Welcome guest! I trust that the desert winds did not tire you too much?

What is this place? Why, this humble abode is the Lost Desert Museum! Here you can find all there is to know about the Lost Desert, view all the treasures that have so far been discovered, and learn all about the actual influences taken from Anicent Egypt.

As a special honour to you, I, the wonderful Princescia, will be your host today! So what are you waiting for? Let our journey into the past begin! :)

The Ancient Egyptians believed that the Great Guardians took care of them and helped them flourish, so they took them very seriously. Below are some of the Guardians as Neopets:

Anubis
Anubis was the Guardian of Embalming, represented by a man with the head of a jackal. He was the guardian of embalmers, helping to prepare the Pharaoh's body for the mummification process.

Hathor
Hathor (as modelled by this delightful Kau) was the Guardian of Love, Beauty, Marriage and Childbirth, represented by a woman wearing cow's horns. She was known to take the form of a cow, and so cows and bulls were important in Ancient Egypt.

Set (Seth)
Set was known as the Guardian of Storms, Destruction and Evil. He is represented by a man wearing the head of an unknown animal - maybe a crocodile? As he is famous in Egyptian mythology for doing away with his brother Osiris, whenever anything went wrong, the Ancient Egyptians normally attributed their grievances to his wrath :P

Bastet
Bastet was the Guardian of Cats and also of the Sun, normally portrayed as a beautiful woman with a feline head. Cats were highly valuable and revered animals in Ancient Egypt.

Petpets as Egyptian Guardians

Khonsu
Khonsu is believed to have been the Guardian of the Moon, Health, Time and Knowledge. He's normally portrayed as a man wearing a lunar disk and the head of a hawk, but the Neopets version is pretty cute too, don't you think? :)

Horus
Horus, the falcon Guardian, Guardian of the Sky, Kingship and also sometimes also as the Guardian of the Blind (in a mythical battle he went blind but still managed to defeat enemies, after which he got his eyes back).

Geb
Geb was known as the Guardian of the Earth, one of the most important Guardians in Ancient Egypt. He was normally represented as a man wearing a white crown or a goose. Geb laid an egg, which became the sun. Earthquakes were said to be the laughter of Geb.

Sutekh
Sutekh was another name for the evil Guardian Set - not surprising that this little fellow's in such a bad mood, eh? :P

Wadjet
Wadjet, the Snake Guardian, had many roles, including peaceful protector of children and of the Pharaoh (which is why Pharaohs had her symbol on their crowns), and as Guardian of Time and Heaven. She was represented as a woman with the head of a cobra.

Khnum
Khnum is known as the Guardian of Creation and Water. Legend says that he created the Guardians and then created mankind on a potter's wheel. He was represented as a man with a ram's head. On Neopets, Khnum is portrayed as a Sphinx (see Historical Sites).

Selket
Selket was the Guardian of the Scorpions and Magic. She is represented as a woman with a Scorpion on her head.

The Ancient Egyptians were very materialistic, and they wanted to have all their personal possessions with them forever. While a lot of the Lost Desert items on Neopets aren't authentic (Coltzan Lunchbox anyone? :P), here are a few items that have actually been found in tombs:

Ankh
The Ankh is a symbol of life - literally. Egyptian Guardians and Pharaohs were normally depicted carrying them, and they were often placed in the mummy wrappings of royalty.

The Crook and Flail (a.k.a. Lost Desert Dual Ankh)
The Crook and Flail were sceptres carried by the pharaohs on ceremonial occasions - emblems of the Guardian Osiris, who was the first Pharaoh on earth.

Scarab
The scarab was by far the most important amulet you could own in Ancient Egypt. They were often inscribed with the names of Guardians, Pharaohs, religious and magical names or mottos.

Papyrus Scrolls
Ancient Egyptians used paper made from the papyrus plant to write on. Some very, very old papyrus scrolls have been discovered in tombs, detailing criminal records and even ancient court trials!

Canopic Jar
Canopic Jars were used to store the major organs of the body after they were removed from the mummy during the embalming process. Each canopic jar had a different statuette carved onto the lid to protect the organs. This jar, which has the head of a dog, held the stomach.

Funerary Mask
A funerary masks was placed over the mummy as a finishing touch. The most famous funerary mask still surviving to this day is that of Tutankhamun, the boy king.



Of course, as a huge Lost Desert fan, I love all that merchandise stuff anyway, so here are a few of my favourite non-authentic Lost Desert items:

Surprisingly, the weapons of the Ancient Egyptians, who were some of the earliest fighters in history, have survived till today. Popular weapons of choice used by the Pharaoh's armies include bows and arrows, daggers, broad swords, battle hatchets/axes, scimitars and slingshots. These were used by the Pharaoh's armies to keep invaders from neighbouring countries away.

While introducing the Lost Desert Fruit Machine, Neopets introduced a range of desert fruits, which soon spread to lots of other desert foods. Although it's highly unlikely that these actually exist :P, they're still pretty amusing, no? :) Some of the desert fruit probably does have basis in actual fruit we know today though - here's a selection of my favourite Lost Desert foods:

Cairo (Memphis)
When compared with an actual map of Egypt, the modern-day capital of Cairo would be located somewhere around where the Tug-o-War Tent sits (see map above). Further up is Memphis, which is where The Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx are located.

The Pyramids of Giza were built in the Fourth Dynasty (2600 B.C.) by the Pharaohs Khufu, Khafra and Menkaura, who worshiped the Sun Guardian Re. It is believed that the pyramids may have represented eternal shafts of sunlight/the mythical mound of creation, and recent research findings have shown that the pyramids were positioned to align with the stars.

The Great Pyramid of Khufu was built by the great builder Imhotep, who was so revered that he eventually came to be known as a Builder Guardian in his own right.

*Side Note: Poor Imhotep was grossly misrepresented when his name was used in the 1999 film The Mummy as the name of the show's evil villain Priest Imhotep.*

The Sphinx, an alabaster statue weighing 80 tons, sits at the site of the Great Temple of Ptah in Cairo. It was built by Pharaoh Aha (the first Pharaoh of Dynasty One) in 3000 B.C. at Memphis, which was the capital of the Old Kingdom (2575 - 2150 B.C.), where Cairo is now.

Obelisk
Obelisks (like the one at Coltzan's Shrine) were erected in pairs in the courtyards of temples in Ancient Egypt. The Egyptians believed strongly in the power of the sun's rays. They positioned the obelisks in the temple courtyards such that the obelisks were directly in the sun's path, so that when the sun rose/set, its rays hit the gold-tipped pinacle of the obelisk and bounced deep within to the shrine or temple behind it.

Temples in Ancient Egypt were built not just to honour the Guardians, but also great rulers of the past. As the Pharaohs were regarded as sons of the Guardians, people also asked them to grant wishes, just like the way we visit Coltzan everyday hoping for stuff :P

Sakhmet City
You must be wondering how Sakhmet Palace fits in, with it's more Arabian architechture that looks like it comes straight from Aladdin, rather than Ancient Egypt. Here's your answer: Egypt today is a country of mixed cultures, and modern-day Cairo does boast buildings that look just like the Sakhmet City portrayed in the Lost Desert Plot.

On top of all the other Egyptian influences that I've picked up on Neopets, there are still some more subtle influences named after real Egyptian figures in history that are fun to highlight:

Cheops Plant
The Cheops Plant on Neopets is actually named after Pharaoh Khufu (see Historical Sites), whose Greek name was "Cheops". I'm not sure that Khufu would have liked to be named after a plant, but apparently he was a nasty tyrant, so tough luck :P

Peopatra
The Neopets character Peopatra is derived from the most famous (and most sensationalised) Egyptian Queen, Cleopatra VII. Of course, Cleopatra was nothing like kind-hearted, petpet-loving Peopatra we know. Cleopatra ran her country into the ground by wasting all of Egypt's money on building monuments to herself, while her people were poor and starving :(

Ptolymelon
The Ptolymelon is named after Pharaoh Ptolemy I, a Macedonian conqueror who took over power and started the very last dynasty of Ancient Egypt (Cleopatra was his descendent).

Tut Trout
The Tut Trout is very obviously named after Tutankhamun, the boy king whose funerary treasures are world famous. In case you're wondering why Neopets uses a lot of blue and yellow in the Lost Desert images, the reason is simple. Above all other precious metals, Egyptians loved to use Gold and the deep blue gemstone known as Lapis Lazuli to decorate their objects.

Sakhmet City
Even Sakhmet City is derived from another name - Sekhmet, the Guardian of surgery and healing, as well as a Sun Guardian - "the Eye of Ra". Sekhmet was depicted as a woman with the head of a lion.

Our Owner - Concertina226
Connie (as she prefers to be called) is a whacky 20-year-old who has 101 interests. An avid reader with a passion for writing, she is particularly obsessed about Ancient History (particularly Ancient Egypt), Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and various other fantasy books/films/tv series. Connie is also a web designer who loves making userlookups and guild layouts for her friends.

Princescia
I, the wonderful Princescia, am a Royal Uni. Did you know that we Uni's are a combination of the Horse, the Pegasus and the Unicorn? Having gotten the best bits from all 3 creatures, it's no wonder I'm so Fabulous! *tosses mane haughtily*

I was born a red Uni, which was nice, but I got a bit tired of it. Then one day, Mummy found a Cloud Paint Brush while walking around Neopia. I didn't really fancy being a cloud but I really liked the Striped Paint Brush so Mummy sold the Cloud Paint Brush and got it for me. I was so proud! I couldn't stop looking in the mirror :)

I stayed as a Striped Uni for about 2 years, but of course, with a name like Princescia, I was obviously destined for royalty, so when the new Royal Paint Brush came along it was only a matter of time before I was restored to my full grandeur! *poses for the cameras and smiles*

Arenthina
This is my younger sister Arenthina (pronounced Aa-ren-thee-nah). She's a Christmas Zafara, 15 days younger than me. Arry's name is dirived from that of a Greek Goddess - cool ay?

Arry and I fight a lot because Arenthina's more of a tomboy compared to me. She eats almost anything, which makes Mummy happy, while I'm more picky about my food (so sue me, if the food's not nice I'm not gonna eat it!). Arry's helping Mummy earn secret avatars right now so she doesn't really have a PetPet, but I've heard tell that she likes Buzzers. Arry was born Blue but we all fell in love with the Christmas Zafara look so Mummy got the Christmas Paint Brush for Arry 2 Christmasses ago - doesn't she look like a little angel? Awwwww... :)

Prince_Khyriz
My little brother Prince_Khyriz (pronounced Prince Ki-riz) is the newest addition to our family. Mummy's always liked Aishas so when she finally decided to get one Arry and I were so excited! Prince_Khyriz is named after a brave feline prince from Mummy's favourite science fiction series StarBridge by A.C. Crispin (I highly approve the name).

Prince_Khyriz may be little, but he already likes battling and managed to defeat 6 snowbeasts in the Hannah and the Ice Caves war - we're so proud of him! :) Although I think Prince_Khyriz would look much nicer as a Royal Aisha, recently Khyriz finally realised his ambition of becoming a Pirate Aisha. He's currently applying join Garin's crew *shudders*.

If you've enjoyed reading my petpage, why not give me a link with one of these nifty buttons? :)

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Thank you for checking out the Lost Desert Museum, please come again! I also have a Valley of the Kings Gallery that you can visit here.

And in true Egyptian fashion: