- Pharaoh Series
- Posts
- Week 1: The Dream & Famine Steles
They say kings rule by divine right. But what if the gods were silent?
This week we begin with not one, but two artifacts that laid the spiritual and political foundations of ancient Egyptian power — and the collapse that followed.
The Dream Stele stands between the paws of the Great Sphinx. Carved by Thutmose IV, it records a dream in which the Sphinx offers him the throne… if he clears away the sand choking its body.
But there’s a catch: Thutmose wasn’t the rightful heir. His inscription is a divine work-around — a celestial bribe. He carves his legitimacy into stone, hoping no one remembers the bloodline he bypassed.
Fast forward centuries, and we find the Famine Stele — etched during the reign of Djoser. This time, the land is dying. Seven years without Nile flood. The Pharaoh turns to Imhotep, the priest-architect, to decipher the will of the gods.
It’s an ancient PR campaign: when crops fail, you don’t blame the system. You say the gods are angry, and you're their only translator.
Both steles are texts of survival, not triumph.
This is where Ethan Stone’s journey begins — not with proof, but with doubt. These aren’t relics of confidence. They’re confessions written in stone. They ask a single question: What happens when your power depends on a voice from the sky… and the sky has no real voice?
Next Sunday, we’ll follow Ethan into the tomb of a man who became a god.
Until then — stay alert. And remember: the truth doesn’t rot, but it does get buried.
