CC-96769, -96770 and -96771, "The Nimrud Lenses"

From: jonnyx@…
Date: Sat Mar 18, 2006 5:52 pm
Subject: The Castaigne collection - The Nimrud Lenses

English language summary of original German documents recovered during Operation SUMMER BREEZE (May-June, 1945). Translation notes are indicated in [brackets]. Scans of the original German documents may be made available upon request and if deemed necessary.

Begin summary::

CASTAIGNE COLLECTION ITEMS #96769, #96770 and #96771

The Nimrud Lenses

Three ground and polished convex lenses mounted in etched silver-alloy rings or retaining bands, part of a larger set recovered during the 19th century.

The lenses are composed of a type of quartz known as "morion", which is characterized by a translucent dark-brown to opaque black coloring. All three lenses possess numerous tiny inclusions resembling flecks of mica or possibly gold.

The lens designated item #96769 is 256mm [10.1"] in diameter and 67mm [2.6"] at its thickest. It weighs approximately 6.3kg [13.9 pounds]. It is a transparent brown in color, more closely resembling smoky quartz than morion.

The lens designated item #96770 is 130mm [5.1"] in diameter and 36mm [1.4"] at its thickest. It weighs approximately 0.85kg [30 ounces, or 1.85 pounds]. It is a much darker brown color than the larger lens and is translucent. It displays a strong whitish diasterism when illuminated from behind.

[A diasterism is an optical effect that appears to be on or just under the surface of a smooth, non-faceted gem. In this case, the effect is described as a star-like formation composed of light. The star has six long, thin and evenly-spaced spoke-like rays emanating from its center; the entire formation moves across the surface of the lens when it is rotated.]

The lens designated item #96771 is 64mm [2.5"] in diameter and 18mm [0.7"] at its thickest. It weighs approximately 0.1kg [3.5 ounces, or just under a quarter pound]. It is an almost opaque black in color, and displays a pronounced golden chatoyancy ["Cat's Eye"] effect.

The silver-alloy ring mounts are etched with tiny figures of winged and feathered serpents, lamia, and claw-footed women, typical of Neo-Assyrian period art. The bands can be loosened and tightened (or removed entirely) via twin adjustment screws and a slide mechanism. The composition of the silver alloy, as well as the intricacy and tooling of the screws and slide mechanisms, is far too advanced for the Neo-Assyrian civilization; it is difficult to imagine how the lens mounts could be manufactured without access to modern German tools and techniques.


These objects were originally recovered by British archaeologist Sir Austen Henry Layard in 1851. They were found in the palace complex of Priest/King Ashur-nasir-pal II (884-859 BC, Neo-Assyrian Empire) in the city of Nimrud, known also as Kalakh, Kalhu and Kalkhu, and as Calah in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The ruins of Nimrud lie on the banks of the Tigris River and cover an area of roughly 40 square km [16 square miles]; they are located some 30km [18.5 miles] southeast of the modern city of Mosul, known in Arabic as Al Mawsil. Mosul and Nimrud stand on opposite sides of the vast ruins of Nineveh, also historically known as Kuyunjik and Kuyuncik.

[End part one of seven.]


Re: [dglist] The Castaigne Collection

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On 11/10/2007 2:43 PM, Leif Hassell spaketh'd unto us thusly:

I've just finished annotating the Wiki entry for the Castaigne Collection ( I noticed that some of the entries seem unfinished, particularly the Nimrud Lenses entry, which claims to be part 1 of seven.


Yeah, I had a neat idea for three linked short scenarios - Golden Dawn era, Our Darkest Hour (WWII) and modern DG - involving Serpent People, the King in Yellow tarot from DG:Countdown, Nazis (living and undead), PISCES and vague Cult of Transcendence references, with the action bouncing between Iraq, London and NYC.

Then I made the mistake of doing some detailed background research, and it all kinda mutated. And grew. Lots. Kinda like Tetsuo at the end of "Akira". I dug up some really cool factoids and tidbits (IMO) that by sheer coincidence dovetail beautifully into DG canon, but got really sidetracked in the process. Now I have yet another Big Unfinished Mess(tm)(c).

Anyway, here's a little more on the lenses:

Individuals who know what they are doing can use the lenses to communicate with each other, aurally and perhaps visually, irrespective of distance; you can carry on a conversation with someone on the other side of the galaxy as easily as with someone sitting across a table from you in a coffee shop.

Also, certain grimoires obtained (looted) by the Ahnenerbe/Karotechia describe how combining the lenses - and there are more than three - in certain ways can create what appears to be a beam or energy weapon of some sort, one of great destructive power. Hence the Nazi interest in the lens on display in the British Museum.

Notes concerning the British Museum lens mention occasional faint tones or sounds that seem to emanate from it, as well as what was described as a strong electrical discharge during it's initial examination and categorization.

There's lots more, but I don't want to give it all away in case I ever get the rest of the material into some sort of coherent and usable form.

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