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.’Papineau spoke up.‘Dr Manjani is referring to a number of events that hindered Alexander’s trip to Siwa, and the miraculous ways in which he overcame these obstacles.First, the king ran out of water in the middle of the desert but was saved by a sudden, torrential downpour.It was followed by a sandstorm that disoriented his guides.Amazingly his life was spared when a pair of ravens descended from the sky to lead him in the right direction.Although some historians argue that it was snakes, not birds, that led him through the desert, the point of the fable remains the same: Alexander was meant to reach Siwa, even if it took a little help from the gods.’Manjani nodded in agreement.‘When he finally reached the oasis, Alexander was immediately taken to the Temple of the Oracle – a magnificent edifice built atop a natural acropolis that rose above the surrounding ground.’Garcia flashed a picture of a crumbling ruin on the video screen.‘We’ll have to take your word on it because the years haven’t exactly been kind to the temple.’Manjani smiled.‘Trust me, in the time of Alexander, the Temple of the Oracle would have been the focal point of the area.If there was one thing that drew people to Siwa, this was it.It would have been cared for above all other buildings, immaculately prepared for those who had traveled great distances to commune with the spirits.’Cobb was familiar with the influence that these spirits could wield.Whether it was Joan of Arc leading the French army into battle or Kevin Costner building a baseball field in Iowa, there were plenty of people willing to do irrational things when asked by a higher power.Given what Alexander had already accomplished, Cobb wondered what message was possibly worth the journey for the Macedonian king.‘What did the oracle tell him that was so important?’Manjani smiled.‘Alexander learned that he was a god.’Sarah rolled her eyes.‘How can you just become a god? I mean, not to sound metaphysical, but isn’t that something you’re born into? As in, you need to have a deity somewhere in your family tree.’Manjani nodded.‘You do, and he did – if his mother is to be believed.From the time of his birth, Alexander’s mother, Olympias, maintained that he was not the son of King Philip the Second.She claimed that he had been sired by a god in the form of a serpent.Alexander took her word on it and began living his life in accordance with his divine lineage, even though he harbored many doubts.But those doubts were erased on his trip to Siwa.’‘Erased how?’ she asked.‘Before Alexander was admitted to the temple to talk to the oracle – which was actually a large statue of Amun – he first met with the High Priests of Amun, who welcomed him in his familiar Greek.As non-native speakers of the language, they blessed him not as their son – “paidion” – but rather as the son of god: “pai dios”.’Sarah scoffed at the notion.‘One slip of the tongue and Alexander became a god? Is that all it took?’Manjani shook his head.‘The linguistic confusion was only the beginning.After consulting with the oracle, Alexander emerged from the temple alone and immediately renounced his mortal father.He also proclaimed that he wasn’t a son of a god, but rather a son of the god, Amun.The high priests supported his declaration and heralded his divine provenance, forever linking him to the king of kings.’69Sarah was still struggling with Alexander’s ascension to the Egyptian pantheon.‘Hold on.Alexander visited the temple alone.Afterward, he claimed he was the son of a god and the priests just took his word for it? How do they know what the oracle said?’‘Because the priests were there,’ Manjani explained.‘They were where? Inside the temple?’‘Yes, inside the temple.’‘But you said he went in alone!’‘Technically he did, but when the ruins were investigated centuries later, it was discovered that the entire structure was essentially one big performance stage.There was a hidden second floor that could only be accessed through a secret entrance.It allowed the priests to remain concealed while they, not the statue, spoke to those inside.’McNutt laughed.‘Sounds like the Wizard of Oz.’‘Similar,’ he conceded.‘There were also double walls surrounding the statue [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]