Around the world, there are hundreds of museums in the open-air, with reconstructed houses, based on archaeological sources. These are so-called archaeological open-air museums. They tell the story of people like you and me, how they struggled with daily life, made inventions or witnessed important moments in (pre)history. These museums explain what the world was like before our times and what we can learn from the past.
In 2008, EXARC defined what an archaeological open-air museum is. This definition has become widely accepted, the phrase commonly used:
An archaeological open-air museum is a non-profit permanent institution with outdoor true to scale architectural reconstructions primarily based on archaeological sources. It holds collections of intangible heritage resources and provides an interpretation of how people lived and acted in the past; this is accomplished according to sound scientific methods for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment of its visitors.
Nestled among the rolling hills of the South Downs National Park, Butser Ancient Farm in Chalton has been an archaeological research site since 1972. The farm was originally set up on Little Butser, a spur of Butser Hill. It was established with support from the Council for British Archaeology...
This review concerns the article "Roseldorf rekonstruiert – Ein keltischen Heiligtums entsteht in Asparn an der Zaya" published in EuroREA 6/2009.
Left - a photo of the idol of Cernunnos placed inside the temple... But does he recognise his surroundings?
Eketorp fort on southern Öland is a prehistoric ring fort excavated between 1964 and 1974. The excavations showed that the first fort on this location was built in the fourth century AD (Eketorp I). About one hundred years later, it was torn down and then re-built on the same spot. The new fifth-century ring fort (Eketorp II) served as a fortified farmers’ settlement for about 250 years until it was abandoned in the late seventh century (Borg, Näsman, & Wegraeus 1976).
Each archaeological open-air museum is represented with a short story, an exact address and their official website for up to date information.
Note: EXARC Members are marked with a red balloon.
Stichting Erfgoedpark Batavialand
att. EXARC
Postbus 119
8200 AC Lelystad
the Netherlands
Phone: +(31) 6 40263273
Website: EXARC.net
Email: info@exarc.net
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