review

Book Review: Archaeology and Crafts edited by Rüdiger Kelm

Arati Deshpande-Mukherjee (IN) and
Doug Meyer (USA)
The book “Archaeology and Crafts” is a transcript of the proceedings of the VI OpenArch-Conference held in Albersdorf, Germany, on the 23-27 September 2013. The conference was an activity of the OpenArch project –a cooperation of Archaeological Open-Air Museums across Europe of which the AOZA...

Event Review: Paleofestival: 10 Years of Spreading Archaeology in Evolution

Edoardo Ratti and
Donatella Alessi (IT)
At the age of thirty Edoardo started to study Archaeology for pleasure at the University of Genoa (Italy) while working as a computer programmer. Since then has taken part in archaeological excavations of prehistoric sites. Here he met many enthusiastic students, who dreamed of a future as prehistoric archaeologists in Italy, a country much more structured for classical archaeology...

Book Review: Recent Publications: Experimental Archaeology in the November 2015 Issue of the Cambridge Archaeological Journal (Volume 25, Issue 4)

E. Giovanna Fregni (IT)
In the last quarter of the 1900s, John Coles (1979) and Peter Reynolds (1999) introduced the subject of experimental archaeology, which has gained significant momentumin the past few years. The discipline has become essential for reconstructing past technologies, in addition to supporting archaeological theory.

Book Review: Geschichtstheater. Formen der "Living History" by Wolfgang Hochbruck

Ibrahim Karabed (DE)

National interest in re-production of history started when the Ethnological Commission of Westphalia called together with Freilichtmuseum Cloppenburg, one of the oldest German open-air museums, a conference on the topic of “Living history in the Museum” in 2007 in Cloppenburg, Niedersachsen. Subsequent conferences made it clear that - apart from predictable doubts about the reliability and quality of the reconstructions of historical life-worlds and events - there was a significant dissonance regarding terminologies.

Book Review: From Rome to Las Vegas. Reconstructions of Ancient Roman Architecture by Anita Rieche

Wulf Hein (DE)
For more than 200 years ancient buildings have been reconstructed. Reasons for the reconstruction of Roman architecture in particular are many. People enjoy being surrounded by fully realised reconstructions of ancient ruins where they can be taught in a manner reflecting a museum-like academic rigour...

Event Review: Daily Life and Feasting in the Neolithic: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of Experience in Experimental Archaeology at the Steinzeitdorf Albersdorf

Tosca Friedrich,
Birte Meller and
Rüdiger Kelm (DE)
OpenArch Special Digest 2015 Issue 2
***During summer 2014, just over 30 students from Archaeological Studies at the University of Hamburg, as well as four children, participated in a practical week of experimental archaeology at the Steinzeitdorf Albersdorf. In preparation for this week, the students attended a seminar at the University of Hamburg...

Event Review: a “Mesolithic Living” Project

Rüdiger Kelm (DE)
From the 27 July to the 6 September 2015 the Stone Age Park Dithmarschen (Archaeological-Ecological Centre Albersdorf, AÖZA) organised a Mesolithic living history experiment in its newly constructed ‘Mesolithic Settlement’ finished last year. The experiment sought to investigate, through careful reconstruction, how people may have carried out their daily lives in the Mesolithic period...

Conference Review: Archaeological Reconstructions and Tourism, Mistelbach (AT)

Milica Tapavički-Ilić (RS),
Maura Stefani (IT) and
Claus Detreköy (CH)
EXARC and Urgeschichtemuseum MAMUZ Schloss Asparn/Zaya joined forces to organise an international conference from the 25th to 27th of September 2015, held in Mistelbach, near Vienna focusing on Archaeological Reconstructions and Tourism...

Event Review: Terra Ibèrica Festival in Calafell: a Backward Glance Through the Years (2010-2014)

Manel Gómez Gutiérrez (ES)
OpenArch Special Digest 2015 Issue 2
***Terra Ibèrica [Iberian Land], the biggest event held at La Ciutadella Ibèrica of Calafell (Tarragona, Spain), is one of the highlights in the calendar of activities of this Iron Age reconstructed archaeological site...