My trip to Leiden
So this week I made a trip to Leiden in the Netherlands as part of my “Queen’s Garden Relief Project“. The first day I visited the Faculty of Archaeology and the second day I was at the Rijksmuseum von Oudheden, where I scanned a particular piece of the larger Ashurbanipal Banquet Scene…
The faculty of Archaeology in Leiden

The first day I went to the Faculty of Archaeology (yes, not a department or an institute, it is a faculty) in Leiden. They are located in a (I think) only 10 year old building and occupy several floors. It is a very open building and in my opinion very student-friendly. In the cafeteria part of the building some students were playing the piano, others were studying. The walls in the building are painted with profiles from Dutch excavations and I was told that students use them to practise their drawing skills.
The faculty is a bit outside the centre of Leiden, but it’s not too bad. I walked there in 15 minutes, but if I had cycled (like everyone else in the Netherlands) it would have been five minutes. I was really impressed by the building and the offices inside. It has a very nice atmosphere and the people were super friendly.
The Rijksmuseum von Oudheden

On the second day, however, I started work at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (National Museum of Antiquities), where I scanned a particular piece of a larger relief from the North Palace in Nineveh. This piece shows a pomegranate tree and it was really beautiful. The staff were really nice and showed me around. I had a small room where I could set up my equipment and so I started photographing.
As before, I took some Structure-from-Motion and RTI images. But I also scanned the piece with a handheld 3D scanner. As far as I can see, the scans turned out quite well and will soon be incorporated into my project. If all goes well, I may be able to publish everything this year. However, I will be scanning some more pieces in a fortnight’s time when I am back in London.
My trip to Leiden itself
Leiden itself is really nice. It is a small but very lively city with lots and lots of bicycles. As in Amsterdam, you really have to watch out for them, because they will not watch out for you. Anyway, I had a great trip through the city, which is very friendly and lively. Leiden has some nice pubs, bakeries and parks. I even went to the weekly market, where you could buy cheese, fish and other things. I also went to the exhibition at the Rijksmuseum of Oudheden to see the West Asia section, but it was rather small.
I have to say that I have become a fan of the city and will definitely return. And there are many reasons for this. More or less regularly, the Faculty of Archaeology organises “The Interactive Pasts Conference“, a conference on archaeogaming, and I think I heard a rumour that this year will be one too. So maybe I’ll see you there? I know some of you reading this will be there 😉