The Egyptian Babylon, Minoan Crete, and among the Hittites. The main character of the novel is named after a character in an ancient Egyptian text commonly known as the "Story of Sinuhe". The original story dates to a time long before that of Akhenaten: texts are known from as early as the 12th dynasty. Supporting historical characters include the old Pharaoh Amenhotep III and his conniving favorite wife, Tiy; the wife of Akhenaten, Nefertiti; the listless young Tutankhamun (King Tut), who succeeded as Pharaoh after Akhenaten's downfall; and the two common-born successors who were, according to this author, integral parts of the
User (ancient Egyptian official) in the same period. The title "king's eldest son of his body" caused some discussion in Egyptology, as it is not certain whether he was a real son of a king or whether the title was purely honorific. User (ancient Egyptian official) User was an ancient Egyptian nomarch (governor) of the Eight Dynasty. User is mainly known from a false door found at Khozam (ancient Iushenshen) in 1884. The monument is about one meter high and is made of graywacke. It is today in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Here User bears a long string of important titles, such as