Digitisation Workshop of IGBO-UKWU bronzes at the National Museum, Lagos
Written by Ogechukwu Elizabeth Okpalanozie, Assistant Director, National Museum, Lagos (Nigeria, ITP 2023) and Ferdinand Saumarez Smith (Director, Factum Foundation, London)
The Igbo-Ukwu bronzes were archaeologically excavated by Prof. Thurstan Shawin 1960‒1964, in the town of Igbo-Ukwu located in South-East Nigeria. The bronzes were found through accidental discovery when a man, Isaiah Anozie, was digging a cistern in his compound. The bronzes were officially excavated in three different sites, later called: Igbo Isaiah, Igbo Richard, and Igbo Jonah by Thurstan Shaw. The bronzes were dated to the 9thcentury; therefore, they are the oldest bronzes in Nigeria. The historical and archaeological importance of the bronzes necessitates their preservation for present and future generations. Today, excavated items are located in the National Museum in Lagos, the University of Ibadan, and the British Museum, but there are no original objects that remain in Igbo-Ukwu.
After many years of lobbying the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) for possession of the original objects without success, a project was developed between the Igbo-Ukwu community, NCMM, the University of Cambridge Archaeology Department, and Factum Foundation for Digital Technology in Preservation to digitise and replicate a selection of bronzes, thereby giving the community local access to the objects.
The digitisation workshop, led by Dr Kingsley Daraojimba from the University of Cambridge, Dr Ferdinand Saumarez Smith and Imran Khan from Factum Foundation, and with participants from the Igbo-Ukwu community, the National Museum, Lagos and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, took place at the National Museum, Lagos in May 2024. It involved a theoretical and practical training in photogrammetry, a technique which gathers 3D information from photographs, using six key Igbo-Ukwu artefacts as the subjects.
The goals of the digitisation project was to enhance conservation of the objects, to produce 3D online models of the bronzes, and to produce facsimiles with a high level of precision. In addition to the workshop, dignitaries from Igbo-Ukwu, including HRH Igwe Alexander Ejikemeuwa Ezeobidike Azike Onedibe, Idu III of Igbo-Ukwu, HRH Lolo Monica Azike, Ocheze III of Igbo-Ukwu, HRH Lolo Bernice Nwakaego Eze, Ocheze II of Igbo-Ukwu, and the President General, Igbo-Ukwu Development Union, Sir Dr Barr. M.C.K Ubahwere present on the first day of the workshop.
The activities of the first day were focused on discussion about the objects, their discovery, Igbo-Ukwu culture and possible future collaborations. The digitisation process started on the second day. Imran Khan and Dr. Ferdinand Saumarez of Factum Foundation taught the participants about photogrammetry and this was practised under their supervision. Each participant took turns to use the camera to take pictures of an Igbo-Ukwu bronze at different angles and specified camera settings.
Initially, it was not easy for the participants, but they learnt the skill as they took many images of the objects. Over 1000 snapshots were taken for each object so as to get overlapping images, for precision during the 3D processing. In the process, participants learnt how to focus on an object before capturing with the camera and avoiding blurry images.
The images produced using photogrammetry can be viewed using the links below:
The workshop was fruitful and beneficial to all the stakeholders.