[miniatureape]

Reminds me of the account of the macrobians by Herodotus:

> and after this [the Persian spies] saw last of all their receptacles of dead bodies, which are said to be made of crystal in the following manner:—when they have dried the corpse, whether it be after the Egyptian fashion or in some other way, they cover it over completely with plaster 21 and then adorn it with painting, making the figure as far as possible like the living man. After this they put about it a block of crystal hollowed out; for this they dig up in great quantity and it is very easy to work: and the dead body being in the middle of the block is visible through it, but produces no unpleasant smell nor any other effect which is unseemly, and it has all its parts visible like the dead body itself.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrobians

[jihadjihad]

OT wrt. TFA, but per your comment--for anyone who hasn't read Herodotus's Histories, do yourself a favor and pick it up. Great storytelling and thought provoking throughout.