CYOHA: You are the mayor of Eastern Thebes in the reign of Rameses IX and you have just learned about mass looting of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. You suspect that your counterpart Paweraa, the mayor of Western Thebes, is collaborating with the looters. What do you do?

In Egyptian religion, the intact preservation of one’s tomb is an essential precondition for a peaceful afterlife. As such, the robbery of any tomb, especially a royal one, is one of the most heinous crimes a person can commit. The penalty for complicity in it is execution. As the mayor of Western Thebes, Paweraa is in charge of administering the royal necropolises; he’s the primary official who’s supposed to be responsible for ensuring that the tombs are protected and punishing anyone who violates them. Meanwhile, you, as the mayor of Eastern Thebes, are in charge of administering the part of the city where most of its living inhabitants reside.

You and Paweraa have had a bitter mutual rivalry for many years; you have long suspected that he is involved in dirty dealings and now you’re sure that you can prove it. Even if he isn’t actively collaborating with the looters, the very fact that looting is occurring under his watch proves that he is negligent in his duties. If you were to accuse him, you could potentially get him executed and win greater trust for yourself from the vizier and the pharaoh and potentially a higher office.

At the same time, you know that the royal tombs in the valley contain absolutely unfathomable wealth—more gold, precious jewels, and beautiful, finely worked treasures than anyone can dream of—and all those riches are just sealed away where no one can access them. A part of you can’t help but wonder why dead kings should be allowed to hoard such obscene wealth at the expense of the living. You know that the current pharaoh is weak, corruption is rampant, and laws against looting don’t seem to be being enforced. If you were to find a way to channel some of the profits of the looting into your own coffers, you could potentially make yourself extraordinarily rich.

Still, you know that Paweraa is very cunning and talented at manipulating political situations to his advantage and he has many powerful friends. Taking him on in any capacity would be extremely risky. Getting involved in the looting scheme yourself would be even riskier, since it could lead to you being executed. You’re already in a very prestigious and cushy position. The safest route might be to stay uninvolved.

What do you do?

A) Accuse Paweraa of either collaborating with the looters or being negligent in his duty to protect the royal tombs and demand that the vizier set up a commission to investigate the looting.

B) Try to blackmail Paweraa by threatening to reveal his complicity in the looting unless he pays me part of his share of the profits.

C) Independently track down the looters myself and threaten to punish them unless they pay me off with spoils.

D) Stay out of the issue. It’s none of my business.