Exploring the archaeology, myths, locations, cultures, and art of Tomb Raider.
Over the years, April Fool’s pranks have become a fun way for journalists and archaeologists to keep their readers on their toes on April 1st. Whether they publish fictitious articles that claim Noah’s Ark or the Holy Grail have finally been found or perpetrate elaborate hoaxes that fool even the savviest of anthropologists, there’s certainly no …
The 5 Best Archaeological Pranks and Hoaxes Continue Reading
It’s been a while since I last wrote about one of Tomb Raider 2013’s collectable relics and since it’s been a year since the game was released, what better time to examine one of the ancient coins that Lara finds inside the Cliffside Bunker on Yamatai? The 100 mon coin, …
Arte-Factual: 100 Mon Coin Continue Reading
It seems that everyone is going crazy for Katy Perry’s latest music video, Dark Horse, which presents a very colourful, if somewhat inaccurate view of Ancient Egypt. So I thought I’d jump on the latest “Egyptomania” bandwagon and look at a famous sculpture that can be seen in the Tomb …
Arte-Factual: The Dendera Zodiac Continue Reading
Tomb Raider Chronicles was possibly my least favourite game of the Tomb Raider series. It may have had fewer glitches and better controls than its ill-received successor Angel of Darkness but it offered little new in terms of game-play aside from a couple of new moves. Its short, episodic nature …
Arte-Factual: The Mouth of Truth Continue Reading
Time for another edition of Arte-Factual! This time around, we’ll be returning to Barkhang Monastery to look at some of the other Buddhist symbols that can be found throughout the fictional monastery. The Wheel, or “Dharmachakra”: The Buddhist wheel, or dharmachakra, is one of the oldest and most recognisable motifs in …
Arte-Factual: Buddhist Symbols of Barkhang Monastery (Part 2) Continue Reading
Time for another blast from the past as we return once again to the original 1996 Tomb Raider for this new edition of Arte-Factual! If you’ve ever played the original game, you may have noticed that the game developers drew inspiration from real-life artworks and artefacts, such as the Toltec pillars …
Arte-Factual: Minoan Dolphin Fresco Continue Reading
Taking some time out from writing about the Tomb Raider series to share some of the photos I took at the Tutankhamun: His Tomb and Treasures exhibition in Brussels back in June 2011. All of the items shown below are replicas of the grave goods and coffins that Howard Carter and his …
Photo Gallery: Tutankhamun: His Tomb and Treasures Continue Reading
Tomb Raider 2: The Dagger of Xian is – and might always will be – my favourite Tomb Raider game. And if you’ve known me for some time, you’ll probably also know that my interest in archaeology and ancient civilisations predates the Tomb Raider franchise. But did you know that …
Arte-Factual: Buddhist Symbols of Barkhang Monastery (Part 1) Continue Reading
In her article “Why You Should Learn a Dead Language”, academic Josephine Livingstone argues that there is still some value in learning dead (or extinct) languages such as Latin, Old English, and Sanskrit as they allow us access to a vast body of ancient literature and can even make it …
Why Study a Dead Language? Continue Reading
In the previous edition of Arte-Factual, I wrote about the Metal Inrō from Tomb Raider (2013) and explained how these portable cases were used in pre-modern Japan. This time I’ll be taking a look at an iconic Egyptian artefact: Tutankhamun’s Anubis shrine. The artefact in question appears in The Times …
Arte-Factual: Anubis Shrine Continue Reading
It’s been a while since I last wrote about an artefact from Tomb Raider 2013. So without further ado, it’s time to examine one of the many collectable items hidden throughout the Shanty Town: the Metal Inrō. Inrō are small cases that were once used by Japanese men and women …
Arte-Factual: Metal Inrō Continue Reading
In the last edition of Arte-Factual, I wrote about the Gayer-Anderson cat statue and its virtual counterpart seen in the original Tomb Raider. This time around, I will be looking at an artefact that depicts one of my favourite feathered friends: the Athenian Owl Figurine. The Athenian Owl Figure is one …
Arte-Factual: Athenian Owl Figurine Continue Reading
In the last edition of Lara’s Travels, we looked at the real and in-game Tomb of Semerkhet in Egypt. This time, we will be leaving the scorching deserts of Egypt behind us and will be turning our attention to a remote, volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean: Jan Mayen. Lara …
Lara’s Travels: Jan Mayen Island Continue Reading
Yesterday was World Cat Day so I thought I’d celebrate it by writing a post about one of the most recognisable artefacts seen in the original Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider Gold: Unfinished Business, the Gayer-Anderson cat statue. A replica of this famous and beloved statue could be found in the …
Arte-Factual: Egyptian Cat Statue Continue Reading
“All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.” How often have we seen these words appear on the big screen, on TV, or in print? But oddly enough, there was one occasion where the resemblance to a fictional character …
Jean-Yves Empereur: A Career in Ruins Continue Reading
In Tomb Raider 2013, Lara and the rest of the Endurance crew set out to look for the lost kingdom of Yamatai and its mysterious queen, Himiko. In reality, Japanese archaeologists have known the possible location of Himiko’s tomb for a few years now. A group of researchers were allowed …
The Hunt for Himiko: Will Archaeologists Ever Excavate the Hashihaka Tomb? Continue Reading
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