Exploring the archaeology, myths, locations, cultures, and art of Tomb Raider.
This guest blog is the first in our Tomb Raider Inspirations blog series, in which fans of the Tomb Raider series are invited to share their thoughts on the franchise and its leading lady and explain how their personal and/or professional lives have been influenced by one of the most …
Guest Blog: Lara Croft – Why I Love Her Continue Reading
Time for another edition of Arte-Factual! Last time, we looked at the killer whale bottle from Tomb Raider: Anniversary and learnt a little about the Nasca, their spiritual beliefs, and their artistic traditions. This time, we’ll be taking a close look at one of the many collectable items found on Yamatai in …
Arte-Factual: Kansu Burial Urn Continue Reading
In the last edition of Arte-Factual, we looked at the Golden Mask of Tornarsuk and learnt a little about Inuit culture and mythology. In this edition, we will be turning our attention to one of the collectable relics found in Tomb Raider: Anniversary: the Killer Whale Bottle. Like many of the artefacts …
Arte-Factual: Killer Whale Bottle Continue Reading
Dr. Victoria Herridge, one of the co-founders of the amazing TrowelBlazers Tumblr blog, wrote an article for CNN’s Leading Women feature in which she talked about the blog and its mission to celebrate the lives and careers of the remarkable (and often overlooked) women who have made valuable contributions to the fields …
Article: TrowelBlazers: In Search of the Female Indiana Jones Continue Reading
In this edition of Lara’s Travels, we’ll be exploring the Tomb of Semerkhet, one of the many Egypt-based levels in the 1999 game Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. One of the things that Tomb Raider fans may have noticed is the series’ quirky blend of historical fact and archaeological fantasy, and …
Lara’s Travels: Tomb of Semerkhet Continue Reading
Amanda Adams’ book, Ladies of the Field: Early Women Archaeologists and Their Search for Adventure (which you can buy on Amazon/Amazon UK), delves into the extraordinary lives of seven female archaeologists who, like Lara, threw convention to the wind to travel to faraway lands in pursuit of knowledge and adventure. Some were …
Book Review: Ladies of the Field by Amanda Adams Continue Reading
Dr. Kevin McGeough’s article Heroes, Mummies & Treasure: Near Eastern Archaeology in the Movies examines the portrayal of Near Eastern archaeology in the movies and addresses the general public’s romantic view of archaeology as an adventurous – and often dangerous – occupation. He argues that archaeologists can better understand the public’s …
Article: Heroes, Mummies & Treasure: Near Eastern Archaeology in the Movies Continue Reading
In this edition of Arte-Factual, we’re going to turn our attention to the Golden Mask of Tornarsuk, an artefact from Tomb Raider II: The Golden Mask, a five-level mini-adventure that was created for the 1999 “Gold” edition re-release of Tomb Raider II. According to Inuit mythology, Tornarsuk (or Torngarsuk) is a god …
Arte-Factual: Mask of Tornarsuk Continue Reading
In the last edition of Arte-Factual, we looked at the history and context of the Ban Chiang vase, one of the many collectable relics Lara stumbles upon in Tomb Raider 2013. This time, we will look at one of the relics Lara finds in the Mountain Temple: a Gunbai war fan. Gunbai war fans, …
Arte-Factual: Gunbai War Fan Continue Reading
18th April is World Heritage Day or, as it’s officially known, the International Day for Monuments and Sites. To celebrate it, I’ve compiled a list of all the UNESCO World Heritage sites that Lara Croft has visited during her travels. I had originally planned to write a paragraph or two …
World Heritage Day Continue Reading
The last two editions of Arte-Factual dealt with the art and archaeology of the very first Tomb Raider game. In this latest edition, I’ll be writing about one of the many collectable relics Lara comes across in the 2013 reboot: a Ban Chiang vase. We don’t really know how this ancient vase ended …
Arte-Factual: Ban Chiang Pottery Continue Reading
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to study Egyptology at university? If so, check out Gemma Smith’s article about her experiences as a student of Egyptology at Swansea University! This article was originally published on the Independent’s website as part of its 2012 Fresher’s Guide and is …
What’s It Like to Study… Egyptology Continue Reading In his article Romancing the Stones: Archaeology in Popular Cinema, historian Mark A. Hall looks at how archaeology and archaeologists are depicted in popular cinema and considers how the recurring themes of cultural appropriation, cultural imperialism, and emphasis on “treasured objects” create a somewhat skewed and negative view of the …
Article: Romancing the Stones: Archaeology in Popular Cinema Continue Reading
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