Egyptian Collectables: The Temple Of Karnak

The temple of Karnak is a vast complex that was built over a 1,300 year period and is considered to be the largest temple ever built by man. While originally started to honor the god Amun, it was expanded over time to include many smaller temples.
There are three main temples dedicated to Mut, Montu and Amun, which are enclosed by enormous brick walls. The main complex, The Temple of Amun, is located in the center of the complex. The Temple of Monthu is to the north of the Temple of Amun, while the Temple of Mut is to the south. There are also smaller temples dedicated to Khonsu, Opet, Ptah and Osiris Hek-Djet.
Inside the Great Temple of Amun is the Hypostyle hall. The hall is considered to be one of the world’s greatest architectural masterpieces. Construction began during the reign of Ramesses I, who was the king that founded the Nineteenth Dynasty. While Ramesses I was king for only one year, the work continued under Seti I. Construction was then passed on and completed by Seti I’s son, Ramesses II.
The walls, ceilings and columns are painted with the natural earth tones. The hall ceiling was 82 feet high and was supported by 12 papyrus columns. The columns are made of sandstone and set in two rows of six. Each row is flanked on either side by 7 rows of columns that are 42 feet high. The reliefs throughout the hall contain symbols of Creation. The reliefs in the northern half are from the time period of Seti I and are obviously better done than those completed under his son Ramesses II, which are located in the southern half. While not as detailed, Ramesses II’s reliefs are cut much deeper than those of Seti’s, which gives a much more dramatic light and shadow effect.
The outer walls of the Hypostyle Hall are covered with scenes of battle. Over time, the scenes have lost their color and the outlines of the scenes have been blurred by the centuries of wind and sun. It is unclear whether the scenes of battle are based on historical fact or of ritual significance. It is thought that when the battle details are very precise, real events are most likely involved. Seti’s battles take place in Lebanon, southern Palestine and Syria. The southern walls of Ramesses II have hieroglyphic texts which actually record details of the Hittite king and Ramesses II signing a peace treaty in the twenty-first year of Ramesses reign. This is the first evidence found for a formal diplomatic agreement and is certainly historical.
Leaving the hypostyle hall, there is a narrow court where there once stood several obelisks. One of the obelisks was erected by Tuthmosis I, who was the father of Hatshepsut. This obelisk stands 70 feet tall and weighs about 143 tons. During the centuries between Tuthmosis I and Ramesses VI, it was common practice to dismantle older structures and reuse the pieces for new temples and buildings. Amazingly, this obelisk was never touched. The original inscription was left in place however two kings did add their inscription on either side of the original.
Beyond this obelisk is the only remaining Obelisk of Hatshepsut. It is 97 feet high and weighs approximately 320 tons. Hatshepsut was a woman who considered herself a Pharaoh, thus challenging the tradition of male kingship. After her death, her name and memory suffered systematic obliteration.
The top of Hatshepsut’s obelisk was visible for 50 miles. The pink granite for the obelisk was quarried at Aswan, which is located several hundred miles south of Karnak. The stone was moved several miles over to the river and shipped down to Thebes. The setting of the stone is shown on reliefs as the pharaoh raising it with a single rope tied to its upper extremity. This is most probably symbolic, but may have been done this way with several hundred workers pulling together.
Tuthmosis III was Hatshepsut’s successor. When he came to power, he constructed a high wall around her obelisk. This wall hid the lower two-thirds but left the upper towering above. It has been thought that this was an easier and cheaper way of destroying her memory than actually tearing it down and removing it.

Hammerfall – Social Rpg Games Taking Off

Social RPG games like Hammerfall are taking the Internet by storm. There are many reasons why this phenomenon is taking place on the Internet. Let’s take a quick look at which such games are taking off.

Reason #1: Great game play.

Everyone who has ever played an RPG game before knows that such games can be highly addictive. The level of addictiveness depends on the quality of the game play. Usually, you start by choosing a special character. This character will belong to a particular race, and will have certain attributes. For example, your character may have enhanced stamina, or it may have great magical abilities. In the Hammerfall game, your character will have health, energy, power, stamina, and toughness points.

As the game progresses, the plot and story of the game slowly unfolds. You take on quest after quest. And if the adventure is exciting and interesting enough, you find yourself glued to your computer, as you are completely drawn into the fantasy world.

Reason #2: Rise of the social networks.

RPG games have been successful for years. When you purchase an RPG game, you will be able to log on to a game server and play the game with other players online. The game server hosts the virtual world. There are regularly updates that add more items to the game, and to fix bugs.

However, in the last couple of years, gaming has evolved to something different. First of all, many RPG games, including Hammerfall, come free. Secondly, instead of being hosted on a game server, you can interact with other players online using a social networking platform like MySpace.

Social networking platforms allow developers to create third party games and applications, and host it on the platform for the benefit of all members of the community. For instance, as long as you are a member of MySpace, you can access the applications and games for free. That is the spirit of social networking – everyone shares.

The open platform allows enterprising developers to come up with their own games, and place it in front of millions of members.

Reason #3: Viral effect.

The social community can be fussy at times. If the community doesn’t like a game or an application, the application dies a quick and natural death. But if there is a killer game or application, word spreads around very quickly across the Internet. That is just the nature of social networks.

Every member has a network of friends. If one friend invites another friend to join the game, that’s one more person learning about the game. And if the game is really good, this process continues indefinitely, and games like Hammerfall can ride on the viral effect and grow and grow.

To learn more about RPG games, play Hammerfall and try it out for yourself. Take a look at the map. That’s a good place to start.

The Rising Popularity of Poker Games

Poker is really fun game to play and a lot of people reading this will agree. There are thousands of poker parties happening all over the country every weekend between old friends, office colleagues and even neighbors. These games are all in harmless fun. There are also the hardcore professional players who play at all the large casinos and make it their job to win. Both types of players have a lot of fun playing a game of poker, even though they maintain a poker face.

Looking at the popularity (and profitability) of poker, it was only a matter of time before it became an online phenomenon. Online Poker games are extremely popular and there are multiple reasons behind that. The main reason being the ability to play anytime, anywhere. The whole process is automated and completely secure, making it probably safer than even a real life casino. You cannot be physically robbed, you do not have to wear fancy clothes, you can eat and drink whatever you want and you do not have to pay for hotel rooms. You still get all the features of a high-class casino when you play online poker.

From beginners to high rollers, everyone can play at these websites. Of course, unlike other casino games, you do not play directly on these websites. Instead, you have to download a software client that allows you to securely log in, choose your table and start playing. These clients are usually available for both Macs and PCs, so you do not have to worry about whether it will be compatible with your system. Anyone who has played online Multi-player games will be familiar with playing through a client.

What the client does is securely connect you with the game servers and other players. It also makes for a safer playing environment than a browser. It is built to give you the best experience possible with complete peace of mind.

There are some websites that give you bonus balance when you sign up for them. It is their way of saying thank you when you choose to join them over their competition. Some will pay your $20; others will pay you $80 or $100. There are some websites however that will pay you hundreds of dollars to join. These are of course bonus credits with which you have to play. If you win games, the money is yours to keep in most cases. It means you can try them out for almost free without worrying about breaking your bank or credit card.

When looking for a good place for online poker, you have to look at many features like reputation, payment options, countries supported, etc. One of the easier of ways of doing this research is to go to an online casino aggregator site. These sites do all the searching around for you and present you with lists of online casinos. You can then sort through these lists for the payout type or the game that you want and choose the website you like most.

Postal Stamps From the Beginning

When you send a piece of mail, you have to attach postal stamps to show that you have paid the appropriate amount of postage for the size and weight of the envelope or package. The first such stamps to be used in the world were in the United Kingdom and Ireland. They were introduced to the postal system on May 1, 1840. Prior to this introduction it was the recipient of the mail that had to pay the postage when they received it. This made it easier to send mail when it was paid for by the sender and was a way of making sure that all mail was delivered.

The first stamp used for postage was called the Penny Black and the second one that went into service was the Two Pence Blue. Both of these stamps displayed a picture of Queen Victoria, the reigning monarch at the time. These first stamps were not perforated and had to be cut apart. They had to be affixed to the mail with glue because they did not contain the same type of backing as the stamps of today do. Since the UK was the only country in the world to use stamps, there was no need to have the name of the country printed on the stamps. This practice remains in force today with the United Kingdom being the only country in the world that does not have a country name on its postage stamps.

Quite after this introduction, other countries of the world began instituting the same type of practice for their postal services. The Canton of Zurich was the next stamp to be introduced. Unlike the British system of allowing the Penny Black to be sufficient postage for mail anywhere within the United Kingdom, in Zurich the cost of mail depended on the distance it had to travel. It was cheaper to send mail of the same size to a nearer community than one farther away, even though both locations were in the same country.

The first official postage stamps were introduced in the United States in 1847. Prior to this date, there were some postmasters who did have their own postage stamps to show that the postage had already been paid. The first US stamps were in denominations of five and ten cents and depicted portraits of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.

Throughout the century and a half since the first stamp was used, there have been many different stamp designs. Not all are square or rectangular in shape and many are collectors?items because of mistakes that have been made in the printing process.  The first self-adhesive stamps in the world were those of Sierra Leone and the Congo. These stamps were in the shape of fruit. The stamp of Bhutan contains a disc that plays the national anthem of the country.

Depending on the type of mail you send, there are different types of stamps for you to use. Sending mail by air requires an airmail stamp and if you want to get the mail to its destination within a few days, express mail stamps will help you do this. These are more expensive than the stamps for everyday use.

Saltwater Aquariums From A-z: Purchasing an Aquarium

There are a million different types of aquariums on the market, and with the number of choices available and the fact that there is no guaranteed formula for success for creating a saltwater aquarium it can be very difficult for individuals to choose which type of aquarium they should purchase. There are a number of factors which should be considered before the would be biologist ever sets foot inside a pet store.
The first is size. As trite as it may sound an aquarium is a definite example of a time when size matters. The size of the aquarium must be sufficient to hold the types and number of fish which the owner intends to place inside. Just as you would never attempt to place a large goldfish inside a small bowl neither should you attempt to place a large saltwater fish in a small aquarium. This is particularly true if you are attempting to add a small carnivore, such as one of the smaller breeds of shark, to your home. These predators need space to swim or they will slowly make themselves mad and perhaps even perish from the confinement (a bit melodramatic and Victorian, but true nonetheless).
There are several options for size when it comes to aquariums, and a good pet shop should be able to help advise consumers as to which size would best suit their needs.
Another consideration is materials. Glass and acrylic are the two choices most widely available on the market at the moment. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Glass is by far the more popular of the two due to the fact that it is less likely to scratch, allowing the sides to maintain their clarity. It is also considerably less expensive, an important consideration as it can cost a great deal of money to establish a saltwater aquarium and every advantage should be taken. Finally, the nature of the silicone sealant used in glass aquariums allows the tank to expand more readily when water is added.
Acrylic tanks come with their own advantages. There is almost no limit to the shape and size that an acrylic tank can take, allowing for a greater amount of creativity in tank design. It is also considerably more durable than glass, an important consideration if the aquarium is going to be displayed in a public place or if the owner has small children. Where a small bump may crack or otherwise damage a glass tank acrylic tanks are made of hardier stuff. It is also easier to adjust the filtration options on an acrylic tank, as it is not necessary to have the number of special tools available that are necessary to cut glass.
Whether acrylic or glass the would-be saltwater aquarium owner will probably have the option to purchase a pre-drilled tank to prevent overflow, giving the tank a much smoother appearance than the antiquated but still popular “hang on the back” method.
Buying an aquarium can be a tricky business; however, the truth of the matter is that as long as the ecosystem is properly designed and the tank cleaned thoroughly prior to use there is no right or wrong choice. It is all a matter of personal preference.