#turquoise scarab

[diamondsinthelibrary]

This Egyptian Revival necklace from Devil Wears Prada has a royal past.

When this Egyptian Revival necklace popped up in my email inbox, I thought, “oooh, pretty.” But when I read the accompanying press release and realized how cool its story really is, I knew I had to share it with you. This Egyptian Revival necklace from Devil Wears Prada has a royal past. Gorgeous, isn’t it?? I didn’t take much notice of this beautiful piece the first (or second, or third) times…

[cleopatrastruth]

[sheltiechicago]

Bracelet Of Tutankhamun With Scarab. Gold, Lapiz Lazuli, Carnelian, Turquoise, Quartzite. New Kingdom: 18th Dynasty: Tutankhamun Resent Location: Egyptian Museum

Instagram: archeology_and_art

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

twst x zoff glasses collection (post 1)

***Please note:*** Sharing merch images + news is not intended to encourage and/or to pressure anyone into making purchases. It is up to the individual consumer to be informed and to choose how they spend their money.

Tumblr only has an image limit of 30 per post; you can see the later 3 dorms' glasses designs in this post.

This is a collection of 7 glasses frames, each themed after one of NRC's dormitories and all the same price (14400 yen).

Each pair of glasses comes with an original case and a cloth to wipe your lenses. The original case is the same for every design, but you will get a cloth with a design unique to the dorm you selected.

Heartslabyul's roses are visible, and there are the 4 card suits (2 on either side) incorporated as well. A checkered pattern and Heartslabyul's half-colored heart logo are also in the design. Heartslabyul's roses are visible, and there are the 4 card suits (2 on either side) incorporated as well, representing each of the Heartslabyul boys (Ace, Deuce, Cater, Trey). A checkered pattern, crown (Riddle), and Heartslabyul's half-colored heart logo (foil-stamped) are also in the design.

The pattern on the temple is meant to resemble claw marks, perhaps of a lion like Leona. At the end of the temple, there is a foil-stamped hyena and wolf to represent Ruggie and Jack, respectively.

These glasses include turquoise cloisonne stone and engraving representative of the sea. The frames feature a wriggling octopus tentacle (Azul) and a spiral seashell on both sides. There are moray eels foil stamped on the frames, one for Jade and one for Floyd.

Kalim's turban was the inspiration for the hinge part. The temple, meanwhile, has a snaking cobra (Jamil) and a red cloisonne stone. The ends of the temples have foil-stamped scarabs.

[memories-of-ancients]

Scarab ring of Sithathoryunet. Crafted from gold, carnelian, lapis lazuli, and turquoise.

Egypt, 12th Dynasty, 1887-1813 BC

from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

[bleedingichorhearts]

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐈

𝕬𝖚𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖗: This one is more of an introduction, if anything.

𝕾𝖚𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖞: A small and brief introduction to the mini marines and some... weird doctor.

𝕿𝖆𝖌𝖌𝖊𝖉: @kit-williams, @egrets-not-regrets.

TW // Attempted Kidnapping? Violence?

|°ᴛᴀɢ ʟɪꜱᴛ ᴀᴘᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ°| |°ɪᴄʜᴏʀ’ꜱ ᴀᴏ3°| |°𝕄𝕒𝕤����𝕖𝕣𝕃𝕚𝕤𝕥°| • {Chapter I} • {Chapter III}

“So, your name is Scarab?” You managed to pronounce the Thousand son’s name correctly. His little tropical turquoise blue and gold helmet up nodding at you. “And you are Atheloca?”

You point to the little Death Guard on the counter at the Apothecary, getting a warble and a nod from him too. Liking that you were doing so well on pronouncing their names correctly, even if it was this… English and not their language. He might have to try and teach you some.

“And don’t forget your other two that have been assigned to you.” The physician sounded bored, almost snarky, writing something on his clipboard. An Apothecary you have never seen before in this medical building. It makes you feel a bit uneasy with him, but that is how you are with most people.

“I don’t think I could Dr. Ryker. They are the most troublesome out of all of them.” You snitch on the lightly, turning your gaze to the other two. The little Night lord immediately squeaking out in demand.

“Yes, I know your name Saveth.” You responded softly to the eager Night Lord, and tilted your head to the World Eater. A quiet rumbling coming out of him as you announce him too. “And yours too, Sarvak.”

“Alright, you are set to go.” Dr. Ryker suddenly sighed, clicking his pen and placing it rather harshly in his clipboard. “I hope you do not find any more of these small Astartes out there, but otherwise keep them safe. Who knows what would happen to them.”

“Understood Doctor.” You sighed as well. Worried about this guys… rude behavior and understanding the last part of his words well. Remembering the day of an attempted kidnapping of the little guys as it wasn’t even a week in that you had them before someone tried to kidnap the little Astartes. The miniature warband squeaking at you in a frenzy, their litte forms quickly waving up at you. Urging you to quickly come back.

You had only left the room for a second, wanting a little snack, but came right back by their urgent demands to see one of Sharon’s boyfriends (or one of her one night stands) was trying to forcefully pick up Saveth. Who in turn, looked like he was fighting for his life, slashing at the man’s bare hands with his talon-like gauntlets, making him bleed, and the man out of anger. Threw the Night Lord off to the side like some piece of garbage, a yowl escaping the tiny Night Lord before he had hit the wall with a thud and then down to the floor with another thud.

Anger, worry and dread crushed your heart and shoulders while you didn’t hesitate to rush in. Brushing past the man, nicking him in the shoulder with your shoulder: who didn’t even look remotely sorry for his actions, but he definitely did look at your back in anger when you brushed him. Triggered by the fact you disregarded him and went for a tiny space marine instead as Sharon came into the room at the noise, immediately yelling at her one night stand out for being “so cruel.”

Carefully kneeling down to the ground. You hold your breath as you gently poke at your little Night Lord, unsure if he was either winded, dead or just playing with you. Yet, the Night Lord proves you otherwise as he lifts himself off the ground and shakes his head, nearly falling over again. A tiny squeaky-like groan leaving him as you leaned over and protected him with your hand as he would use it to stabilize himself. A tiny hiss coming out of him then as your eyes scanned him over.

No missing limbs, no weird shapes or bent arms and no bleeding…

Saveth softly coos at you while you searched him over. You however, seem to ignore his attempts to try and soothe you in return. He was a Night Lord not some weakling! Yet, he can tell something shifted in you, he can smell it, see it as your breathing seems to get uneven. Another coo coming out of him, but a more worried one.

You knew you shouldn't have left them with Sharon’s one night stands. They always brought off a bad vibe, always doing something behind you and Sharon’s back while you weren’t there or looking. Why were you stupid enough to even think they wouldn’t do anything? Stupid enough to allow it? Were you even a good caretaker to these little Astartes? Perhaps they would be better off with the Apothecary instead.

A cold, light weight on your cheek snaps you out of your racing thoughts. A small mixture of scents capturing your smell as you look down at the source. Seeing the little Night Lord trying to purr up at you, and then another attempt from Scarab then Althloca the Sarvak. Watching one of their purrs having a different tone, pitch and vibration to them.

You honestly don’t remember feeling when the rest of the warband climbed up your clothes to join in with the… purring session, but it soothed you down more than you'd like to admit at that moment. Your arms carefully wrapping around them and bringing them close in an awkward way near your neck as you appreciate their purrs and healthy presence.

“As regular, come back so we can check up on them and run some tests.” Dr. Ryker reminded you, getting up from his chair. His height taller than you by at least two heads. The sound of his bored voice and moving chair taking you out of your… saddening memory. “…And hopefully in no time, they will be back to their regular size.”

“I’m sure they’ll love that.” You admit with a nod. Putting your hand down on the counter for the mini warband to climb on. Ignoring how this man in some way puts you on edge, especially when he stood up, revealing his height as you can feel the pin pricks of the mini Marines talon-like gauntlets digging into the fabric into your shirt like some cat making biscuits on them, just more weighty. Taking up their rightful spots they have personally made themselves on your shoulders and collarbone.

The doctor hummed, looking down at you with bright blue eyes as he adjusts his rectangular glasses. “Also, try not to get too attached. They might not want to be with you once they grow back to their original sizes.

A certain dread drops in your stomach at that. Your eyebrows scrunching up as you turned a little bit to look up at the doctor with a confused look. You know the Astartes wouldn’t possibly like to be with you afterwards, not that you’re really hoping for it. It was the ungodly truth. One that you might have a hard time believing or getting over. So, instead you focus on their health, ignoring how your neck suddenly stings. “Grow back? So you have something… on them? In this situation?”

“Yes, we have gathered information to help understand this situation better. So far we’ll only know they could possibly grow out of it.” He confirmed, his eyes stoically gazing down into yours with a certain look you can’t describe, and you're not sure where to put it on your personal safety meter either.

He looks you up and down before he quickly leaves the room, closing the door a bit harshly as well. Leaving you mentally tense and rethinking your choices on having this doctor. Just where did they get this guy from? Was he bonded? Why does he look so grouchy? Why is his vibe grouchy? You had many logical questions for this doctor, but you simply passed it off as you were being an introvert.

“Well…” You suddenly spoke after a while of just standing in silence, questioning yourself and the doctor. “At least you know you're not ultimately stuck as a small gremlin.”

You earned a couple nicks at that and some conflicting speaks from the Space Marines on your shoulder and collarbone. Your skin twitching away from their small attacks. Hopefully not bleeding through.

“Ow! I’m not retracting my statement!” You state with a smile, wincing away from their attacks even though they are just grasping onto you closely. They don’t like to let go so easily “It’s true! You are small!”

“Ow! You know what? Come here you little-” Your hand quickly went up to your neck, snatching the little Astartes who caused the most pricks. A surprised squeak came out of them as you held him firmly in your hand. Your eyes staring down at him with a playful glare. “You’re grounded.”

Saveth, the little blue and red Night Lord could only squeak back at you, and chirp to the warband to help him out to no avail. He was stuck with his consequences. He had gotten grounded until you made your way back to your car.

[magistralucis]

"I'm right here." - Trazyn/Orikan (requested by @beril66)

(Drabble for a prompt fill challenge, prompts available here.)

--------------

They debate the pros and cons for a while, but in the end Orikan gets his wish, as he must've always known he would. Trazyn feels some kind of way about it. It's odd - as he gathers the necessary tools and heads to Orikan's quarters, he feels not a single smidgen of hatred, only the weight of dread mixed with weary concern. This is not how he would've characterized his sentiments towards the Diviner before any of this happened. He feels out of himself, frustratingly passive, inadequate.

"Orikan."

But if the Overlord of Solemnace is not adequate for this task, no one else will be. He desires breath, deletes the notion from his engrams, and enters.

Orikan is lying silently on the ground. Sannet is watching over him. Outwardly the astromancer is closer to restored - his primary servomechanisms have regained their function and the necrodermis 93% regenerated, the scratches buffed out and his carapace polished a rich turquoise - but Trazyn doesn't need to scan him to know that little about Orikan's mental state has changed. He sends an interstitial greeting, receives but a tiny blip in return. Trazyn dismisses his Arch-Cryptek with a nod, then with some effort, kneels down beside Orikan.

"Don't suppose you want it done to the tiles." He says out loud, more to himself than the astromancer, then dares the slightest touch with a fingertip upon the other's blackened spine. Orikan tenses, a shiver passing through his circuits. "I'll be gilding below those (gesturing at the three orbucula along his spine), then your clavicle-collar, and your headpiece. Has Sannet updated you on my process?"

A small nod. Trazyn heaves a sigh-analogue. Three whole decans have passed since that fateful battle, and just as long their cohabitation in Solemnace - but Orikan is still so afraid, and refuses all attempts to clarify the problem. Hardly an encouraging atmosphere where hands-on work is necessary. Still, for Orikan, he will do his best.

"... Good. If you've no other qualms, dear colleague, I will begin."

-----

They don't talk. Not about each other, not even loosely to fill the time. Trazyn's working at the same speed as his living self once did, which is rather slow for necron engrams, and in the absence of Orikan's jabs and insults he finds himself dwelling on the strangeness of the other's request. No one among their kind has needed to hand-gild anything since biotransference. Few individuals remember the art at all, and besides, they have decorator-scarabs for the purpose. Trazyn certainly isn't painting on his own raiments whenever he's damaged or switches bodies, and he loved gilding with his hands, it was his finest skill among the scribal arts.

But even when Trazyn lived the practice was considered old-fashioned. It's not an art he imagined Orikan, with his dislike of the past, would be caught dead asking for. Their world has shifted about them and maybe it's everything Trazyn has ever wanted, except he knows they're not the things Orikan would've usually wanted, and the thought of the other's discomfort bothers him more than he'd admit.

(Then again they never thought all that seriously about being caught dead, full stop.)

The hand holding the brush trembles. He is thinking illogically again.

(Trazyn only foolishly thought they had.)

Enough of this. Trazyn forcibly focuses his oculars elsewhere and redirects extra core-flux to his fine-motor actuators. It's easier because he's not facing Orikan. The spaces between the orbs and his spine are narrow, and while Trazyn can zoom in visually for the little details, he has no choice but to physically lean in close to actually let his brush pass over those areas. He tries to be discreet about it, but ultimately he must hold Orikan against him as he works, or else lie beside him for a clearer view.

He's seldom been this up close and personal with Orikan without dying. Nor with anyone else, not in this context: the living Trazyn's handiwork belonged to books and scrolls foremost, stone second, with the occasional jewelry-burnishing for interest. And even if he were only working on those (and not Orikan's body), remembering how it was done before is not the same as putting the work to practice, especially since Trazyn's current technique is different to how it was done before. There's a brush and there is gold, and therein ends the similarity. Trazyn's pigments are no longer bound with gum, but with fluid living metal, which adheres directly upon Orikan's body once painted. There is no need for varnish, nor the bite of regal acid, nor heat produced from anywhere other than their cores. Trazyn's own nanoscarabs are following along, tidying up the edges and weaving the gold layers into necrodermis at a subatomic level. His artisan's pride suggests a filigree finish, though his rational side suspects Orikan won't care for it.

Nevertheless he ought to bring it up at some point. It's a pretty touch, a dignified thing. Trazyn finishes gilding the lowest orbuculum down Orikan's spine, sits up with the faintest creak of his knee-cabling, moves away.

The astromancer's hand darts out of nowhere to grab his wrist.

Trazyn bristles. Literally bristles, the epidermic layer of his necrodermis rippling visibly as his subconscious prepares for an attack. It dies down as soon as he regards Orikan, and the immensity of the panic radiating from him; no need to run a diagnostic scry, nor even ask what's wrong, since the Diviner is incandescent with alarm-patterns from every functional node. Without a word Orikan drags himself to kneeling, crawls forwards - then collapses right against Trazyn's ribcage, clinging on for dear life, or whatever passes for its illusion nowadays.

"Orikan!" Trazyn's voice crackles, then fuzzes out of his vocal emitters entirely. It comes back dampened, soft, despite his best efforts. "What are you... oh... oh, damn it all."

There's no answer. But the point is loud and clear: Orikan needs his company, he won't be left alone. This was never about mere gilding - something happened to Orikan during the brief moments of his godhood, and Trazyn's presence is the only thing that's been grounding him ever since, for he's the one other proof Orikan has that the interdimensional horrors could be overcome. "I was only going to move to the other side, you know I wasn't going away." Trazyn says quietly as he puts down the brush, sitting up as straight as his back will allow. He supports the other's frail body in his arms and drapes one half of his cloak over him. "I'm right here, Orikan. It's all right."

They're pressed turquoise against turquoise, core-flux burning hot. Trazyn would not have believed, once upon a time, that such a happenstance could've occurred in any other context than his unfailing triumph over Orikan: he'd have been all too happy to see the Diviner crushed, made centrepiece or vassal or a slave, the gold and turquoise proof of his ownership more than anything else. Those fantasies feel distant now, like they're a different lifetime and a dozen different Trazyns away. In the present day Trazyn the Infinite is merely staring down at their hands, two charred and two unblemished, his oculars dim and sad as he clasps their fingers in comfort.

Fleetingly the archaeovist recalls this was how the Nihilakh nobility welcomed additions to the dynasty. The newcomer, usually a child or a foreign spouse, would be granted a ceremonial robing of the dynastic colours followed by gifts of gold and turquoise goods. Seal-rings for a new groom, hairpins for a bride, amulets and jeweled rattles and gold-embroidered toys for the newborn babes. Trazyn has never had cause to perform this ceremony himself and remembers nothing else about it, and he certainly doesn't think Orikan had anything like this in mind - but as far as welcoming Orikan to his household goes, he supposes this is the most benign way they could've gone about it.

"My dear Orikan." He soothes, watching the glimmer of Orikan's discharge nodes slowing to a quiet blink, and rests a warm palm atop the other's cranium. "I will not leave you. Take as long as you like."

-------------------

(Notes: This is a piece exploring a headcanon that Orikan wears Nihilakh colours because Trazyn gifted it to him post-TIATD, presumably during a recuperating period on or near Solemnace. Orikan got battered to hell and back during that battle, it's doubtful Trazyn would've let him go in that state; since I also enjoyed writing about necrontyr!Trazyn's scribal duties in Unravel recently, I've brought back the chrysography/hand-gilding angle for this piece. 🥰 It struck me as a low-key but very intimate image.)

[wildwheatfields]

My next messy reference!! Details down below

Cleo de Nile -

Her mummy attributes are the mummy wrappings around her arm n leg. I feel like she’d have minimal wrapping cuz she preserves her skin so well. There would be decay under the wrappings that she doesn’t find too cute! Her eyes have gone gold from her powers. She has a giant scar where her organs were removed!! I like to think her scarabs crawl inside that opening or her mouth cuz how horrifying is that.

Her hair is now naturally a dark blue but she likes turquoise highlights and braiding in gold strands

She’s (ancient) Egyptian and has some arm hair, side burns n tummy hair. She waxes her legs. Shout out to my fellow hairy peeps who only do their legs! You’re valid

Lagoona Blue -

Her sea monster attributes are slippery pink skin, scales, fins, sharp teeth and multicolor hair. Her colors are real tropical coral and I love that for her. Her skin is mad slippery like an eel so she’s just so fast in the water. She has fish scales in placement of body hair cuz I’m apparently obsessed with that aspect I’ve created in MH.

Her freckles are blue!! She’s got fun lil dots on her face!! They prob look like many eyes in the dark of the sea yikes. Her hair is multicolored like that to blend in with the coral

She’s Honduran and grew up there but she got to move to the MH dorms n that was her first time outta the Honduran seas

Deuce Gorgon -

His gorgon attributes are his snake hair, fangs, forked tongue, claws and slippery green skin. He has no body hair! He is a slippery n slightly chubby snake! Y’all can rip his lil tummy from my bare hands I dare you.

He’s got scales on his head and as eyebrows in substitute of hair. He’s got the seven snake heads like in a show cuz I love those funky lil dudes. His eyes are that unnatural green cuz of gorgon powers so no one gets to admire those pretty eyes I’m so sorry my boy He’s also got a bunch of beauty marks all over him!!

I headcanon that he’s black and Greek. It just feels right to me

…

I really don’t know how to fix Deuce cuz he looks plain to me compared to the ghouls in my style. I think I kinda want his hair longer to do hair styles with his snakes?? Idk

[astra-ravana]

Working With Ptah

Demon God of Vision and Creativity

Other titles: Lord of Truth

Colors: Red, blue, green, black, white, gold

Herbs: Acacia, almond, blue lotus, cedar, frankincense, hops, turmeric, coffee, sun flower, copal, hemp/canabis, cumin, myyrh, aloe

Crystals: Lapis lazuli, turquoise, red jasper, pyrite, goldstone, obsidian, granite, chalcocite, nuummite, sapphire, hematite, sun stone, bumblebee jasper, herkimer diamond

Element: Fire/air

Planet: Mars/ths Sun

Zodiac: Aries

Metal: Gold, copper

Tarot: Temperance, Ace of Wands, 8 of Pentacles

Animals: The Apis Bull, vultures, rats, scarabs

Domains: Creativity, the arts, architecture, crafts (especially magickal crafts), guidance, inspiration, success, self improvement, spiritual growth, transformation, protection

Offerings: Artwork, handcrafted items, fine incense, bread, beer, precious stones and metals

Symbols: Potter's Wheel, Djed, Was, Ankh, skulls

[zalmoxis-the-great]

Love in full bloom ! - Short story - Orizyn

Trazyn was lying there motionless for the third month in a row. Attention is still fully focused on observing the future La'rua, the forming Tau Fire Warriors team, training under the vigilant, eye of an experienced Shas'Ui.

‘Orikan, I swear on the Galleries, if you get spotted and ruin this for me, I will put you in a tesseract labyrinth next to my Death Guards' attacks strategies displays’, he received from the unmoving overlord.

Orikan flicked his tail, curiosity replacing the anger at the rude, and frankly, disgusting remark.

His divinations found the archivist on a planet next to a battlefield Imotekh was heading to. The astromancer decided to bail on the mandatory activity the Stormlord was dragging him to, by summoning his right to the ancient feud, and rushing off course, before his phaeron decided to use his hekatic power to revoke it.

He found the overlord, covered with field emitters, witnessing what looked like every step of future Fire warrior's training.

Rather than going back to join his dynasty’s fight, a pointless endeavor, We would win this engagement, regardless of my presence. He decided to observe the observer before he deemed that enough time had passed for him to return to his proper studies, without invoking Imotekh’s wrath.

‘They need another full Tau'cyr of training before the commander will no longer call them Shas’Saal, but Shas’La.’ Trazyn explained after another month. ‘I intend to capture the engramatic recording of the whole process. It’s beautiful isn’t it, them growing into their destiny?’.

Orikan moved his focus from the Tau to Trazyn.

The tropical weather on this planet was in its rainy season, with violent winds blowing water droplets everywhere. The emitters did little to protect Trazyn from the elements, and being completely motionless meant he endured the impromptu showers.

What was spectacular was the tiny dust or earth particles carried by the droplets, that, drop by drop, deposited the debris and dead plant matter into every crevice and nook on the archivist’s carapace.

Normally, mud or dirt would be cleaned by scarabs, but Trazyn was in an undercover mission, and dared not bring anything to be read by a passing scan. He looked like a muddy statue.

After another four months of sitting still, small orchid seeds seem to have found their way to those little dirt patches, and the warm, and humid weather allowed the epiphyte plant to grow there.

First, the little white air roots appeared, hugging the living metal, like silver jewelry, and after that a stem appeared.

For the last 3 days all the plants on Trazyn were in full bloom.

Some of them, blossoming with an insane amount of tiny white flowers, that hung heavy from Trazyn’s left arm, covering it like an exotic pelt.

On his torso, the orchids decided to grow horizontally, with beautiful blue flowers, deeper than the archivist's turquoise but similar enough that Orikan could imagine they grew from his necrodermis.

His cape and legs, as the archivist was kneeling to stay low enough to observe, were covered by plants with thick massive leaves, that covered him and gave the impression that Trazyn was sprouting from the earth itself. At first, a few rare red flowers popped up sporadically on his legs and rear, but the closer they were in proximity to the sun, they more they started multiplying. The top of Trazyn's hood looked like it was on fire with these bright red blossoms.

Orikan looked at his deathmask, endlessly fascinated by the yellow flowers, that managed to sneak into his hollowed cheeks and mouth, blooming upwards on their stems so that it looked like Trazyn was wearing a heavy crown made of gold, a noble regal scholar, and an academic so in love with his studies that he became part of it.

‘I agree’, he replied, looking at his colleague.

[egypt-museum]

Gold Scarab Ring

New Kingdom, 18th to 20th Dynasty, ca. 1550-1069 BC. Bequest of Eva Catherine Brown. Now in the Cleveland Museum of Art. 1936.653

Ancient Egyptian turquoise faience scarab (mounted on swivel bezel in modern gold ring). From the end of the third millennium B.C., the scarab beetle served as an amulet in Egypt where it represented the sun god.

The scarab integrated into a gold ring appears in the fourth century B.C. The articulation of the insect and the embellishment of the box reveal craftsmanship of the highest order.

Scarab rings with thicker hoops developed during the Second Intermediate Period. The scarab itself was mounted with a gold wire running through its centre on which it could swivel. As well as gold, silver and electrum were used. They were popular during the New Kingdom period and were worn by both men and women.

Read more

[artifacts-archive]

Scarab Ring

Egyptian, 1388-1351 BC (New Kingdom)

The hoop of this turquoise-colored faience ring ends in lotus blossoms; the bezel is in the form of a scarab.

[cleopatrastruth]

[quirkthieves]

@enignoema from here

This was an unusual place to find the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, especially while alone. But it was also unusual for her to have the ability to see through time, or a doctorate at the age of 20, so it was par for the course that Ishizu Ishtar was a woman who did many unusual things.

She sat in Gotham's most nameless bar, a glass of beer with a few sips already gone still forming beads of condensation on the outside.

Despite her diminutive stature, like the rest of her family, she was both blessed and burdened by a strong presence. This was only bolstered by her manner of dress, sleeveless white fabric with a golden neckline only made brighter by the fact she was practically dripping with jewelry, ranging from golden cuffs and anklets to rings bearing turquoise scarabs and inlaid signets. A headdress topped with a familiar golden eye and sharp wings. Far flashier than what she wore for her official appearances. The embodiment of a tomb's hidden treasures.

And of course, the Necklace, which always gave off the impression that it was watching you, despite its inanimacy.

She had found him there, because she knew he would be there-- asking questions about things he very much shouldn't. So she had acted first.

"I am not a woman of violence, Mr. Riddler." Although she certainly could be. "And there are far worse things in this world than being killed."

Hauntingly familiar turn of phrase, wasn't it?

"I'm sure we can come to a suitable agreement, should you be willing to keep your weapons where they belong. I am also more than persistent enough to continue putting walls in your path, but it brings me no joy, and I have other matters to attend to."

[blueiscoool]

The 5 Most Opulent Artifacts Found in King Tut’s Inner Tomb

All that glitters is sometimes gold—particularly when it comes to the tomb of King Tutankhamun.

There is perhaps no other period in human history that has captured minds and imaginations quite like ancient Egypt. “Egyptomania,” or the intense interest in all thing Egypt, was first sparked by Napoleon’s Egyptian Campaign at the turn of the 19th century. Throughout the 1800s, people across the world emulated the architecture and design of Egyptian culture—for example, Victorian-era jewelry frequently incorporated scarabs, and cartouches and monuments across Europe took the form of obelisks.

The pervasive obsession with Egypt reached an apogee when on November 26, 1922, archaeologist Howard Carter and his team discovered the doorway to the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun (commonly referred to as King Tut) in the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile. Though archaeological digs had been undertaken throughout the area, most tombs had succumbed to looting and grave robbing, leaving them stripped bare of their original contents. Tut’s tomb, however, had been hidden by debris and rubble, preserving it to near perfect condition.

Despite discovering King Tutankhamun’s tomb in late 1922, it took several months for archaeologists to work their way through and catalogue the contents within the outer chambers. On February 16, 1923, Carter finally came face-to-face with the doorway leading to the tomb’s inner burial chamber and unsealed it. What he and his team were met with was the most well-preserved and intact pharaonic tombs ever found. Over the following eight years, the items and goods contained therein were carefully catalogued and removed, and today are held in the collection of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

To mark the centennial of the unsealing of the burial chamber, we’ve gathered five of the most opulent and intriguing artifacts that were found in King Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Tutankhamun’s Sarcophagus and Three Coffins:

Seeing the sarcophagus was perhaps one of the most exciting moments for the archaeologists at the time, as it indicated early on that the contents were preserved and intact. Crafted of quartzite and red granite, and displaying the images of Isis, Nephthys, Neith, and Serqet, the sarcophagus housed three nesting coffins which held Tutankhamun’s mummified body. The outer two coffins are made of fully gilded wood and inlaid with glass and semiprecious stones, such as turquoise and lapis lazuli. The innermost coffin, however, is made almost entirely out of 110.4 kilos of solid gold, similarly adorned with inlaid stones, and incised with inscriptions and in the shape of Osiris holding scepter and flail.

The Death Mask of Tutankhamun

Found within the innermost coffin upon the mummified body, King Tut’s death mask has become a world-recognized icon of ancient Egypt and the pharaonic era. Composed of 10.23 kilos of solid gold, it depicts Tutankhamun wearing the traditional stripped pharaonic headdress replete with representations of the goddesses Nekhbet and Wadjet above his brow. The mask’s back and shoulders are inscribed in Egyptian hieroglyphs with a protective spell copied from the Book of the Dead, offering protection as the pharaoh moved through the underworld.

Canopic Shrine

In the process of mummification, many of the person’s organs are removed and placed in what are called canopic jars. These containers frequently included lids shaped after the heads of the Sons of Horus, protective deities. Like many other ancient Egyptian tombs, King Tut’s included an alabaster canopic chest containing the four separate jars. However, in the pharaoh’s tomb, these were housed in a canopic shrine. Standing at six-and-a-half feet tall and enrobed in gold, the shrine includes the figure of the goddess Nepthys who stands guard over the royal contents.

Golden Sandals

A large swathe of the items found in King Tutankhamun’s tomb represented personal necessities, such as clothing, toiletries like perfume, and food stuffs. Included among these items were a pair of gold sandals. These golden shoes have been found in numerous other ancient tombs, and it is believed that they were made specifically for funerary and burial practices. The soles of the shoes depict the nine traditional enemies of Egypt, including the Nubians and Libyans, symbolizing that as god-king they were literally beneath his feet.

Golden Chariot

King Tutankhamun’s tomb contained a total of six golden chariots—though, unfortunately, all were in various states of disrepair as they were either mishandled or damaged by looters. After restoration, they were identified as typical D-cab chariots that were meant to be drawn by two horses. The image of a pharaoh driving a chariot was a common symbol of royal power and wealth, and in ancient times, pharaohs were often presented at public events in opulent chariots to highlight their status.

By Annikka Olsen.

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