Heritage Lost and Gained

2.9.1 The Crosby Garrett Helmet

The Crosby Garrett Helmet is an example where Photogrammetry and AM technology could have combined and would have played an important part in preserving part of the historic local heritage, in this example in Cumbria. It could very well apply to any community anywhere in the World, it was in the replication, even if not full size, of objects that have been found in the local area by residents of the local community. Due to the unique, historical and in many cases monetary value of the objects, the local museum or gallery may not necessarily be able to afford to compete with the World price paid at such an institution as Christie’s when the objects are placed under the auction hammer. Alternatively the object may be deemed too important a find to be housed in the local museum and is moved to a major City museum such as the Victoria & Albert or the British Museum in London. In the worst case scenario, the item, having been sold on the World Market, moves out of the country altogether, depriving not only the local people of their historical cultural heritage but also the Nation.

Such was the case with the Roman Helmet and face mask found in the North West of England, so rare that only two other such helmets have been discovered in the UK. It was found in a field by a treasure hunter with a metal

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detector and became known as ‘The Crosby Garrett Helmet’ (Figures 2.4 and Figure 2.5) [105].

Figure 2.4: Bronze Copper helmet and mask [106].

Named after the village near where it was found, it was discovered in May 2010 in pastureland in the small hamlet near Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, UK. Before it went to auction, a full study and conservation was conducted so at least some form of provenance was established as to its historical and cultural importance [107].

Although well over £1 million was raised through private, public and National Heritage donations, it was sold at a London auction and fetched £2.2 million from an anonymous private phone bidder. After much protest from the public, the anonymous buyer allowed the helmet/mask to be displayed at the Royal Academy exhibition ‘Bronze’7 _{– a prestigious international exhibition, before}

moving for a few months to Carlisle’s Tullie House Museum, Cumbria.

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Figure 2.5:Children look eyeball to eyeball with their cultural history [106]. Finally moving to the British Museum for a further period of display, and it may well have now been taken in to a private collection or out of the country by its owner, forever.

Figure 2.6: Pre cleaned Helmet.

However, the technology was available, and still is, for an attempt to be made for a good geometric replica of the original Roman Helmet, part of our

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cultural heritage, to be fabricated, although not as good as having the original but better than simply a 2D digital image.

Figure 2.7: Helmet after cleaning – as displayed at Christie’s 2010.

The helmet, when found and being made of copper alloy [108], would have had a covering of a dull platina or oxidation from having been in the ground for many centuries (Figure 2.6).

This would have been the ideal time to use the photogrammetric techniques as described in this thesis. The helmet, which now, if it were photographed or 3D scanned, having been cleaned, would present problems from the light reflection or scatter off the cleaned metal surface, as per the cleaned reflective face when it was displayed at Christie’s for the auction (Figure 2.7). As discussed in Chapter 6, if there were any glare, flair or reflective light, then this would cause distortion to the processed photographed digital image. This glare can cause “spikes” to appear on the artifact, as in Geoffrey Mann’s Victorian Candelabra “Shine” [109]. The camera or laser beam cannot distinguish what is surface and what is reflection. These and similar problems are common and have been discussed by the author previously [110].

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2.9.2 Tlingit Community of southeast Alaska, USA

On a larger scale, replication of tribal artifacts for educational purposes using a Konica Vivid 9i laser scanner and a CT scanner, has taken place in America. The Smithsonian Institute has collaborated with the National Museum of Natural History in New York, USA, to replicate sacred objects, with examples shown in Figures 2.8 and 2.98, from the Tlingit Community of southeast Alaska, USA [111]. After one hundred years of petitioning by the Tlingit people, these sacred and ceremonial artifacts were repatriated to their rightful home with the elders of the community.

Through the use of 3D digital technology, and close co-operation between The Tlingit people and Smithsonian Institution, the near perfect physical replicas were made, so that the reproduced artifacts can still be studied and seen by the wider population for both pleasure and education. These artifacts were and still are religious and sacred items still in use by the Tlingit people. By creating the reproductions with minor imperfections, the reproduction artifacts are no longer considered holy by the community and can be used or stored in a museum.

Figure 2.8: The Kéet S’aaxw hat.

This example, which used a much more complex and expensive method than photogrammetry, could have been attempted using the photogrammetry

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techniques as described above, (the scanner sells for about $12K).These examples show the feasibility of preservation, whilst providing security against loss of artifacts and allowing study and educational access to items not normally available to the general public.

Figure 2.9: Kaagwaantaan clan Sea Monster Hat.

The two replicated objects discussed above, representing local and national heritage, are good examples of an artifact that could have been reproduced, (the Roman Helmet), and one that has been reversed engineered by photogrammetry and reproduced using AM technology, (the Hats of the Tlingit people).

2.10 Research Objectives