Netheravon Cremation Urn pieced together and rendered in 3D

Wessex Archaeology’s Graphics Team has created a video which records the drawing of the Netheravon Cremation Urn. The Urn is an unusually large Early Bronze Age vessel, which was found in Netheravon, Wiltshire on MOD land.

Tom Theed of Landmarc, re-united with the unusually large Early Bronze Age cremation urn that he
 and his team found on a burial mound at Netheravon [Credit: Wessex Archaeology]

It was discovered due to badgers digging in the area which had unearthed pieces of the vessel. Subsequently excavation was undertaken by Wessex Archaeology in conjunction with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and Operation Nightingale, which recovered a number of other objects including a copper chisel with an intact decorated bone handle, an archer’s wrist guard and cremated human bone. The Urn was put back together at the Wiltshire County Conservation lab.

Drawing finds is important as the illustrations provide a record of the object for specialists to use. The video clearly shows that the drawing of finds requires great attention to detail and is a very thorough process.

Another way the graphics team has recorded the urn is via a 3D reconstruction using photogrammetry software. The entire object was photographed many times so that there was a 360 degree photographic record.

Netheravon collared urn (Early Bronze Age) by Wessex Archaeology on Sketchfab

Photogrammetry software then aligned the photographs by distinguishing key points to creat a mesh model of the object. The software was then able to calculate the texture and surface of the Urn and attached the photographs to the mesh model, thereby creating a 3D reconstruction.

Once Wessex Archaeology’s specialists have finished with the Urn it will be returned to the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes.

Author: Rachel Brown | Source: Wessex Archaeology [October 05, 2016]