Experimental Archaeology

Wilfrid Laurier University (CA)

Member of EXARC
No

Laurier traces its roots to the opening of the Evangelical Lutheran Seminary in Waterloo more than 100 years ago in 1911. We’ve gone through several changes since then, and in 1973 our name changed from Waterloo Lutheran University to Wilfrid Laurier University. A Laurier education is about building the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. We believe that your university career must lead to more than just a job to be considered a success; Laurier creates engaged and aware citizens in a culture that inspires lives of leadership and purpose.

Archaeology at WLU

Our Archaeology and Heritage Studies program explores areas of faculty research expertise in the archaeology of the New World and the Ancient Mediterranean World. The program focuses on the cultures of North America, in both the pre-contact and post-contact periods after the arrival of Europeans, and the ancient societies of Greece, Rome and the Near East.

University of Toronto (CA)

Member of EXARC
No

Founded in 1827, the University of Toronto has evolved into Canada’s leading institution of learning, discovery and knowledge creation. We are proud to be one of the world’s top research-intensive universities, driven to invent and innovate. Our students have the opportunity to learn from and work with preeminent thought leaders through our multidisciplinary network of teaching and research faculty, alumni and partners. The ideas, innovations and actions of more than 560,000 graduates continue to have a positive impact on the world.

Archaeology at UofT

The Archaeology Program focuses on the study of past human societies primarily through their material remains, or “material culture.” Archaeologists explore the nature of and changes in past cultures around the world through survey, excavation and analyses of stone tools, pottery, bones, plant remains, architecture, and other cultural residues.

The Construction of a Replica Section of the Middle Subneolithic Purkajasuo Lath Screen Fish Weir at Kierikki Stone Age Centre, Finland

Peter Groom,
Evon Kirby and
James Findlay (UK)
EXARC Journal Issue 2018/4
Experimental Archaeology
In July 2018 the Mesolithic Resource Group attended the Kierikki Stone Age Centre, Pahkalantie, Finland. The visit provided us with the opportunity to practice experimental archaeology in a ‘Stone Age’ landscape at Kierikki. One project was the reconstruction of a section of the Neolithic wooden fish weir from the site of Purkajasuo, which is on display in the museum...

Celtic Copper Alloy Coin Minting Technology: Experiential Approaches

Lawrence Herzman and
Monika Townsend (US)
EXARC Journal Issue 2018/4
Experimental Archaeology
In this paper, details are presented for three technical approaches that can be employed in the reproduction of Celtic coins from Britain: 1) the use of pellet trays to produce coin blanks of standardised weight; 2) the use of successive iterations of clay moulds to shrink coin design images while retaining clarity; and 3) the use of a low-carbon steel die that was heated to a plastic state and struck with a cast bronze slug to...

Of Boyling and Seething: A Re-evaluation of the Common Cooking Terms in Connection with Brewing

Susan Verberg (US)
EXARC Journal Issue 2018/4
Experimental Archaeology
Modern chemistry provides us with a deeper understanding of fermentation, but that does not necessarily translate into an easier interpretation of medieval recipes. Our modern brewing methods and sanitary measures have evolved, and the language and terminology used in brewing has changed over the years. The arcane language of early medieval recipes often makes modern interpretations...

Scientific Profit through Daily Routine

Martin Rogier (DE)
EXARC Journal Issue 2018/3
Experimental Archaeology
10th EAC Leiden 2017
***The open-air museum Campus Galli is a construction site where we built an early medieval monastery, following the so-called “Plan of St. Gall”, an architectural drawing from the first half of the 9th century (Carolingian period) as our major reference source (cf. Schedl, 2014; Facsimile: Tremp, 2014)...

Moving Monoliths: Easter Island and Environmental Collapse

Maureen Folk (US)
EXARC Journal Issue 2018/3
Experimental Archaeology
The Rapa Nui civilization once thrived on Easter Island, and produced unique statues which became a parable for collapse around the world (Hunt and Lipo, 2011). Several experiments have been conducted to better understand this collapse, specifically surrounding the movement of the islands’ largest inhabitants, the moai – the large monolithic human figures carved by the Rapa Nui people...

Experimental Archaeometallurgy of Early-Middle Bronze Age Cyprus: Pilot Experiments of Copper Smelting at Pyrgos-Mavroraki

Marco Romeo Pitone (UK)
EXARC Journal Issue 2018/3
Experimental Archaeology

Experimental Archaeometallurgy and Pilot Experiments

Experimental archaeology applied to archaeo-metallurgical studies (experimental archaeometallurgy) has revealed itself as an essential tool to verify scholars’ hypotheses on the technological processes involved in ancient metallurgy. Experimental archaeometallurgy is a specialist field within experimental archaeology.

Experimental Archaeology Newcastle - EXARN (UK)

EXARN (Experimental Archaeology Newcastle) is a recently established PGR led Experimental Archaeology research group within the Archaeology Department at Newcastle University. EXARN, affiliated with the Cluster for Interdisciplinary Artefact Studies (CIAS), promotes the study of material culture, archaeo-materials and ancient technologies through EA.

Its aim is to bring together researchers employing EA and to encourage, aid and inform those interested in this research method, students and academics alike. EXARN's experimental projects are mainly related to the members' own PG research. EXARN organised the 1st Annual Experimental Archaeology Student Symposium, hosted this year at Newcastle University, intended as a completely student-led, student-focused conference. 

The University of New England (AU)

Member of EXARC
No

The University of New England has a well-earned reputation as one of Australia's great teaching, training and research universities. Through its leading role in the provision of distance education, UNE has contributed to the nation's development over more than half a century. Today, UNE is extending its global reach through the adoption of the latest communication technologies, and is recognised as an innovator in flexible online education.

Archaeology at UNE has a national and international reputation for research and teaching across a diverse range of areas. These include the discovery and description of the ‘hobbit’ (Homo floresiensis) in Indonesia, research into stone tool ‘design space’ and cognitive evolution, analysis of the history of commensal and domesticated animals, patterns of exchange in the Bronze Age of southern Arabia and the Near East, and the landscapes of global colonialism reflected in the 19th Century convict system in Australia.