Experimental Archaeology

Smelting Conditions and Smelting Products: Experimental Insights into the Development of Iron Bloomery Furnaces

Author(s)
Yvette A. Marks 1 ✉,
N. Groat 1,
L. O. Lortie 1,
M. Hughes 1,
H. F. Thompson 1,
C. J. Woodland 1,
T. MS Adams 1,
T. Thorpe 1,
Bangcheng Tang 1,
R. Kenyon 1,
B. Langhorne 1,
J. Fraser-Darling 1
Publication Date
The material record for bloomery furnaces in Iron Age and Roman Britain is fragmentary and, because of this paucity of evidence, the reconstruction of the ceramic structures used in iron production is difficult. Experiments have nevertheless been carried out to ...

Roar Ege: The Lifecycle of a Reconstructed Viking Ship

Author(s)
Tríona Sørensen 1 ✉,
Martin Rodevad Dael 1
Publication Date
11th EAC Trento 2019
***In 1962, the remains of five late Viking Age ships were excavated from Roskilde Fjord, near Skuldelev on the Danish island of Zealand. Twenty years later, the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde began the process of building its first full-scale Viking ship reconstruction, the 14 m long coastal transport and trading vessel, Skuldelev 3...

University of California, EASL (US)

Member of EXARC
No

EASL is a research lab for the study of past cultures and materials through experimentation, scientific analysis and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) education. All students and affiliates of the Cotsen Institute are welcome to use this space and its facilities.

The Experimental and Archaeological Sciences Laboratory (EASL) is a collaborative research space dedicated to the study of ancient materials and technology through replication experiments and scientific analysis. The lab assists students, faculty and Cotsen affiliates with their archaeological research projects, as well as offers resources for laboratory-based courses. 

University of Queensland (AU)

Member of EXARC
No

The University of Queensland runs a biannual course ‘Ancient Technologies: Experimental and Analytical Approaches to Understanding (ARCS2010)’. This course was developed by Prof Chris Clarkson and is coordinated by Dr Ben Schoville until 2021 while Clarkson is on a research fellowship. 

ARCS2010 will build understanding of the principles, evolution and sophistication of ancient technologies. Experimental archaeology is an important arm of archaeological research used to develop and test hypotheses about the practicalities, operational conditions and limitations of prehistoric technologies. The course will cover the anthropological theory of technology, the principles and objectives of experimental archaeological science, the origins and evolution of complex technology, and how technology can inform us about past human societies and cultural change.

Trampling Experiments – A Contribution to the Pseudo-Retouch Issue

Author(s)
Katarina Šprem 1 ✉,
Katarina Gerometta 1,
Ivor Karavanić 2
Publication Date
11th EAC Trento 2019
***Apart from human-made retouch, stone tools can also exhibit traces of damage caused by several post depositional processes, one of which is trampling. Edge damage provoked by trampling, be it of animal or human origin, is sometimes interpreted as human-made retouch ...

Socketed Axes of the Irish Late Bronze Age: Understanding the Internal Rib Phenomenon

Author(s)
Terry Runner 1
Publication Date
This study explores the possibility that the internal rib commonly recognised inside bronze socketed axes may suggest an entirely different step in the casting process than previously thought. The internal rib, more commonly referred to as a ‘hafting rib’, has always been regarded as a functional addition to help tighten the grip of the haft once fitted into the socket. However, many of the internal ribs...

(De)constructing the Mesolithic. A History of Hut Reconstructions in the Netherlands

Author(s)
Yannick de Raaff 1
Publication Date
11th EAC Trento 2019
***The amount of reconstructions of huts from the Mesolithic period all over Northern Europe has boomed over the last 5 years, signaling a significant increase in scholarly interest. However, the scientific basis of these experimental reconstructions is often unclear. At the same time, the excavation and preliminary publication of two recently discovered...

Hafted Tool-use Experiments with Australian Aboriginal Plant Adhesives: Triodia Spinifex, Xanthorrhoea Grass Tree and Lechenaultia divaricata Mindrie

Author(s)
Veerle Rots 1 ✉,
Elspeth Hayes 2,
Kim Akerman 3,
Philip Green 6,
Chris Clarkson 4,5,
Christian Lepers 1,
Luc Bordes 7,
Conor McAdams 2,
Elizabeth Foley 8,
Richard Fullagar 2
Publication Date
Hafted stone tools commonly figure in Australian archaeology but hafting traces and manufacture processes are infrequently studied. The Aboriginal processing of resin from Xanthorrhoea (Sol. Ex Sm.) grass tree, Triodia (R.Br.) spinifex and Lechenaultia divaricata (F.Muell.)...

Barely Scratching the Surface: An Experimental Approach to Engraved Magdalenian Plaquettes

Author(s)
Matthew Amy 1
Publication Date
This paper investigates the creation, utilisation, and destruction of engraved Magdalenian plaquettes through the application of actualistic experimental replication. Archaeological evidence suggests that there is a relationship between plaquettes and hearth structures, as well as engraved depictions and the destruction of the plaquettes through heating. However, this relationship between fire and plaquettes...

Fine Pottery Chaîne Opératoire from the Bronze Age site of Via Ordiere, Solarolo (RA, IT): Experiments on the Relationship between Surface Treatments and Function

Author(s)
Andrea La Torre 1 ✉,
G. Mannino 1,
A. Zurzolo 1
Publication Date
11th EAC Trento 2019
***The aim of this experimental work was to catch a glimpse of the pottery chaîne opératoire, particularly linked to the surfaces treatments applied, in order to better understand what type of traces they could leave on pots and how they could differently affect the use of final products...