Burial Urn
This specific burial urn is from the Spong Hill, which is the site of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery. This urn was found in a grave with another smaller urn, and most likely had cremated remains of a human within it. Cremation was a very popular way to bury loved ones during the Anglo-Saxon period, and to do so you needed something to put the cremated remains in. Most people opted for clay urns, as clay was easy to get and more straightforward to work with than other materials. The remains within the urns varied a lot from culture to culture. Some urns had the remains of one person, two people, an old and a young person, animal remains, or animal remains mixed with human remains. There is no clear distinction nor is there concrete statistical evidence that provides a correlation between the remains within the urns. This can be denoted that each culture has their own way of burial and their own Pagan tradition that they follow.
I chose to recreate my object virtually, using a 3D Photogrammetric software. Photogrammetry is the process of creating 3D objects from photographs of an object. I took from a pool of about 130+ images of the object, and narrowed them down to 100 photos. I then took these and added them into the software, and it was able to make the model that you see above. The 3D recreation turned out beautifully, as the photos used were very well taken. However, it did take a while to get the hang of the software. At first it was very complicated to use, but as I got more used to how it works, I was able to get a better grasp of how the software works.
One insight that I was able to gain from this experience is that although this recreation is a great model of the original object, what it fails to show is the materiality and the process of making the object physically. From making it physically, one would be able to gain a better insight into how the object was made, and how the materials of the object make it the way it is. From this it would be easier to infer aspects of the culture that made the original object. I feel like these are the biggest factors when studying an object, however the virtual model does provide some substance. As it is a 100% recreation of the object, and it is easier to look at, warp, and analyze than just looking at the photos of it. When manipulating it, you can see the markings and the shape of the model better, which one can infer various aspects of the craftsmanship of the object. However, making and holding a recreation of an object just provides more insight than a digital model.
