Canada

This experimental study offers new insights into the deposition and taphonomy of microscopic plant residues (phytoliths and starch grains) on obsidian prismatic blades. Twenty blades were flaked from a new obsidian core and used to process eight botanical elements frequently recovered from archaeological contexts in Mesoamerica: maize (Zea mays) leaves and cobs, two varieties of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), two species of squash (Cucurbita pepo and C. moschata), manioc (Manihot esculenta), and hardwood. We examined the quantity of visible residues deposited on the blades before microbotanical extractions. We analysed and quantified extracted starch grains and phytoliths and made limited observations of microscopic blade usewear. We also documented how experiment participants handled and used prismatic blades. The results obtained in this limited study support the idea that archaeological visibility of certain plants is tied less to sequence of tool use and more to the general visibility of residues created by certain species. This study provides insights into the relationship between obsidian prismatic blade use, deposition of botanical residues, and recovery of microbotanical remains. Tracking taphonomy is important for interpreting relationships between people, plants, and culinary practice.

From 2001 to 2026, a total of 101 individual bloomery iron smelts have been carried out either directly or with significant participation by Darrell Markewitz. The bulk of this work was undertaken at Wareham in Central Ontario, Canada. The total includes project work in the USA, Scotland, Denmark, Ireland and Poland. The primary supporting team was made up of members of the Dark ages Re-Creation Company who undertook an additional two smelts included here. Overall, this experimental research is unique in Canada. .

A case study of a practical experimental test. Through 2019, much was made in the popular press suggesting that during the Viking Age, exhumed human bone had been used in the chain of production from iron ore through to finished swords. Contradicting this, considerable experience with small scale direct reduction process bloomery iron smelting furnaces indicated...

The development of effective bloomery iron smelting has progressed over the past decades from the first repeated experiments into documented, effective, methods. This progression has primarily been the work of often isolated individuals, many with great practical experience as artisans, but most often with little formal academic training...

Harpoons are an essential part of the hunting toolkit amongst Inuit and have been integral to the material culture assemblage of Arctic groups for thousands of years. The pre-Inuit population known as the Dorset cultures (app. 800 BC–1300 AD) - also sometimes referred to as Tuniit - were highly dependent on a maritime subsistence with harpoon heads as one of the dominant artefact categories at Dorset sites. Although the use of these harpoons is known...

We live in a world where scientific method is both the expected and accepted path to knowledge. With any scientific method, experiments based on detailed, well-documented, well-considered theories, and precise set-ups must be replicated exactly by others who come to the same conclusion to consider the information gleaned from them to be valid. This has become the accepted practice for most...

As a part of the ongoing exploration of Viking Era glass bead production, the Dark Ages Re-creation Company (DARC) team perform new pilot experiments on a regular basis. These experiments provide a preliminary understanding of a specific construct or research question, allowing us to judge the validity of further experiments, as well as what equipment or additional questions may be necessary as a part of...

In field archaeology, the importance of non-diagnostic sherds is often overlooked. This archaeological experiment suggests that archaeologists should take into greater consideration, contexts where sherds are found grouped together in close proximity. The authors tested a series of experimental drops of modern pots...

The International Congress on Medieval Studies is held at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo each May. Now in its 52nd year, ICMS draws around 3,000 people attending approximately 575 sessions of papers, panel discussions, round tables, workshops and performances...