Okay, fine:

In 2007 a copper age burial was found. One of the items discovered there was a 5,000 year old ivory handled crystal dagger. It would quickly become one of the most epic ancient artifacts ever discovered.

Here I have done a drawing of what the full dagger would have looked like based on other daggers of the style from the time.

This dagger was 22 cm (8.6 inches) long. The napped blade bring just 12 mm thick which is remarkable for the length of the crystal blade.

This was the start of the Copper Age and knapping was on the decline at the time. Given the level of skill needed to craft such a blade this invites the possibility that it is older than the burial of which it was part.

There are no local sources for the crystal that was used for the blade. It had to come from some distance away hinting at ancient trade routes. This is also true of the ostrich eggs and elephant tusk that were found in the tomb. Those had to have come from across the Mediterranean.

This dagger was found in the possession of a woman. She has been dubbed “The Ivory Lady." But it wasn’t her dagger. About 80 years after she died people re-entered the tomb and placed the dagger and other artifacts with her.

This indicates that she had so grand a reputation that even five generations later people still revered her. A remarkable feat for a woman who was no older than 25 at the time of her death.

Micron 005 & 02 on A5 paper.

I’d like to do more long form posts combined with original art. <Redacted, asked for donations>