Sunday, November 20, 2016

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris


Lara Croft, famed explorer, thought she would be first to arrive at the temple, but up-and-coming archaeologist Carter Bell beat her to the entrance. They each hoped to find the mythical Staff of Osiris, but they discovered more than they bargained for.


The Temple was a prison for Horus and Isis, the last of the old gods not bound to Set. Seeing the Staff, Carter removed it from a mechanism, setting off the trap meant to keep Horus and Isis imprisoned. Lara and Carter now find themselves marked for death. Horus and Isis, freed from thousands of years in prison and in possession of the staff, promise Carter and Lara they will help them resurrect Osiris, the only god capable of saving Lara and Carter from judgement, and the only power that can hope to defeat Set. With a common goal of finding the fragments of Osiris, and stopping the return of Set, the companions form an alliance.


As they fight their way across the sands, they must face gods and monsters of myth and legend driven mad and controlled by Set. At stake is the fate of the world, as Set marshals his powers in order to return and reclaim his throne in the world of the living, with an army of the dead behind him. Set knows the prophecy has come, intent on remaking the world in his own image, a nightmare of storms and death.

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In the comic style introductory video we see Carter Bell beating Lara to the Staff of Osiris that has been hidden in the pyramid for thousands of years. As he grabs it, he inadvertently frees the evil god Set, who had been imprisoned in Duat, the ancient Egyptian netherworld. Lara and Carter get the Mark of Ammit
impressed on their hands; they are now marked for death by Ammit, the soul eater, who devours the soul of the sinners.


But together with Set Horus and Isis are reawakened who had been tasked with keeping Set locked up. Together all four enter the tomb in order to stop Set and his minions from taking over the world and bringing eternal darkness, all while being hunted by Ammit.


As the player takes over the characters, they have to wander deeper into the tomb. As this is a training tomb, they first learn how to use their gear. Lara or Carter, aka the mortals or the adventurers, have to fire up the Torch and set light to two Braziers to raise two blocks from the ground. Then Isis/Horus, aka the two ancient gods or the Egyptians, need to use the Staff of Osiris to close a Set's Mark in order to open the next door. After that the player learns about pressure plates and has to shoot a giant Rotating Eye.


Meanwhile Set raises the first of his undead Skeletons that attack Lara and her companions. Another column, covered in ancient blue glowing glyphs, called Glyph of Osiris, can be raised with the help of the Staff of Osiris. Now the mortals learn how to use their grapple to climb steep walls and getting other players across, while the Egyptians can use their Shield to get other players to higher ground. But all of them can use Bombs to destroy the following Arrow Traps.


Soon after the travellers can collect the first ring. Unlike all the other Rings and Amulets in the game, which are hidden inside Treasure Chests, this one lies on the ground and can simply be picked up. This way the player can start to modify his or her skills.


Crumbling bridges and a Sun Ball puzzle follow. Soon after the players find the Iron Fire Flail amulet. Finally the voyagers have to escape a chasing Ammit across crumbling arches littered with traps.

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Saturday, November 19, 2016

Egypt Pyramids - Secret Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom

Egypt Pyramids - Secret Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom

The mysterious Egypt pyramids are the most studied structures ever built. They tell a story of the past and future with it's mathematical accuracy and synchronicity of events using the stars and constellations embedded within the design.

Terminologies in Egyptian Architecture

Terminologies in Egyptian Architecture

List of terms covering in this hub are. Mastaba, Stepped pyramid, Obelisks , Serdab, Battered Walls, Pylon towers, Propylon , Pyramids, Covetto , Cornices, Lotus , papyrus palm and other capitals , Hathor headed, Osirian column , Hypostyle halls, courts, vast processional axes ( Dromos) , Sphinx, Syrinx , Uraeus, Hieroglyphs, Pyramidia, Trabeation, Stylobates, Stelae, Mammisis, Benben, Pyramidion, Egyptian sun temples, Sarcophagus, False door The ancient Egyptians built pyramids as tombs for thepharaohs and their queens.

ART--NEW KINGDOM (1550–1070 B.C.E .)

Lady in Waiting: detail of a limestone relief representing a festive gathering, in the tomb of the vizier Ramose at Thebes, New Kingdom, XVIIIth Dynasty, approx. 1400-1362 B.C.E.



Dancers and Flutists, with an Egyptian hieroglyphic story, 1420-1375 B.C.E.

“The Ancient Egyptian noble, Ramose was Governor of Thebes and Vizier under both Amenhotep III and Akhenaton. He was one of the earliest public figures to convert to Atenism.

His tomb is located in the Sheikh Abd el-Qurna – part of the Theban Necropolis, on the west bank of the Nile, opposite to Luxor, and is notable for the high quality decorations in both the traditional and Amarna styles.”


The New Kingdom is recognized as a period of great artistic horizon, with art and architecture evolving in three separate and quite distinct eras; the Tuthmossid Period, from the start of the New Kingdom (1550 B.C.E.) to the end of the reign of AMENHOTEP III (1353 B.C.E.), the ’ AMARNA Period (1353–1335 B.C.E.), and the Ramessid Period (1307–1070 B.C.E.).

ART TUTHMOSSID PERIOD
With the expulsion of the Hyksos and the reunification of Upper and Lower Egypt, the pharaohs of the Eighteenth Dynasty, called the Tuthmossids, began elaborate rebuild- ing programs in order to reflect the spirit of the new age. Sculpture in the round and painting bore traces of Middle Kingdom standards while exhibiting innovations such as polychromatics and the application of a simplified cubic form. Osiride figures, depictions of OSIRIS or of royal personages assuming the deity’s divine attire of this time, were discovered at DEIR EL - BAHRI in THEBES and are of painted limestone, with blue eyebrows and beards and red or yellow skin tones. Such color was even used on black granite statues in some instances. Cubic forms popular in the era are evidenced by the statues of the chief steward SENENMUT and Princess NEFERU - RÉ , his charge, encased in granite cubes. These stark forms are nonetheless touching portraits, enhanced by hieroglyphs that interpret their rank, relationship, and affection for one another. Other statues, such as one fashioned in granite as a portrait of TUTHMOSIS III (r. 1479–1425 B.C.E.) demonstrated both the cubist and polychromatic styles.

Sculpture was one aspect of New Kingdom art where innovations were forged freely. In painting, artists adhered to the canon set in earlier eras but incorporated changes in their work. Egypt’s military successes, which resulted in an empire and made vassals of many Mediterranean nations, were commemorated in pictorial narratives of battles or in processions of tribute-bearers from other lands. A grace and quiet elegance permeated the works, a sureness born out of prosperity and success. The surviving tomb paintings of the era display banquets and other trappings of power, while the figures are softer, almost lyrical. The reign of AMENHOTEP III (r. 1391–1353 B.C.E.) brought this new style of art to its greatest heights. ’

AMARNA
The city of Akhetaten at ’ AMARNA was erected by AKHENATEN (r. 1353–1335 B.C.E.) in honor of the god ATEN , and it became the source of an artistic revolution that upset many of the old conventions. The rigid grandeur of the earlier periods was abandoned in favor of a more naturalistic style. Royal personages were no longer made to appear remote or godlike. In many scenes, in fact, Akhenaten and his queen, NEFERTITI , are depicted as a loving couple surrounded by their offspring. Physical deformities are frankly portrayed, or possibly imposed upon the figures, and the royal household is painted with protruding bellies, enlarged heads, and peculiar limbs.

The famed painted bust of Nefertiti, however, demonstrates a mastery that was also reflected in the magnificent pastoral scenes adorning the palace. Only fragments remain, but they provide a wondrous range of animals, plants, and water scenes that stand unrivaled for anatomical sureness, color, and vitality. The palaces and temples of ’Amarna were destroyed in later reigns, by pharaohs such as HOREMHAB (r. 1319–1307 B.C.E.), who razed the site in order to use the materials for personal projects of reign.

RAMESSID PERIOD (1307–1070 B.C.E.)
From the reign of RAMESSES I (1307–1306 B.C.E.) until the end of the New Kingdom, art once again followed the established canon, but the influences from the Tuthmossid and ’Amarna periods were evident. The terminal years of the Twentieth Dynasty brought about a degeneration in artistic achievement, but until that time the Ramessid accomplishments were masterful. RAMESSES II (r. 1290–1224 B.C.E.) embarked upon a building program unrivaled by any previous Egyptian ruler.

Ramesses II and his military units were involved in martial exploits, and the campaign narratives (popu- lar in the reign of Tuthmosis III; r. 1479–1425 B.C.E.) became the dominant subject of temple reliefs once again. Dramatic battle scenes were carved into the temple walls and depicted in the paintings in the royal tombs. Queen NEFERTARI , the consort of Ramesses II, was buried in a tomb that offers stunning glimpses of life on the Nile. The campaign scenes of RAMESSES III (r. 1194–1163 B . C . E .) at MEDINET HABU are of equal merit and are significant because they rank among the major artistic achievements of the Ramessid period.
 


 

 

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Mondoshawan




The Mondoshawan are a race of aliens that are friendly to humans. Standing slightly taller than a Human, the Mondoshawan are quasi-biblical beings that serve as the caretakers of both the Four Elemental Stones (Water, Earth, Fire, Air) and guardians of the Fifth Element. Although little is known of their homeworld or race it can be assumed it is some distance from Earth, remaining relatively secluded from the other races. Little is known of what the Mondoshawan actually look like as they are only seen wearing an impenetrable gold-metallic armour.


At some point in Ancient History, the Mondoshawan visted the Humans "before time was time" and established a Priest to overlook the Fifth Element and the Chamber in Egypt. Evil attempted to destroy the world 5000 years prior to the events of The Fifth Element, possibly multiple times - and perhaps even causing the Moon to form around Earth.


In The Divine Language, the word 'Mondoshawan' translates as 'guardians'.


Earth, 1914
In 1914, prior to the Outbreak of World War I, the Mondoshawan visited Earth, specifically the Chamber in Egypt. Upon arriving they were greeted by the current Priest who ensured them that the stones and Fifth Element were safe, despite an archaeologist and his apprentice investigating the chamber. After rendering the archaeologist unconscious, the Mondoshawan proceeded to extract the stones and Fifth Element. When the priest asked why the Mondoshawan were taking Earth's only defense against Evil, the Leader replied "War is coming, stones not safe on Earth anymore". The Leader (distinguished by the large spikes on his armour) was unfortunately shot at by the bewildered apprentice and was sealed in the chamber, but not before passing the Key to the Priest with the command "Pass the knowledge to the next priest as it was passed on to you". The Mondoshawan then left Earth, returning 300 years later.


Sol System, 2214
Returning with the Fifth Element as they had promised, the Mondoshawan made their way to Earth as the Great Evil returned. Unfortunately, Mangalores hired by Zorg shot down the Mondoshawan's ship as it passed Jupiter in a vicious attack that left only one survivor, the Fifth Element who was later retrieved by Human Scouts and reanimated back in New York, Earth.


Fate
Although only the Mondoshawan accompanying the Fifth Element and Elemental Stones were seen, it is assumed there are other Mondoshawan. The Mondoshawan are also excellent strategists and back-up planners. Although they failed to safely deliver the Fifth Element to Earth themselves, they did separate the Fifth Element from the Elemental Stones, preventing the loss of them all.