United Kingdom

Whithorn (UK)

Member of EXARC
No

Whithorn is famous as the site of the earliest Christian settlement in Scotland, with evidence of Christian practice dating to the early 5th Century. However, research is increasingly turning to the context for the arrival of Christianity and the sophisticated Iron Age culture which preceded it.

Recent excavation has revealed an important settlement of roundhouses dating to approximately the mid 5th Century BC at nearby Black Loch of Myrton; the boggy site has preserved the timbers and gives some of the best evidence for Iron Age construction anywhere in Scotland.

Conference Review: The Metalworker and his Tools: QUB Belfast Conference

Author(s)
E. Giovanna Fregni 1 ✉
Publication Date
EXARC Journal Issue 2016/3
A recent conference, funded partially by UISPP, was held in Queens University Belfast. While its main focus was on Bronze Age metalsmithing tools and assemblages, the MeTools conference (23-25 June at Queen’s University, Belfast) had several presentations that focussed on experimental archaeology as a means of exploring metalworking craft...

Gestingthorpe Watermill (UK)

Member of EXARC
No

In April of 2015 Gestingthorpe History Group decided to undertake the building of a Saxon Watermill as part of a living archaeological project. Gestingthorpe is listed in the Domesday book of 1086 and a water mill is mentioned.

It was decided that we would build this only using locally sourced materials and using handtools and building techniques as close to the timeline as possible. The local landowner and historian donated a private area next to the Belchamp Brook that runs through the parish. It was decided that a vertical mill wheel would be the preferred option as it required no additional gearing and was the simplest means for transferring the water power to the grinding stones.

Getting Hammered: The Use of Experimental Archaeology to Interpret Wear on Late Bronze Age Hammers and Modern replicas

Author(s)
E. Giovanna Fregni 1 ✉
Publication Date
EXARC Journal Issue 2016/2
Metalsmithing tools such as hammers are rarely recognised for their significance in understanding prehistoric metalworking technology. Their development and specialisation signal new metalworking techniques and a wider array of the types of metal objects being made. Our knowledge of ancient metalworking is...

Towards a Best Practise of Volunteer Use Within Archaeological Open-air Museums: an Overview with Recommendations for Future Sustainability and Growth

Author(s)
Andrew Spencer 1 ✉
Publication Date
EXARC Journal Issue 2016/2
For many archaeological open-air museums (AOAMs), volunteers are an essential and highly visible component of an effective institution. Volunteers bring museums to life with meaningful interpretive contacts, and offer institutions the opportunity to broaden their mission and complete tasks that may not otherwise be possible...

The Value of Experience: Lessons from a Study of Reenactment

Author(s)
Samantha Hartford 1 ✉
Publication Date
EXARC Journal Issue 2016/1
It is no secret that in many ways experimental archaeology overlaps with what has come to be called experiential archaeology, an interpretive and humanistic approach to the past. As a result of drawing distinct lines between the two, experimental archaeology struggles with its conception of itself, and experiential archaeology is poorly studied.

The Role of Saltmarsh Plants in Iron Age and Roman Salt Production in the Thames Estuary, UK

Author(s)
Edward Biddulph 1 ✉
Publication Date
EXARC Journal Issue 2016/1
Analysis of plant remains and soils collected during excavations of the Iron Age and Roman Period salt production site at Stanford Wharf Nature Reserve on the coast of Essex have shown that saltmarsh plants and adhering sediments had been used as fuel to evaporate brine and crystallise the sea salt.