3D: Vendel helmets
Bronze Age
1700 BC – 500 BC
Iron Age
500 BC – AD 1100
Viking Age
AD 800 – AD 1100
The iconic Vendel helmets from the rich boat graves in Vendel, Valsgärde, and Ultuna represent the Vendel Period like no other group of artifacts. They belong to the group of Nordic crested helmets, which also occur in the West Mound at Gamla Uppsala, and to which even the Anglo-Saxon ceremonial helmet from Sutton Hoo belongs.
The helmets are characterized by their distinctive brow fittings (“spectacle helmets”) and their crest, which ends on both sides in animal heads. The neck guard consists of iron plate or chain mail. The surface of the helmets is decorated with richly ornamented pressed bronze foils. Vendel helmets are often confused with Viking Age helmets, of which—apart from the Norwegian helmet from Gjermundbu—not a single complete example has survived.
3D-model of Vendel I Helmet, Swedish History Museum/SHM, CC-BY 4.0.
Vendel I Helmet
Original object that was 3D-scanned.
On view at Historiska museet in the exhibition Guldrummet
3D-model of Vendel XIV Helmet, Swedish History Museum/SHM, CC-BY 4.0.
Vendel XIV Helmet
Original object that was 3D-scanned.
On view at Historiska museet in the exhibition Forntider
3D-model of Vendel XII Helmet, Swedish History Museum/SHM, CC-BY 4.0.
Vendel XII Helmet
Original object that was 3D-scanned.
On view at Historiska museet in the exhibition Forntider
Digitisation in 3D
The Swedish History Museum is part of the government agency National Historical Museums. The organisation is constantly working to digitise its collections. One example of this work is the creation of 3D models of some of the museum’s objects.
How is a 3D model made?
A photographer takes a large number of still photos of an object from different angles. These images are then processed by computer software to create a digital version of the object – a 3D model. This technique is called photogrammetry or Structure from Motion (SfM).
In this way, 3D models of objects from the museum’s collections are continuously being created. The models are made available on the platform Sketchfab.com, where you can view, download and freely reuse them under an open licence. Have you used our 3D models to create something you’d like to share with us? Or would you like to get in touch with the department responsible for the 3D models? Feel free to email: bilder@shm.se
