EXARC Journal Issue 2012/1

In July 2009 a battle took place in Sagnlandet Lejre, in the heart of Zealand in Denmark. The battle was a dramatized re-enactment of the historical battle of Teutoburg forest in Niedersachsen in the year 9 AD - also known as the Varus Battle. Why should such a re-enactment event take place in Denmark - over 100 kilometres from the presumed site of the historic battle?...

In the summer of 2009 I was engaged in the preliminary preparations for extensive experiments to manufacture fish sauces for my MA dissertation in Archaeology at Reading University. In my previous research into Roman food, it was clear that it was not going to be possible to truly understand ancient cuisine without...

Between 1947 and 2006, nearly forty expeditions set out in recreated maritime drift vessels to demonstrate hypotheses with varying levels of relevance to archaeology and cultural diffusion. This paper divides the motivations of these expeditions into four major categories...

There are many legendary games in the Middle Ages with professed losses of clothes, horses and, what is more, whole estates, and even halves of kingdoms. But was money really the most important part of gambling?...

Nestled among the rolling hills of the South Downs National Park, Butser Ancient Farm in Chalton has been an archaeological research site since 1972. The farm was originally set up on Little Butser, a spur of Butser Hill. It was established with support from the Council for British Archaeology...

This review concerns the article "Roseldorf rekonstruiert – Ein keltischen Heiligtums entsteht in Asparn an der Zaya" published in EuroREA 6/2009.
Left - a photo of the idol of Cernunnos placed inside the temple... But does he recognise his surroundings?

This article presents the experimental archaeological project to build a medieval rotunda reconstruction using rough stone building technology. Here, a medieval rotunda reconstruction is presented by contemporary building technology...

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.

Who are the contributors?

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 elaboration of bells in the Prehispanic Era was of great importance due to the special meaning attributed to them in religious ceremonies. Today, knowledge of the techniques that were used in their fabrication is scant and lacking in detail. For that reason, the objective of the present study was to carry out a morphological study of bells from western Mexico...

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...