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228 In exchange, the Sphinx—representing the god Harmakhis— promised him that he would be the successor on Egypt's throne. "When the Sphinx finished these words," the inscrip- tion continues, "the king's son awoke." Though it was a dream, its contents and meaning were crystal clear to the prince. "He understood the speech of this god." At first opportunity he carried out the divine request, to clear the Sphinx of the sands that buried it almost completely; and indeed, in 1421 B.C., the prince ascended Egypt's throne to become Thothmes IV. Such a divine nomination to Kingship was not unique in Egyptian annals. In fact, it has been recorded in connection with a predecessor, Thothmes III. The tale of miraculous happenings and a vision of the "Glory of the Lord" has been inscribed by this king on the temple walls in Karnak. In this case the god did not speak out; rather, he indicated his choice of a future monarch through the "working of miracles." As Thothmes himself related it, when he was still a youth training as a priest, he was standing in the colonnaded part of the temple. Suddenly, the god Amon-Ra appeared in his glory from the horizon. "He made heaven and Earth festive with his beauty; then he began to perform a great marvel: he Figure 78 DIVINE ENCOUNTERS