Neolithic

Beyond School - Workshops in Experimental Archaeology at the Museum (Romania)

Vasile Diaconu (RO)
Experimental archaeology, as an educational means, has become a particularly useful practice in museum institutions in Romania, although there is no tradition in this field. Here, we present activities of the History and Ethnography Museum in Târgu Neamţ, where several experimental archaeology workshops were organised for pupils aged between 9 and 12 years. Participants were introduced to the prehistoric technologies...

‘Re-rolling’ a Mummy: an Experimental Spectacle at Manchester Museum

Lidija McKnight (UK)

Introduction

The unwrapping and dissection of mummified bodies was a common practice in 19th century Europe. These autopsies were conducted as part of scientific endeavours and social spectacles, motivated by a desire to advance the fields of science, medicine and archaeology, coupled with a sense of macabre fascination (Moshenska, 2014). The scientific capability required to study mummified remains non-invasively had yet to be developed, leading to the destruction of many hundreds of specimens. 

The Forgotten Movement – A (Re)construction of Prehistoric Dances

Ivana Turčin (HR)

However, after studying archaeological artistic depictions, historical descriptions and contemporary ethnographic examples as the main research sources for the history of dance and dance movement and its development in the context of early human history, we created a conceptual reconstruction of prehistoric dances. It was presented in the form of an educational dance performance with the goal of presenting the archaeological heritage through a possible vision of dances and dance movements from a number of selected prehistoric periods: Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Bronze Age.

Conference Review: Reconstructive & Experimental Archaeology Conference REARC 2017

Mahala Nyberg (US)
REARC Conferences
***There was something for everyone at the 2017 Reconstructive and Experimental Archaeology Conference, as it represented many aspects of experimental archaeology. The conference took place between the 16th and 19th of November, 2017, at Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia. Although it was a small conference...

Book Review: Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa, Bilanz 2015

Michaela Seidel-Gibbons (US)
Annual Proceedings of the EXAR Tagung
***Volume number 14 of the periodical “Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa: Bilanz 2015” represents the proceedings of the 11th meeting of EXAR held in cooperation with the Labor für Experimentelle Archäologie (LEA), a branch of the Römisch-Germanischen-Zentralmuseums in Mainz (RGZM)...

Conference Review: Fifth International Congress of Experimental Archaeology, Tarragona (Spain), October 2017

Francesca Romagnoli and
Javier Baena (ES)
Experimental archaeology is an important methodological resource for academic and historical scientific research, not separated from the rest of archaeological and historical sciences, and usually used to interpret the formation of the archaeological record and past human behaviour. Moreover, experimental archaeology has a great significance as part of archaeological diffusion, historical reconstructions, and education...

Conference Review: Norwegian Forum for Experimental Archaeology 2017

Črtomir Lorenčič (SE)
The Norwegian Forum for Experimental Archaeology (NFEA) is a yearly seminar aimed at presenting and popularising experimental research within archaeology. It has been held since 2011 at the Veien Cultural Hertage Park, and as the name implies, it is a gathering of Norwegian archaeologists, held and presented in Norwegian. In 2017, things were done a bit differently...