Mycenaean Gold Inlaid Weaponry These incredible pieces showcase the influence of Minoan motifs on Mycenaean art of war. Housed at the Athens Archaeological Museum
Knife with Ivory Hilt Object Name: Dagger Date: 19th century Geography: Iran Culture: Islamic Medium: Steel, watered; ivory and gold
“Damascus” or “Watered” steel refers to blades like this one that have been given a wavy or “watered” pattern, created by specific smelting and crucible techniques, prior to forging. In Western Europe such blades were believed to originate from Damascus, though this technique was practiced in the Islamic Middle East at least since the Middle Ages. This 19th century example illustrates how even in the later period of Islamic art these artistic traditions remain popular and celebrated.
The forte and hilt of the top dagger are covered with chiseled decoration of floral motifs, arabesques and cartouches containing ducks and lions– ornament that can be found on a variety of media in later Persian art.
The bottom dagger has been inscribed with Qur'anic passages on the forte of the blade, as well as on the ivory handle. The inclusion of holy words on this object imbues it with talismanic properties, believed to offer protection and ward off evil. The most efficacious talismanic objects are those that are inscribed with prayers that evoke the name of God, the Prophet Muhammad and his companions.
Scientists have long speculated that the ancient Egyptians used metal from meteorites to make iron objects. An analysis of a dagger found in Tutankhamun’s tomb has given us strong evidence that this was the case – and that the Egyptians knew the iron had come from the sky. But why did they use such an unusual source for the metal when there’s plenty of iron here on Earth?
“Until recently, we didn’t think that the ancient Egyptians were particularly good at producing iron objects until late in their history, around 500 BC . There’s no archaeological evidence for significant iron working anywhere in the Nile Valley. Even the large amounts of iron-rich smelting waste products found in the Delta region could actually have been produced by attempts to make copper. When Tutankhamun died – 800 years earlier – iron was a rarer material than gold.
“The most common natural source of metal iron on Earth is iron ores – rocks that contain iron chemically bonded to other elements. These need to be processed by heating them with other materials (smelting) to extract a low-quality form of iron, which is then beaten with hammers to remove impurities. This requires considerable know-how, effort and tools that we have no evidence for in ancient Egypt.
“There were abundant supplies of iron ore in both Egypt and the Sinai peninsula and textual sources indicate that Egyptians were aware of the metal from early in their history. But the ore was mostly used to create pigments for art and make up. One explanation for this may be that the readily accessible iron ores were of poor quality so couldn’t be worked into more useful metal.”
Yes, it’s done. Woo hoo ! This pack contains both Arsenic Pose 1 and Arsenic Pose 2 with lots of new standing poses, and weapons poses. You might even recognize some of them from those games you played or anime you watched (because I was a talentless hack and I referenced those). Ok enough nonsense.
Yep, I have finally finished my crappy pose pack thanks to the help of @halofarm. Most of these poses are standing poses, and are more suitable for female characters. Also, note that I use Dreamgirl as a base for the skeleton rig, so expect clipping if you have a thick body.
After deciding not to run for a third term as President, Teddy his son and 250 other porters and guides went on safari throughout British East Africa, the Belgian Congo and Khartoum to collect specimens for the Smithsonian. The entire group “collected” 1,100 specimens. Teddy and his son alone bagged 512 including 17 lion, 11 elephant and 20 rhinoceros. At one point, Teddy shot a rhino that was charging at him by shooting through the beast’s neck into its heart.
