From “The Book of Games” by Nakhtaten of Abdju
Verily, no truer sign of civilization exists than the game of senet[1]. It is said that the game of senet was invented by Usir[2]. This theory is credible, for it was Usir who first taught civilization to the people of the Two Lands. The game of senet is played in all civilized lands; in the Two Lands of Egypt it is played, as it is in Retjenu, in Nubia, and in many other lands. Among barbarians who know not the Aten, it is played as well; in the Land of Put[3] it is played. The barbarians of Put, who know not the Aten, do not play senet with the same refinement as we men of the Two Lands. Rejoice! For the playing of senet is among the greatest signs of civilization. Lo! The Aten’s rays shall extend unto all lands.
From “Travels Among the Aiguptioi” by Philomenes of Krete
The Aiguptioi are a peculiar people, ancient and mysterious. The Aiguptioi worship but one god, that being Helios[4]. It is claimed among the Aiguptioi that in time immemorial, their ancestors worshipped many gods, as we do in Hellas, but that a wise king by the name of Ekhnaton taught them to revere Helios alone. Ekhnaton taught that the world exists in struggle between order and chaos, with Helios being the originator of order and chaos having pre-existed creation. The Aiguptioi believe that every human action will assist either order or chaos, and that those who lived according to order will be accepted into Elysium[5], and that those who did not will be condemned to Tartaros[6]. It is believed among the Aiguptioi that order will ultimately triumph over chaos.
The teachings of Ekhnaton are wise, even though they have not been accepted in Hellas. Rather, the teachings of Aristoxenos of Miletos, which have spread amongst our poleis, provide an interesting comparison with those of Ekhnaton. Ekhnaton taught that their is one god, that order and chaos exist in constant struggle, that man must choose between order and chaos, that our afterlife hinges upon this decision, and that order shall triumph over chaos. Aristoxenos, by contrast, taught that all things are temporary, even the gods, and that by living a virtuous life than we might attain ataraxia and escape from this cycle. It seems to this author that both teachings represent different paths originating from the same source, leading to different destinations that might indeed lead back to the initial source.
* * * * *
One of the unfortunate side-effects of having a Bronze Age POD is that I can’t go into as much detail if I have anydelusions hope of bringing the TL anywhere close to the present day. Therefore, I will be covering more events in less detail going forward now that the key tenets of the Atenist religion have been fully fleshed out. As part of this shift, I will be moving away from a narrative-based writing style to relying more heavily on various in-universe sources.
[1]Senet(literally “passing”) was an Ancient Egyptian board game. Unfortunately, the exact rules have been lost to time
[2]Osiris, seen by Atenists as having merely been an ancient human king rather than a god
[3]Phoenicia
[4]Our Greek writer is using “Helios” as a synonym for the Aten, as they are both sun gods
[5]Aaru
[6]Duat
Verily, no truer sign of civilization exists than the game of senet[1]. It is said that the game of senet was invented by Usir[2]. This theory is credible, for it was Usir who first taught civilization to the people of the Two Lands. The game of senet is played in all civilized lands; in the Two Lands of Egypt it is played, as it is in Retjenu, in Nubia, and in many other lands. Among barbarians who know not the Aten, it is played as well; in the Land of Put[3] it is played. The barbarians of Put, who know not the Aten, do not play senet with the same refinement as we men of the Two Lands. Rejoice! For the playing of senet is among the greatest signs of civilization. Lo! The Aten’s rays shall extend unto all lands.
From “Travels Among the Aiguptioi” by Philomenes of Krete
The Aiguptioi are a peculiar people, ancient and mysterious. The Aiguptioi worship but one god, that being Helios[4]. It is claimed among the Aiguptioi that in time immemorial, their ancestors worshipped many gods, as we do in Hellas, but that a wise king by the name of Ekhnaton taught them to revere Helios alone. Ekhnaton taught that the world exists in struggle between order and chaos, with Helios being the originator of order and chaos having pre-existed creation. The Aiguptioi believe that every human action will assist either order or chaos, and that those who lived according to order will be accepted into Elysium[5], and that those who did not will be condemned to Tartaros[6]. It is believed among the Aiguptioi that order will ultimately triumph over chaos.
The teachings of Ekhnaton are wise, even though they have not been accepted in Hellas. Rather, the teachings of Aristoxenos of Miletos, which have spread amongst our poleis, provide an interesting comparison with those of Ekhnaton. Ekhnaton taught that their is one god, that order and chaos exist in constant struggle, that man must choose between order and chaos, that our afterlife hinges upon this decision, and that order shall triumph over chaos. Aristoxenos, by contrast, taught that all things are temporary, even the gods, and that by living a virtuous life than we might attain ataraxia and escape from this cycle. It seems to this author that both teachings represent different paths originating from the same source, leading to different destinations that might indeed lead back to the initial source.
* * * * *
One of the unfortunate side-effects of having a Bronze Age POD is that I can’t go into as much detail if I have any
[1]Senet(literally “passing”) was an Ancient Egyptian board game. Unfortunately, the exact rules have been lost to time
[2]Osiris, seen by Atenists as having merely been an ancient human king rather than a god
[3]Phoenicia
[4]Our Greek writer is using “Helios” as a synonym for the Aten, as they are both sun gods
[5]Aaru
[6]Duat