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Recording a Bronze Age arrowhead for a modern heritage award
The Commission
I was recommended by the University of Glasgow to undertake a specialist photogrammetric survey for East Kilbride Archery Club. The club wanted a detailed 3D model of a broken Bronze Age barbed-and-tanged arrowhead, which could be reproduced as a trophy for a proposed club heritage award.
The original artefact was only around 3 cm long, with extremely fine edges and delicate features. I had just a few hours of access to the object at Kelvingrove's museum stores, making it important to plan the recording carefully and capture everything I needed in a single visit.
Recording a Difficult Object
The arrowhead was one of the most challenging objects I have attempted to record using photogrammetry. Its small size, thin edges and complex shape made it difficult to capture consistently, particularly using my existing equipment.
Despite these limitations, I successfully produced a detailed 3D model more than suitable for the club's intended use. The experience also highlighted where improvements to my recording setup would make the greatest difference. I have since upgraded parts of my equipment and refined my methodology, and would now expect to complete a comparable survey considerably more efficiently and accurately.
From Scan to Trophy
The finished model was used to produce replica arrowhead trophies for the club's heritage award. Although I can still identify small imperfections in the reconstruction, the club was very pleased with the result, and the finished trophies came out particularly well.
This project was a useful opportunity to push my photogrammetry skills towards much smaller and more intricate objects, while demonstrating how archaeological recording techniques can be applied to create something meaningful for a local community organisation.
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