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.
Almost 60 years ago, new museology’s call for a re-examination of the very identity of the museum, of its functions and purposes, brought forward its social role and signaled a major turn by initiating new areas of museum practice and research (Vergo, 1989). Since then, the relation of museums to their social, economic, and political environment has been the subject of many studies. Terms such as social and cultural inclusion, democratization and social responsibility are central in the current museological discourse.
In Japan, experimental archaeology has thrived on many efforts to reconstruct prehistoric buildings. Since 1949, approximately one thousand buildings have been built at 360 sites (Ertl, 2021), making archaeological reconstruction something of a national pastime. In this article we compare approaches to making ancient pit houses at three sites located in the Central Highlands region of Japan: Togariishi-Yosukeone site (Chino City, Nagano Prefecture), Idojiri site (Fujimi Town, Nagano) and Umenoki site (Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture) (See Figures 1–3).
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
Website: EXARC.net
Email: info@exarc.net
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