It may appear odd or redundant to reprint a book that was published in 1979. The subject will have moved on, more will have been discovered, new techniques will have been developed. But this is partly the point: Experimental Archaeology by John Coles is a foundation text for the subject as a whole...
I am a Heritage Consultant, working with a number of institutions in Ireland including the Irish National Heritage Park in Wexford, where we are rebuilding all our sites at present, covering 9000 years of Ireland's past.
Building and operating a small bloomery iron furnace is certainly a wonderful public demonstration for any museum or living history site. It is however a complex technical process, with many individual factors combining for success. Over the last decade in North America, small teams of blacksmiths have developed predictable working methods through trial and much error. This direct practical experience can provide some insights into questions that even the best researched theories may not be able to solve.
First of all it is interesting to see who the participants in the discussion of the archaeological experiment are. Certainly, the articles I have selected and read are only representative of a fraction of the contributions, but it is clear that it is primarily those who work with experimental archaeology in their research. Participants from outside this group are rare. This is regrettable as the archaeological experiment is an important method in archaeological research in general.
The WEA, Society for Experimental Archaeology, is a sub-society of the NJBG, the Dutch Historical Youth Association. It is formed by youngsters aged 12 to 26 who enjoy participating in several aspects of living history. WEA offers them a chance to learn about history, set up their own archaeological experiments, and the opportunity to participate in living history for example by learning a...
Thomas has a background combining chemical engineering and landscape archaeology. With a longstanding interest in heritage education, public and community archaeology he teaches on the interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences (BASc) programme at University College London.
Marlise Wunderli is one of the founding members of EXARC in February 2001 in Oerlinghausen. As a teacher for art and craft I started working on archaeological excavations from 1984 on.
The Natural History Museum of Vienna holds some of the most remarkable prehistoric finds. In display halls covering 8.700² metres the visitor can travel through our planet's history, through the breathtaking diversity of nature and back to the origins of our culture.
The Natural History Museum of Vienna holds some of the most remarkable prehistoric finds. In display halls covering 8.700² metres the visitor can travel through our planet's history, through the breathtaking diversity of nature and...
Located in the suburb of St Fagans to the North West of Cardiff, the museum was created in 1946 in the grounds of St Fagans Castle at an area of 100 hectares. Besides dozens of ethnographic (original) buildings, moved to the site, the museum has a reconstructed manor house in Elizabethan style and three Iron Age like roundhouses. St Fagans is one of Europe's leading open-air museums and has been voted the UK’s favourite tourist attraction.
Located to the northwest of Cardiff, the museum was created in 1946 in the grounds of St Fagans Castle. It features dozens of reconstructed buildings, brought from across Wales, and three Iron Age roundhouses based on...
Roeland Paardekooper has been working in the field of archaeological reconstructions and open-air museums since 1981.
Frambozenweg 161
2321 KA Leiden
The Netherlands
Phone: +(31) 6 40263273
Website: EXARC.net
Email: info@exarc.net
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