Exploring the archaeology, myths, locations, cultures, and art of Tomb Raider.
Life has been a little hectic recently. So earlier this month, I decided to treat myself to a copy of the official Tomb Raider colouring book as a way to channel my creativity and let off some steam. The book was published by Dark Horse Comics and released back in February 2019, and it is …
Review: Official ‘Tomb Raider’ Colouring Book Continue Reading
In the mobile adventure Lara Croft: Relic Run, gamers have the chance to collect a number of South-East Asian artefacts in the game’s Jungle Temple level. One of these is the Golden Trident, a religious symbol commonly associated with the Hindu god Shiva. The Golden Trident is better known by its Sanskrit name trishula, which means “three spears” …
Arte-Factual: Golden Trident Continue Reading
One of the two relics Lara discovers amongst the ruins of Midas’ Palace in Tomb Raider: Anniversary is the griffin-head protome, a bronze decorative piece that she correctly surmises was once fitted onto an Ancient Greek cauldron or drinking vessel. What Lara’s declaration doesn’t tell us is where such an artefact would have been produced …
Arte-Factual: Griffin-Head Protome Continue Reading
It recently came to my attention that I still hadn’t written any articles about the Core Design classic Tomb Raider 3, despite having launched this site almost two years ago. So it’s time to set that right. Tomb Raider 3 introduced new vehicles and a less linear globe-trotting adventure but it also featured some stunning …
Arte-Factual: Apsaras, the Celestial Dancers of Hindu Myth Continue Reading
When I first played Tomb Raider 1 back in 1996, I never realized how many real-life Pre-Columbian artefacts could be spotted throughout the Peru sections of the game. Some of these were already familiar to me – such as the Chimú bird carving – as I had done some research on Peruvian art and archaeology …
Arte-Factual: Aztec Maize Goddess Continue Reading
If you’ve been visiting our Facebook page recently, you may have seen some photos of an Ancient Egyptian-themed Tomb Raider model. This beautiful work of art was created by Jean Michel Thery and since he doesn’t have his own blog or website, I offered to share his photos on this blog. Jean Michel was born …
Photo Gallery: Jean Michel Thery’s Tomb Raider Models 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 Buddhist art. It was once …
Arte-Factual: Buddhist Symbols of Barkhang Monastery (Part 2) 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 Tomb Raider 2 sparked my …
Arte-Factual: Buddhist Symbols of Barkhang Monastery (Part 1) Continue Reading
In the last edition of Arte-Factual, I looked at the Toltec Atlantes pillars that could be found in and around Qualopec’s tomb in the original Tomb Raider. In this edition, I will re-visit Qualopec’s tomb and examine another Pre-Columbian motif that can be seen on the walls of the fictional Atlantean king’s tomb: that of a Chimú bird …
Arte-Factual: Chimú Bird Carving Continue Reading
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