Mesolithic

All stone tools are manufactured by a skilled knapper who is a member of TraceoLab. The group is involved in a lot of methodological work, in relation to use-wear, residues and taphonomy, while also specific themes are addressed, such as hafting and projectiles. The lab houses specific equipment for experimentation, in particular for projectiles, next to specialized analytical equipment.

Since forming, the group has explored prehistoric and historical ethnographic knapping techniques, prehistoric bone and antler working, organic cordage from a range of plant fibre sources and willow work, including basketry and fish traps.
These sessions provide us as archaeologists with a new understanding of certain aspects of material culture, including time, skill, knowledge, effort and sensorial experience, all of which expand our understanding of the past.

Dr Chloe Duckworth has experience with among others Roman and medieval glass. She teaches for example the module “you are what you make”. This module explores - and helps you to learn - the skills and techniques humans have used for millennia to control, manipulate, and construct the world around us. 

Experimental archaeology uses a hypothetical-deductive method of checking and evaluating archaeological information. In the process of checking the sources, practical historical reconstructions are carried out for each individual chronological and territorial complex of archaeological sites.