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November 20, 1958            

Dear Dr. Federn:

     I have received your letter of yesterday. You should take care of yourself and not overwork and fall from feet. There are no scientific problems that require an immediate answer since no manuscript or proof is so far as to go to print; so if there are more questions than a time divided between work and rest can cope with, you can always postpone answering the questions for days or weeks. On the days when you feel tired, you sould not work but rest completely.
     Presently I have to find a solution for the difficulty that the long reign of Ramses II and the shorter reign of Necho II present to myself. Because of the perfect correspondence in the length of the war and all its stages that were carried by Ramses II in Palestine and in Syria up to the Euphrates and by Necho II in the same places and in the same sequence (see Ages 2), I cannot but regard them as one and the same person; also the identical roles of Psammetic and Seti the Great (with Assyrians against Hatti-Chaldeans; also Beth-Shan Scythopolis and the Seti there, and Tell Nebi-Mend - Riblah and its role at that time, etc., etc.; and the canal to the Red Sea built by Ramses II and ascribed to Necho. Thus I must find the meaning of the too long a reign ascribed to Ramses II. At the begining of his campaign—it was his second year; from the length of years of the kings of Jerusalem, or from the year of his peace treaty, we must conclude that at 586 or 587 (the destruction of Jerusalem) he was a little over twenty years on the throne. He could not reign additional 45 years, because this would be in the middle of Amasis’ reign; besides already the refugees in the days of Gedaliah came to Egypt of Merneptah (Hophra). I wonder whether there is also a stela of Ramses II that would refer to anytime between his 30th and his 67th year? Could it be that 67th year is a reference to the reigning years of the dynasty, from the time that Assurbanipal placed Necho I on the throne? Or could it be that Necho was a brother of Ramses II and it is his grave with the mummy that had a shorter leg on one side? Still this solution is not good, because, as I said, Merneptah must have been on the throne about 560 at the latest, if Amasis reigned for 25 years (did he?) and died in 525. How long did Merneptah reign?
     The important problem for my Oedipus work is the name (royal) of Amenhotep III. Is Nebmare his name? You remember what I quoted at to the peculiarity of this his name on the lintel scene in Huya’s tomb. In el-Amarna letters he is named Nimmuria. I have no scruples that the figure on the lintel is that of Akhnaton on both pictures, left and right.
     Where can be read the sayings of Amenhotep the sage?
     Do you know of any new articles about Sothis calculations that I need to mention in my Ages, vol. 2?
     Yesterday I have received a postcard from Schaeffer: after digging in Cypus, he is not working at Ras Shamra, hopes to be in December back in Paris. he will write me at more detail in answer to my 20 pages letter of the first week of September when he is through with digging.
     Let me know about your plans of coming. One train leaves New York at 11:15 and arrives at the Junction at 12:10.
     In the meantime take care of yourself.

Cordially,                 

Im. Velikovsky

I come to think that 67th year of reign may mean 67th year of Ramses’ life, if he, as it was not unusual in some other instances, counted his years of reign from his birth, being born in a divine conception. Ramses IV could wish himself the same long reign, because it was long even if it was 40 years; or Ramses IV, more than 200 years later, could be mistaken by assuming that 67 years referred to actual reign.

I.V.


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