specterthief:

pippenpaddlopsicopolisthethird:

pippenpaddlopsicopolisthethird:

I’m looking through powerpoint templates for a class presentation and was absolutely blown away by this one. I don’t care what the topic is supposed to be, all of my future powerpoints have to have the Wizard

ALT

transparent gay rights wizard for all your transparent gay rights wizard needs

this seemed obligatory

(via lesser-sage-of-stars)

artifacts-and-arthropods:

2,300-Year-Old Saddle Blanket from the Altai Mountains of Siberia: this saddle cover was preserved in the frozen barrows of Pazyryk for more than two millennia

This elaborate saddle blanket dates back to about 400-300 BCE. It was discovered in the Pazyryk barrows, located in the Altai mountains of Siberia, where it had been preserved in the permafrost for more than 2,000 years. It’s made of felt, leather, horsehair, and gold foil.

Above: the appliqués at the center of the saddle blanket

The central design features two identical appliqués, each depicting an ibex being pinned down by a griffin.

Above: close-up of the appliqués

The sides of the saddle cover are also decorated with circular pendants made of felt; each of these pendants is trimmed with leather, encircled by tufts of horsehair, and embroidered with a stylized depiction of a ram’s-head. A pair of horned tigers can also be seen at the base of each pendant.

Above: the pendants that hang from each side of the saddle cover

This artifact is attributed to the Altaic nomads of Siberia, who formed part of the larger group of cultures that are collectively known as the Scythians (or Scytho-Siberian peoples).

According to the Hermitage Museum:

Saddles used by the ancient Altaic nomads differ from those used today. They had no wooden base and consisted of two leather cushions filled with reindeer and horse hair and sewn together on one side. Felt saddle covers were traditionally decorated with scenes showing a beast of prey tearing to pieces a herbivorous animal. 

The Scythians were among the first cultures to begin using horses as mounts, and they invented one of the earliest forms of saddle. They were extremely skilled and accomplished riders, and their early mastery of mounted warfare enabled them to gain control over vast sections of Eurasia. That dynamic led to the development of a very noticeable “horse culture,” with horses playing a critical role in many different aspects of Scythian life (and afterlife):

The horse was an essential part of Scythian life and was the most important and multipurpose animal used by the nomads. Initially, the Scythians reared large herds of horses mainly for their milk and hides, but eventually were among the first people to harness the horse as a mount.

By the 7th century BCE, the Scythians were already master horsemen and controlled a vast corridor of land that stretched across southern Siberia, from the Black Sea to the fringes of northern China. This expanse of land was greater than the Achaemenid Persian Empire, which the Scythians outlasted.

The Scythians produced many horse-related artifacts that have been discovered at sites throughout Eurasia, but this saddle cover is one of the most elaborate and most well-preserved examples of that tradition.

Above: the saddle cover from Pazyryk

Two other artifacts from Pazyryk have previously been featured on my blog – a 2,300-year-old plush bird and an elaborate horse headdress.

Sources & More Info:

• Hermitage Museum: Saddle Cover
• World Archaeology: Do the Clothes Make the Horse? Roles, Statuses, and Identities in the Pazyryk World
• University of Washington: Artifacts from Southern Siberia/Pazyryk
• Expedition: The Textiles from Pazyryk (PDF)
• Cambridge University Press: The Origins of Saddles and Riding Technology in East Asia
• Routledge: Pazyryk Culture Up in the Altai
• University of Leicester: At Home, with the Good Horses (PDF) (this is a really great paper)

(via lesser-sage-of-stars)

movementnudge:

Movement nudge! Just do something!

X

Not gonna lie. Everytime I see her face on my insta feed, I immediately get up and do something. She has me trained.

(via thebibliosphere)

despazito:

Greeting scrunge

(via dedalvs)

mollyjames:

thwrangis:

has anyone ever actually seen a shareholder or are we just supposed to believe they actually exist

I did once when I was working in a coffee shop. He was on a business call loudly talking about some tech speculation. When I asked him how it went a few days later, he panicked and asked how I knew such sensitive information. From this I gather they are of weak constitution, and startle easily

(via lesser-sage-of-stars)

digitaldiscipline:

kittydesade:

thevagueambition:

recently came across some plates and bowls that would be perfect for a children’s hospital

ONE

SINGLE

JOKE

(via vaspider)

bebx:

(via vaspider)

homunculus-argument:

Ways to make everyone instantly uncomfortable: If someone casually mentions some apparently commonly known fact that you hadn’t heard of before, you can always say “oh, that’s a real thing? I thought that it was just a porn trope.”

dogpuppy:

(via vaspider)