3D Imaging as a Public Engagement Tool: Investigating an Ox Cranium Used in Target Practice at Vindolanda

Abstract

Museums have an ethical code of research and education, and 3D imaging has great potential in helping to achieve some of these objectives by providing accurate replications without barriers to access. Digital and printed models may remove object authenticity, but they do provide direct encounters with heritage and archaeological science whilst preserving the archaeological record. To demonstrate the potential for 3D imaging in archaeology and public engagement, this paper investigated an Ox cranium used for target practice at Vindolanda, Northumberland, UK. Vindolanda is a World Heritage Site on the Frontiers of the Roman Empire, known for its exceptional preservation of artefacts. The trauma type, shaping, impact direction and mortem period were identified, followed by comparisons and physical fits with weaponry used by the military at Vindolanda. The digital and printed models provide effective tools for displaying this evidence within the context of Roman archery to the public. The cranium had evidence of repeated target practice from arrows and potentially lances. The fragmentation of the trauma was angled internally, showing that the arrows were aimed from the front and toward the facial area of the Ox. The high-precision of the archers had separated the lower right portion of the facial area from the rest of the cranium. Several arrowhead sites and two lance head sites overlapped with little additional destruction, showing that some weapons were removed and retargeted. These features provide supporting evidence of individuals in the Roman military at Vindolanda actively participating in high-level archery target practice. The success of this pilot study will be developed to produce 3D models of the crania recovered from Vindolanda for the public to directly interact with this complex, contextual information for deep and effective learning.

Touch wood: luck, protection, power or pleasure? A wooden phallus from Vindolanda Roman fort

“…The wooden phallus has been three-dimensionally scanned by Rhys Williams at Teesside University, as part of a wider scanning programme of objects from Vindolanda. The results reveal useful details, including of the faceted worked surfaces, and permit the extraction of cross sections (on method, see Williams et al 2019: 6–7). Relative surface smoothness, however, is complex to capture.…”

“…The original 3D model was provided by Rhys Williams, Teesside University, and is available to view on Sketchfab at: . The 3D method is described in Williams and colleagues (2019).…”

Heritage and the Archaeology of Afro-Peru: Community Engagement in the Valleys of Nasca

“…Before the pandemic, digital approaches to museography and public archaeology through social media and the use of 3-D images proved effective ways of engaging diverse communities regardless of distance (Bonacchi 2017 ; Williams et al 2019 ). However, we recognize that digital objects produced from the artifacts in our collections are the intellectual property of the descendants of those who produced/owned the original material culture.…”

Integrating Digital Datasets into Public Engagement through ArcGIS StoryMaps

“…Following the multiple perspective model, digital and 3D approaches to cultural heritage can provide opportunities for the public to engage directly with the archaeological record (Williams et al 2019). Multimedia approaches have strong potential for engaging the public in the processes of archaeological data collection, as a topic related to but separate from learning about the data (Baione et al 2018; Pavlidis et al 2017).…”

“…The “multiple perspective model” is an alternative approach that frames the public as central to knowledge generation and relies on the audience to bring their own experience to the table. In doing so, differing audiences would ideally participate in and enjoy the creation of archaeological knowledge through hands-on or interactive engagement (Merriman 2004; Williams et al 2019).…”