Ancient Technology

Animal Teeth in a Late Mesolithic Woman’s Grave, Reconstructed as a Rattling Ornament on a Baby Pouch

Riitta Rainio (FI) and
Annemies Tamboer (NL)
EXARC Journal Issue 2018/1
Ancient Technology
10th EAC Leiden 2017
***In one of the Late Mesolithic graves at Skateholm, Sweden, dating from 5500–4800 BC, was buried a woman together with a newborn baby. Altogether 32 perforated wild boar (Sus scrofa) teeth, along with traces of red ochre pigment, were found in this grave. We interpreted these artefacts as a rattling ornament decorating a baby pouch...

Adze-plane, Skeparnon, Multipurpose Adze or Two-handled Adze? Practical Work with an Alleged Predecessor of the Woodworking Plane

Rüdiger Schwarz (DE)
EXARC Journal Issue 2018/1
Ancient Technology
10th EAC Leiden 2017
***This article presents a practical approach to a Graeco-Roman woodworking tool called “ascia-Hobel” in the archaeological literature, respectively “adze-plane” as the corresponding English term. The tool in question consists of an often semi-circular adze-blade attached to a two-handled shaft and seems to be suited both for chopping and...

Batavialand Heritage Park of the Low Lands (NL)

Member of EXARC
Yes

Batavialand is both an indoor museum and a historical shipyard. Here you can see how ships are built and conserved, visit the reconstruction of the 17th century VOC ship the Batavia and find out more about the Dutch role in water management worldwide. There is special attention for the province Flevoland (which includes 450 shipwrecks) and the Zuiderzeeproject.

Batavialand is both an indoor museum and a historical shipyard. Here you can see how ships are built and conserved, visit the reconstruction of the 17th century VOC ship the Batavia and find out more about the Dutch role in water management worldwide...

Reconstruction of the Ancient Greek Long Jump - an Opportunity for Multidisciplinary Collaboration

Hannah Friedman and
Peter J. Miller (US)
EXARC Journal Issue 2017/3
Ancient Technology
The Games of the XXXI Olympiad – the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (5 August to 21 August, 2016) – continued the long tradition of Olympic sports, which began in ancient Greece (circa 776 BCE), and were heavily modified in their re-creation by the International Olympic Committee...

The Modern Reproduction of a Mongol Era Bow Based on Historical Facts and Ancient Technology Research

Jason Wayne Beever (USA) and
Zoran Pavlović (RS)
EXARC Journal Issue 2017/2
Ancient Technology
This bow was a concept, commissioned from Ulrich Velthuysen, a Swedish archer. This horn bow could be classified as a post-conquest design from early 14th century AD Mongolia. In this article, I will describe, step-by-step, the gathering and processing of materials, and the construction of this design of horn bow...

Reconstruction of the Geometric Décor Technology of the Bronze Age Ceramics in Siberia

Eva Lamina (US)
EXARC Journal Issue 2017/1
Ancient Technology
The grassland and forest steppes ranging from the Ural to the Altai-Sayan mountains were dominated by Andronovo Family cultures during the second millennium BC (the Bronze Age) (Koryakova & Epimakhov 2007; Мартынов 2005). The Andronovo dated ceramic series were characterized by a distinctly expressed geometric ornamentation style...

Cooking in Baskets Using Hot Rocks

Jonathan Thornton (US)
EXARC Journal Issue 2016/3
Ancient Technology
Baskets are among the most ancient of human artefacts. Everyone is familiar with their most common functions as containers for transport and storage. When told that baskets have also served as cooking vessels, most people will be unable to conceive of how this is possible, yet this was a primary function of baskets for many cultures of the past, and some until the present...

Recycled Flint Cores as Teaching Tools: Flintknapping at Archaeological Open-Air Museums

Matthew Swieton and
Linda Hurcombe (UK)
EXARC Journal Issue 2016/3
Ancient Technology
This article examines the art and craft of flintknapping and how the OpenArch project has influenced the way in which this specialized body of craft-knowledge can be most efficiently presented to the public, but additionally—and more importantly—how making the most of teaching opportunities can convey a deeper interpretation to the museum-goer...

Museo de la Mineria del Pais Vasco (ES)

Member of EXARC
Yes

Mining Museum of the Basque Country - Archaeological survey along all the Basque Country to locate “ferrerias de monte”. Selected archaeological digs. Reconstruction of a medieval iron workshop due to realize public demonstrations for experimental archaeometallurgy congresses, schools and general public.

Mining Museum of the Basque Country - Archaeological survey along all the Basque Country to locate “ferrerias de monte”. Selected archaeological digs. Reconstruction of a medieval iron workshop due to realize public demonstrations for experimental archaeometallurgy congresses, schools and general public...

The Role of Saltmarsh Plants in Iron Age and Roman Salt Production in the Thames Estuary, UK

Edward Biddulph (UK)
EXARC Journal Issue 2016/1
Ancient Technology
Analysis of plant remains and soils collected during excavations of the Iron Age and Roman Period salt production site at Stanford Wharf Nature Reserve on the coast of Essex have shown that saltmarsh plants and adhering sediments had been used as fuel to evaporate brine and crystallise the sea salt.