Senusret I and Karnak

Posted Date: 10/27/2020 It was during the Old Kingdom and a breakdown of all central authority that Egypt fell into the chaos of a civil war known as the First Intermediate Period (2181-2040 BC). Egypt’s power rose from the ashes of that turmoil and that was the beginning the Middle Kingdom 2055 – 1650 BC. It is reported that Egypt reached the pinnacle of culture … Continue reading Senusret I and Karnak

My Shadow videos

This is a collection of a few of my personal game play videos. I am currently away on an adventure of my own, so it was difficult to find time and a signal to post this. See ya on the next update! Howl of the Monkey gods Challenge Tomb Path of the Huracan Provenir Oil Fields This is a favorite. The Cenote and the battle … Continue reading My Shadow videos

Foods of the Ancient World

Hi Tomb Raider fans. I have been inspired by a random article by the British Museum blog! It led me to discover a grand classical cookbook as well! We have all seen Lara Croft running through ancient streets pursuing legendary objects. She walks through ancient open markets, courtyards, temples and many other ruins. Ever wonder what the people of the ancient world ate? Would they … Continue reading Foods of the Ancient World

The Crimson Fire/Game-Play

Hi there Tomb Raider fans! It is fitting to thank everyone for all the traffic to the site lately. There has always been a fair amount, but over the last month, there have been thousands of extra visitors! Thanks all for visiting! WARNING: On the off chance, there are still those who have not played the game or finished Shadow of the Tomb Raider; please … Continue reading The Crimson Fire/Game-Play

The Chimu: Chan Chan

I wrote this article on 5/28/2020 in honor of Shadow of the Tomb Raider. However, beacuse it is the 25th anniversary this year, and the subject is Tomb Raider 1996 for February, I decided to feature this article in honor of the 25th anniversary! I also added the anniversary badge to it due to the fact this article also denotes an item found in the … Continue reading The Chimu: Chan Chan

ROTTR -Siberia and Mount Belukha ect pt.1

Original post from: January 19, 2017  re-posted March 31, 2020 When Rise of the Tomb Raider opened, and we saw Lara and Jonah contemplating climbing the pyramid shaped peak ahead of them, it was exciting, yes. However, I was thinking that mountain looked like something I know I have seen before. At least something similar. I am not too sure if the mountain and chain … Continue reading ROTTR -Siberia and Mount Belukha ect pt.1

Exploring the Great Sphinx

January 31, 2020 11:47 am We all remember the Sphinx and several other levels involving the Sphinx in Tomb Raider 4. TR4  is on my list of favourites simply because of my background in Egyptology and how much Egypt is in this game. It was a wonderful romp for our Lara through Egypt’s ancient history and the many archaeological inspirations featured throughout the game. Through … Continue reading Exploring the Great Sphinx

The Macuahuitl From SOTTR

Welcome Tomb Raider fans! In Shadow of the Tomb Raider we see a lot of Trinity guards loyal to the cult of Kukulcan. If you notice the guard in this screenshot from Shadow of the Tomb Raider he is holding an Aztec sword called a Macuahuitl. These are an excellent example of the actual archaeological elements used in this game. Throughout the gameplay we see … Continue reading The Macuahuitl From SOTTR

The Calendar Stone

Here is the actual calendar stone which is Aztec in this case. This is the sunstone, and the Aztec drew their inspiration from the original Maya calendar. The Aztec empire thrived for 176 years and had a broad compass of dominance. Why does the Aztec and Maya Calendars work the same way? Good question. The Aztecs based their calendar on the Maya calendar. They are … Continue reading The Calendar Stone

Explore what the Popol Vuh says about Zipacna, his family & Herucan!

Hi there  Tomb Raider fans! For today’s topic, I shall dive into the Maya mythos again with a few gods from their pantheon. You will recognize several from the DLCs The Grand Caiman and the Pillar. This article will tie in “The Path of Huracan” as well by identifying Huracan in the Popol Vuh. Huracan is aka Heart of Sky and he is also one … Continue reading Explore what the Popol Vuh says about Zipacna, his family & Herucan!

Xquic & The Path Home

When you play the 7th DLC The Path Home, there is another Challenge Tomb called: Mother Protector. This is a story of the creator of the silver box of Ix Chel and the beings that were protecting it, the Yaaxil. Lara follows the path that leads her to the place of the stela, which is in a giant statue that Lara identifies as Xquic. The … Continue reading Xquic & The Path Home

Bird Whistles & Chimu

  I have always been fascinated with bird sounds. I can remember going on trips with my parents when very young and smiling when I heard them signing in the background in any of our family adventures. This of course extended into my adult life, and makes me take pictures like a twitcher A slang name for bird watcher. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider … Continue reading Bird Whistles & Chimu

The Tumi Knife

Naylamp and the Tumi In History Let’s start with what we know about its beginning, that is avery good place to start. Do, re, mi … In all seriousness yes, let’s begin. … Later, the Sican were defeated and absorbed you might say into the Chimu culture where the Chimu adopted the Sican myth of Naylamp and other cultural traditions. During the takeover the Chimu … Continue reading The Tumi Knife

The Artful Influences of SOTTR Pt. 2: The Stela

  As you play through the Paititi area of SOTTR you will notice this stela. As you can see the one pictured in the game bares a strong resemblance to Stela “A” or 18 Rabbit. There are other stela of 18Rabbit, but this one is the closest to the one in the game. Though the name is unusual, it is the name of a famous … Continue reading The Artful Influences of SOTTR Pt. 2: The Stela

The Artful Influences of SOTTR Pt. 1

The Artful influences of Shadow of the Tomb Raider Written by Emma aka Okh Eshivar 11/07/2018 When you play through the game Shadow of the Tomb Raider you will notice many pre-Columbian influences. They are everywhere. Mostly in the same representation in little groups or separately, however, with these items in place in the game, it is easy to understand they did research the style … Continue reading The Artful Influences of SOTTR Pt. 1

Artifacts of SOTTR: The Urpu Jar of the Incas

Out of the many beautiful items created by the Inca the Spaniards were primarily interested in the gold and silver they held. Textiles and ceramics held no interest on their mission to horde as much gold from the Inca world as they could with little or no interest in nonviolent interaction. The Inca made these Urpu jars in a wide range of sizes from small … Continue reading Artifacts of SOTTR: The Urpu Jar of the Incas

The Artifacts of SOTTR: Patolli and Llama Canopa

Hi there Tomb Raider fans. I will bounce in the future between Maya and Inca as well as other South American and Mesoamerican cultures on my article updates because of the cultural influences and locations of the game. That aside let’s explore some artefacts from Shadow of the Tomb Raider. One being Peruvian and the other being Mesoamerican. If you have played the recent release … Continue reading The Artifacts of SOTTR: Patolli and Llama Canopa

Shadow of the Tomb Raider: El Mirador

There are some spoilers ahead … Something I find interesting about the new game trailer for Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the Maya Pyramids in the distance. Thus I wrote this speculative piece based off the trailer. We know that recent discoveries in the Guatemalan Peten rainforest have uncovered a cavalcade of Maya temples and cities that in their heyday millions of people dwelled. … Continue reading Shadow of the Tomb Raider: El Mirador