{"id":26980,"date":"2020-07-14T17:30:48","date_gmt":"2020-07-14T16:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsblogsnew.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=26980"},"modified":"2020-07-14T17:30:48","modified_gmt":"2020-07-14T16:30:48","slug":"take-a-tour-of-scotland-in-3d-courtesy-of-hes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=26980","title":{"rendered":"Take a Tour of Scotland in 3D, courtesy of HES"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Anyone can immerse themselves in Scotland\u2019s history from home by exploring the interactive 3D models of towers, tombs, brochs and standing stones from Historic Environment Scotland (HES).<\/h3>\n

image: HES website<\/em><\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) writes:<\/p>\n

Did you know that you can visit a broch whilst riding the bus? Clamber into a cairn without leaving your couch? Marvel at a standing stone without having to stand up?<\/p>\n

Using\u00a0our digital models on Sketchfab<\/a>, you can immerse yourself in Scotland\u2019s historic places from anywhere in the world, all from your computer or phone.<\/p>\n

Ready to take a virtual tour?<\/p>\n

Dun Carloway<\/h2>\n

From laser scanning to drones, our 3D models are created using a wide range of ever-evolving digital technologies.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0one process called photogrammetry<\/a>, hundreds of overlapping photographs are taken of a site or object. They are then converted into 3D by specialist software. So it\u2019s fitting that our virtual tour starts at one of most photogenic spots in the Hebrides!<\/p>\n

Dun Carloway<\/a> has stood upon a rocky mound on the Isle of Lewis since\u00a0about\u00a0200 BC. It\u2019s one over 500 stone structures called brochs, which are only found in Scotland.<\/p>\n

Smailholm Tower<\/h2>\n

This\u00a0fortified tower house near Kelso<\/a>\u00a0was once owned by the family of Sir Walter Scott. The great writer played here as a child and used the ancient tower as inspiration for his stories.<\/p>\n

Smailholm commands a stunning hilltop position with views across the Borders countryside extending into England \u2013 on a clear day you can see the turrets of Bamburgh Castle.<\/p>\n

\n

The Dwarfie Stane<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Sticking with Scott, let\u2019s head north all the way to a curious spot on Hoy, Orkney.\u00a0The Dwarfie Stane<\/a>\u00a0is an enormous block of stone, hollowed out to form a chamber and two cells. It was once a prehistoric tomb.<\/p>\n

Walter Scott uses the Dwarfie Stone as a setting in his novel\u00a0The Pirate.<\/em>\u00a0According to Scott, it is home to a dwarf called Trollid. The\u00a0Orkneyinga Saga<\/i>\u00a0talks of another dwarf-like occupant by the name of Snorro.<\/p>\n

We can\u2019t promise any digital dwarfs, but you can virtually crawl into the middle of the Stane below, plus there\u2019s\u00a0loads more virtual visits to Orkney\u2019s prehistoric sites<\/a>\u00a0to be made.<\/p>\n

\n

Robert the Bruce\u2019s Tomb<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Next up, a time-travelling trip to\u00a0Dunfermline Abbey<\/a>\u00a0and the final resting place of Robert the Bruce,\u00a0\u00a0King of Scots from 1306 to 1329.<\/p>\n

Bruce\u2019s grand marble tomb was lost during the Reformation, meaning nobody had a clear idea of what it might have looked like. That was until 1818, when\u00a0fragments of gilded stone belonging to it were found.<\/p>\n

Our Sketchfab reconstruction is based on those finds. It was created in 2014 to mark the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn.<\/p>\n

\n

Bar Hill Fort<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Antonine Wall<\/a>, Scotland\u2019s Roman frontier, was built on the orders of Emperor Antoninus Pius around 140 AD. Running for 37 miles, it connected the Forth and the Clyde, with several forts along the way.<\/p>\n

This 3D model imagines what one of these forts might have looked like in its heyday. You can explore the Commander\u2019s house, barracks, bath house (and latrines!) and imagine what life was like for a Roman solider along the wall.<\/p>\n

A treasure trove of items was found in the well at Bar Hill Fort.\u00a0We made Sketchfab models of many of them<\/a>, helping us to understand more about\u00a0Roman life here.<\/p>\n

The Maiden Stone<\/h2>\n

Three metres tall and\u00a0probably carved some time after AD 700, the Maiden Stone is\u00a0one of Scotland\u2019s finest Pictish standing stones<\/a>. Beasts, centaurs and sea monsters can all be seen etched into it\u2019s pinkish granite.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s plenty of folklore surrounding the stone. Our favourite is the story of a local girl who is said to have\u00a0made a bet with the Devil<\/a>. When the young maiden lost the bet and tried to flee, the Devil caught her and turned her into stone.<\/p>\n

Read more….<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anyone can immerse themselves in Scotland\u2019s history from home by exploring the interactive 3D models of towers, tombs, brochs and standing stones from Historic Environment Scotland (HES). image: HES website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sector-newsblog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26980"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26982,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26980\/revisions\/26982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}