The Rescue of Jerusalem, Anchor Canada, 2004.

  2. Adams, William Y. Nubia, Corridor to Africa, Princeton University Press, 1977. The book explores Nubian history through archaeological and textual evidence right up to the 1970’s.

  3. Bonnet, Charles and Valbelle, Dominique, The Nubian Pharaohs, Black Kings on the Nile, American University in Cairo Press, 2007.

  4. Adams, William Y. Nubia, Corridor to Africa, Princeton University Press, 1977.

  5. Bianchi, Robert Steven, Daily Life of the Nubians, Greenwood Press, 2004, Broida, Marian, Ancient Egyptians and their Neighbors, Chicago Review Press, 1999.

  6. Adams, William Y. Nubia, Corridor to Africa, Princeton University Press, 1977. A number of historical references are used throughout the book, including Roman ones.

  7. Adams again, through classical texts of the third and fourth centuries.

  8. Freely available on the Internet.

  9. This information is also searchable on the Internet.

  10. Aubin, Henry T., The Rescue of Jerusalem, Anchor Canada, 2004. Aubin researched Nubian culture extensively and consulted experts.

  Reading Group

  Exercises and Questions for Discussion

  1. In the first chapter Matt tries once again to rescue his father—even among dinosaurs—but he fails. Have you ever tried to accomplish something over and over again and consistently failed? How did it make you feel? One thing about Matt is that he’s persistent. Do you think that at some point it is advisable to give up? Nelson Mandela went to jail for twenty-seven years, but all that time he still believed that he could free South Africa from apartheid. When he was finally released, he became the first Prime Minister of a multi-racial democracy and began the transformation of that country. Can you think of other examples of persistence and ultimate achievement?

  2. In Chapter Two, the timeline has been discontinued because of something that happened in Nubia in 701 BCE.

  a) Have you ever heard of the Nubians? If so, what do you know about them?

  b) Look up the Nubians on the Internet, examine a map, and get a feel for where and how the Nubians lived. List what you think are important facts, and then make another list as you go through the book and add details. See if you’ve learned anything new or different at the end of the book and discuss it with the group.

  3. In Chapter’s Three and Four, Matt and Sarah discover what Nubia looks like, at least one particular area of it, and which creatures inhabit it. What is unique about this location? Describe the landscape and how it’s different from what they expected. What animals do they encounter? In the DVD, Mystery of the Nile, Imax, Orbita, 2005, a team of explorers try to navigate the Blue Nile from its source to the sea. When they negotiate rapids, they find that crocodiles like to lurk in the regions just beyond a series of rapids. Why do you think they do this?

  4. In Chapters Five and Six, Matt and Sarah encounter the Nubian prince Taharqa. Why is this a bad thing? The average person could have influenced events in history, but why were kings and princes more likely to? Or today, the Prime Minister or the President of a country? Can we, as ordinary citizens, change laws, influence world events, or set certain wheels in motion? If so, how do you think we could do this? It’s amazing what the average person can do. A conflict exists in Sudan today—an ongoing conflict in the Darfur region that has led to thousands of people being killed—but six people decided they would try to do something to stop it: two actors, an international prosecutor, a Sudanese rebel, a sheikh, a leader of the World Food Program and a waiter in a restaurant. (Darfur Now, Don Cheadle, Mark Jonathan Harris and Cathy Schulman, 2007) The waiter, Adam Sterling, introduced a bill to keep California funds from being invested in companies with interests in Sudan and convinced former Governor Schwarzenegger to sign it. Can you think of other examples of ordinary citizens doing extraordinary things? Discuss your examples with the group.

  5. In Chapter Six, Taharqa mentions peacekeeping and how he sees that role. What do you know of the peacekeeping that is done around the world? Who takes an active part and what do they do? Name some countries where recent peacekeeping efforts have been made.

  6. In Chapter Nine, Sarah learns that her captors are raiders because they disagree with the pharaoh’s policies on slavery. The Egyptian pharaohs once captured Nubians as slaves. In the time period described in this book, the Nubians capture other Africans as slaves. Why do you think this practice continued, even though the Nubians were once slaves themselves?

  7. Qeskaant and Taharqa discuss ma’at at different points in the story. What is your understanding of ma’at? What do you think Matt and this idea have in common?

  8. In Chapter Ten, Matt has his first encounter with average Nubian citizens and the farmland along the Nile.

  a) Search through the chapter and list what he sees and experiences.

  b) Sketch (in words or draw if you like) the average citizen and the average soldier. Hint: you’ll have to turn back to Matt and Sarah’s first encounter with the Nubians to get a description of the soldier. Next, add Taharqa. There will be other descriptions later in the book of clothing, weapons, and other individuals, including one of a priest. Leave room for
added details.

  c) In this chapter, Matt makes a bargain with Taharqa. What is it and why do you think it will be difficult for Matt to keep?

  9. In Chapter Twelve:

  a) The chapter heading begins with the word Ta-Seti. What does that mean? Why is the Nubian land called this?

  b) Matt learns why the Medjay are feared by the Nubians. Explain. Often we have misconceptions about people when we first meet them. What did you think of the Medjay at first? What do you think of them now?

  c) At this point in the story, the prince is training Matt, but also praising him, even though he does a few things wrong. Why do you think Taharqa does this? (See # 2 in Activities to further explore this question.)

  10. In Chapter Thirteen:

  a) Matt discovers gold in Taharqa’s palace. Why does it seem meaningless to him? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be really rich? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to lose someone you love? Given the choice of having treasure or money, but only without a loved one, would you still want to be rich? To consider this question further, go to Activity #3.

  b) There’s a description of the city of Napata and the pharaoh’s palace in this chapter. List as many details as you can find.

  11. In Chapter Sixteen:

  a) Matt encounters his father and Nadine. Why is this a poignant moment? How does the author handle this moment? Does this scene have greater impact because of the humour, or would it have been better if it had been presented more seriously?

  b) Upon their encounter, Matt, his father, and Nadine discuss the timeline alteration. What is the butterfly effect? If the permafrost melts in the peat moss bogs of the Arctic—just a small rise in temperature—it could release billions of tons of methane gas, which will increase the level of global warming at a much greater rate.

  A small increase in temperature in one area, could trigger a huge rise in the temperature of the entire planet, causing serious climatic issues. Can you think of an example of a small change made in your school, in your neighbourhood, in your country, or somewhere in the world that has had drastic consequences on a much bigger scale? It could be scientific, like the example above, or social, or political, or something else.

  12. In Chapters Nineteen and Twenty, Matt discovers that his father isn’t everything he thought he was. How does the prince describe people? What do you think he means by this? Have you ever been disappointed in someone or surprised that someone you didn’t like very much was a better person than you thought? Discuss this with the group, but keep names and identifiable people out of the conversation.

  13. Sarah encounters a goat in Chapter Twenty-two and names him “Matt.” Matt has also named a horse “Sarah.” Why do you think the author included these animals in the story? Generally every element in a novel has a purpose: to add depth to a character, to incite emotion, to decrease tension or add humour, to avoid deus ex machina (look it up), or to introduce a character or event into the story that may not have a clear role at the time, but that will assist in the plot later. There are many more reasons, but these are significant. Make a heading of each reason and list which thoughts, pieces of dialogue, or actions in this chapter correspond to each. For the last one, see what the goat does later on.

  14. In Chapter Twenty-three and Chapter Twenty-five, the prince is continuing to train Matt for battle. Why do you think the author included these training exercises? What do you notice about each successive exercise the prince orders? Have you ever watched a movie or read a book where the main character has no background knowledge of or skill in a certain activity that requires a high level of expertise, but can suddenly do it with no difficulty? Did that make any sense? In an adventure novel, characters are often placed in extraordinary circumstances, but if they don’t have at least some of the character strengths and preliminary skills to deal with these situations, it strains believability. What does the prince want Matt to do? List the skills he will need and the training exercises that helped to hone these skills.

  15. Sarah and Matt travel through the desert for a number of days. List all the features, creatures, and details about the desert the author describes. This might require sifting through a few chapters.

  16. Matt learns about the paradoxes in time travel in Chapter Twenty-six. Look up the “grandfather paradox” on the Internet. Now discuss how it applies in this situation. What is the author’s solution? Is it confusing? The solution is related to Harmony Theory for the paradox, with a few author additions. Based on the story so far, what major mistake do you think the characters might make (or might have already made)?

  17. In Chapter Twenty-seven, Matt comes to the conclusion that he’s a lot like his father. Discuss the actions of both Matt and Nathan Barnes that illustrate their similarities.

  18. In Chapter Twenty-eight, Matt figures out what their first and worst mistake was. What was it? What is he forced to do? What would happen, according to the paradox and the author’s suggestion in Chapter Twenty-six, if he didn’t make this choice? This is probably one of the hardest choices a person can be forced to make—a choice even someone in charge of world affairs or a country would have a hard time making. Why do you think the author put the prince and Matt together in this story? Do you think Matt is changing throughout the book and throughout the series? If so, discuss how his character is changing and the qualities he had to begin with that allow for these changes.

  Activities

  1. Think of a place and people from another time that you’ve always been interested in. Search the Internet and the library, consult history books and even modern-day travel books, and find out everything you can about that time, place, and the people who lived there. While you’re researching, a story idea might spring from what you read. After doing all this research write a story that takes place in that time period with the people you read about, incorporating the important details that give readers a sense of that place. Don’t just use visual description, think in terms of all the senses. Your main characters move through a scene like it’s a movie, so be sure to keep the action going.

  2. Have you ever seen people transform because of what other people—particularly authority figures—say to them or about them? Either they wither under criticism or they shine from praise. Everything you say to others has an impact. Positive feedback increases confidence and empowers an individual to do great things. Even corrective feedback can be positive. Think of something nice to tell your teacher, your friend, your parents, or someone else and watch the transformation. While in a group, get up and sit beside someone you don’t usually talk to. Say five nice things to them, about them.

  3. We’ve all dreamed of finding buried treasure, while ignoring the treasures all around us. Think of the treasures you have and see every day and list them. Include your possessions, but don’t forget people and nature—what you see outside your window, what’s in your backyard or a favourite vacation spot. Number them in order of value to you. Now think about which ones it would hurt the most to lose. Number them again, if this changes things.

  4. Have you heard of the Aswan Dam? Look it up on the Internet, gather information about Abu Simbel and the temple that was moved. Look at pictures. Draw a diagram of the temple. Think of how difficult it would have been to move this temple. Investigate how the temple was moved and write a report about it or write a report on the Aswan Dam and which Nubian artifacts and monuments were lost under Lake Nasser.

  Acknowledgements

  There are a number of people I’d like to thank for their assistance in the writing of this novel.

  I’m extremely grateful to my writing group—Rachel, Kate, Mark, Michelle, Noreen and Connie—for their invaluable comments and suggestions.

  I would like to thank Rita Graaskamp for sharing her insight as a teacher and supporting my efforts to make this series both educational and appealing to children as adventure fiction.

  I would like to thank Matthew Birtch for his fabulous covers and Jessica Jackson for her l
ovely illustrations. My appreciation goes out to the LBF staff, who were helpful in the original draft of this book.

  To my husband, Brian, and my children, Jessica and Liam, a heartfelt thank you for supporting my writing endeavours every step of the way.

  Finally, to my fans, I can’t say enough. You’ve followed me through the years (and it has been years), through each tedious and successive draft, waiting patiently and still eager to read when the books were eventually released. You’ve stuck with me through the ups and downs of publishing. I owe you so much!

  About the Author

  Deborah Jackson received a science degree from the University of Ottawa in 1986, graduated from The Writing School in Ottawa in 2001, and is the author of several science fiction and historical fiction novels. She gives school presentations throughout North America as well as developing and teaching writing courses at the Shenkman Arts Centre. Deborah is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Her novels include: Ice Tomb and Sinkhole, adult science fiction thrillers, and the Time Meddlers series for children, ages 9 – 14, recommended in The Children’s Literature Review and Canadian Teacher Magazine. Articles about Deborah and reviews of her books have appeared in The Ottawa Citizen, MORE Magazine, The RT Bookclub Magazine, Canadian Teacher Magazine, SF Site, Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine and many more.

  For more information, please see her website: http://www.deborahjackson.net

  Thank you for purchasing my book!