The Centre for Experimental Archaeology and Living History was created in late 2006 in an effort to combine a living history and experimental archaeology. The CEA deals mainly with the period of Great Moravia. Attention goes to authenticity in presenting everyday lives of ordinary people, craftsmen and farmers, but also the nobility and clergy.
The basis of the activities are archaeological sources and the few written sources that have been preserved to this day. Members are people of all ages from Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia. CEA organizes cultural and historical events for the general public One of the biggest goals is building a Great Moravian courtyard, based on the courts of Breclav - pagan Mikulčice et cetera. The inspiration for the reconstruction of the buildings were exposed during archaeological excavations mainly from the central part of Great Moravia. The court buildings were the most important sites of Great Moravia as well as its capital - Mikulčice.
The CEA group has experimented with iron smelting and for example making pitch and tar. In the experiment the principle of dry distillation was used, resulting in a solid residue, tar. A similar procedure is used to produce charcoal et cetera. Within a few repetitions of the experiment, CEA edited the manufacturing process and improved until they had achieved the desired result. A furnace was built from the destruction of an old pottery kiln, and then showered with dirt. At the top of the furnace a hole was left to insert the pot. At the bottom of the course opening for reloading. On the hole on the top of the oven, they put the pot with birch bark on top of which another pot. The birch bark must be finely chopped. After 30 minutes of slow and moderate heating the tar is done.
