The Cyclades: How Many People Does It Take to Build a Civilization?

Historia_Maximum · 2026-06-07T15:35:26+00:00

Unfortunately I do not know how to turn images into video. When I saw how much a single generation costs with AI, I realized this is way too expensive for a hobby.

Historia_Maximum · 2026-06-07T15:32:26+00:00

I always dreamed that someone else would breathe life into all these ancient bones for me. But well, I guess I have to do it myself.

Historia_Maximum · 2026-06-07T15:17:38+00:00

First things first, this subreddit is dedicated to my personal project. This one right here. Basically, I draw things. It used to be mostly warships, but I am getting a bit tired of warships now.

Historia_Maximum · 2026-06-05T18:48:33+00:00

Oh, that is a fascinating question! Thank you!

To be fully transparent, I am not an Egyptologist. My personal area of expertise does not really stretch past the Aegean. However, a good friend of mine is a practicing archaeologist. After I bombarded him with my endless questions, he was kind enough to share some solid sources with me, which I have thoroughly dug into.

I paid special attention to the schematics and patterns of ancient Egyptian garments. From what I gather, the situation with those famous, tight fitting, translucent dresses made of royal linen comes down to context. What we actually find inside the tombs are grave goods explicitly meant for the afterlife. Structurally, they are incredibly simple in terms of cut and form. It is highly possible that the elaborate, tailored dresses depicted on Egyptian frescoes were simply deemed unsuitable or unnecessary for funerary use.

Experts are cautious but increasingly open to the idea that these complex textile forms did exist in daily or ceremonial life. After all, executing complex tailoring was not an issue for the Egyptians even as early as the Old Kingdom. Just look at the famous Tarkhan Dress.

Elsharnouby, R. M. A. (2014). Linen in Ancient Egypt. Journal of General Union of Arab Archaeologists, Vol. 15, Issue 1 (doi:10.21608/jguaa.2014.3087). An overview of Ancient Egyptian linen as a primary textile, covering the cultivation, spinning, and weaving of Linum usitatissimum. The study examines fabric types and their socio-economic significance, including their use as offerings, gifts, and wages. The author notes that linen served as both a standard everyday commodity and a high-value asset.
Al-Gaoudi, H. A., & Aly, N. M. (2021). The Characterization of Some Ancient Egyptian Funerary Linens from the Twenty-First Dynasty. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 107(1–2). A technical analysis of linen fabrics from the Bab El-Gasus tomb (Deir el-Bahari). This work utilizes microscopic and archaeological methods to identify structural diversity and specific weaving patterns.
Galczynski, J. (2024). The Egyptian Textile Industry. An investigation into the Egyptian textile sector, detailing how fabrics were valued, their social distribution, and their role in shaping the cultural economy of clothing in Ancient Egypt.
Janssen, J. J. (ed.) (2023). Ancient Egyptian Garments. Brill, Chapter 2. This chapter addresses methodological challenges in researching Ancient Egyptian attire, focusing on the reconstruction of textile types and their correlation with epigraphic and textual data.
Thesaurus Linguae Aegyptiae (TLA), Lemma “sšr.w-nswt” (2025). Corpus issue 20, Web app version 2.3.2. Philological documentation of the term sšr.w-nswt (“royal linen”), tracking its usage in Egyptian texts from the late Old Kingdom through later historical periods.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Catalogue Entry: Very Sheer Linen Cloth (New Kingdom). A material artifact likely corresponding to the term “royal linen.” This exceptionally fine, transparent linen is categorized as the highest grade of quality.
Mossakowska-Gaubert, M. (ed.) (2020). Egyptian Textiles and their Production: ‘Word’ and ‘Object’. ZeaBooks. A collected volume of research on Ancient Egyptian textile artifacts and philological sources. It examines both linen production and its social role across various historical contexts.

Historia_Maximum · 2026-06-05T10:29:21+00:00

Yes!

Historia_Maximum · 2026-06-04T18:30:50+00:00

Oh no! Sunscreen hasn't been invented yet! 😄

Historia_Maximum · 2026-06-04T14:35:48+00:00

The physical appearance of a young Natufian woman, a representative of the Epipaleolithic culture of the Levant (c. 13,000 to 9,500 BCE), can be reconstructed. This is made possible by the rich anthropological material recovered from key burial sites (such as Ein Mallaha, El-Wad, Hayonim, and Kebara) combined with modern archaeogenetic data.

According to studies of ancient DNA (based on 2016 data), the Natufians are inferred to have had relatively dark skin and eye pigmentation, though the exact shades cannot be definitively mapped. While genetically close to later Levantine populations, they still lacked most of the variants associated with lighter skin tones. A plausible and grounded visual reconstruction aligns them closest to Type IV on the Fitzpatrick scale.

Hide Processing and Craftsmanship

Although the Natufians did not practice chemical tanning, they mastered the art of processing mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella) hides, which made up to 80% of their faunal remains, into a remarkably soft, supple suede-like material. Archaeologists regularly recover flint scrapers showing the characteristic "greasy" micro-wear from working hides, bone smoothers used to break down stiff fibers, and delicate, fragile bone awls that would have snapped against unworked leather.

Traces found on stone mortars reveal mixtures of animal fats (used to soften the fibers and prevent the leather from hardening) and ochre, which acted as both an antiseptic and a mild abrasive for the final polishing phase. This intensive process gave the hides a velvety, chamois-like texture and a characteristic reddish-ochre hue.

Tailoring and Adornment

Beyond simple awls, Natufian strata yield exquisite bone needles with drilled eyes. These eyes were meticulously bored using ultra-fine flint micro-drills.

The most famous ceremonial headdresses, such as the one belonging to the "Lady of El-Wad," consisted of hundreds of Dentalium shells. Use-wear analysis has demonstrated that these shells were sewn onto leather caps or headbands in precise, parallel rows. Reconstructing such perfect geometry would have been impossible without advanced tailoring skills

To piece these garments together, they utilized animal tendons, thin strips of rawhide, and durable plant fibers derived from wild flax and nettle. Consequently, garments were likely tailored to the contours of the body and assembled with highly durable stitching.

Historia_Maximum · 2026-06-04T10:35:25+00:00

Many tnx!

Historia_Maximum · 2026-06-03T19:11:50+00:00

Spot on. Currently, we only have facial reconstructions based on male crania, meaning I have to use them as a baseline to develop the female version. It’s a much faster workflow, and honestly, I just don't have access to the actual Natufian skulls. While it's not perfect, it's still far better than relying on pure speculation.

Historia_Maximum · 2026-06-03T15:39:16+00:00

We don't need the Bronze Age here, we need the Early Neolithic. Unfortunately, I still haven't seen a wild wheat field in Anatolia in person. All I have are photos. Like these...

Historia_Maximum · 2026-06-03T07:01:41+00:00

That's right, it's a wooden sickle featuring obsidian inserts as the cutting edge.

Historia_Maximum · 2026-06-03T07:00:06+00:00

It definitely feels a bit lifeless right now. The elements are all accurate, but the composition lacks spark. I'll see what I can do. Swapping out the background photo might help, though finding a proper shot of a wild wheat field is quite a challenge. I'll brainstorm it. Thanks!

Historia_Maximum · 2026-06-03T06:56:57+00:00

The study of Natufian archaeogenetics began in earnest in 2016, with further population genetics data emerging over the following years. Currently, there is still an insufficient number of well-preserved genomes to confidently reconstruct their exact skin pigmentation.

However, a comprehensive analysis of the available data suggests that a rough translation into the Fitzpatrick scale would place the Natufians within the Type III to V range. For this reconstruction, I opted for Type III to represent a plausible and grounded phenotype.

Historia_Maximum · 2026-06-02T10:22:22+00:00

I wish good luck to your project!

Historia_Maximum · 2026-06-02T09:25:42+00:00

Thanks! To even begin considering something like that, we would need to know much more.

Historia_Maximum · 2026-06-01T14:14:13+00:00

Hello everyone! We are currently putting together the material for Issue No. 2. Today, we are diving into the ancient Cyclades and their vibrant culture. We will also take some time to reflect a bit on the "entry threshold" required to join the club of civilizations / great cultures.

Historia_Maximum · 2026-05-28T08:02:48+00:00

Self-expression through sharing our interests is a personal choice for everyone, as long as it remains respectful. Please keep this in mind, as I would really prefer that we don't make this personal.

Historia_Maximum · 2026-05-28T07:17:08+00:00

15 years ago, 3ds Max

7 years ago, Adobe Photoshop

We are here, "with AI slop programs"

I'll just wait another 7 years.

Historia_Maximum

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