Experimental Archaeology

The Construction of a Replica Section of the Middle Subneolithic Purkajasuo Lath Screen Fish Weir at Kierikki Stone Age Centre, Finland

Peter Groom,
Evon Kirby and
James Findlay (UK)
Issue 2018/4
Experimental Archaeology
In July 2018 the Mesolithic Resource Group attended the Kierikki Stone Age Centre, Pahkalantie, Finland. The visit provided us with the opportunity to practice experimental archaeology in a ‘Stone Age’ landscape at Kierikki. One project was the reconstruction of a section of the Neolithic wooden fish weir from the site of Purkajasuo, which is on display in the museum...

Celtic Copper Alloy Coin Minting Technology: Experiential Approaches

Lawrence Herzman and
Monika Townsend (US)
Issue 2018/4
Experimental Archaeology
In this paper, details are presented for three technical approaches that can be employed in the reproduction of Celtic coins from Britain: 1) the use of pellet trays to produce coin blanks of standardised weight; 2) the use of successive iterations of clay moulds to shrink coin design images while retaining clarity; and 3) the use of a low-carbon steel die that was heated to a plastic state and struck with a cast bronze slug to...

Of Boyling and Seething: A Re-evaluation of the Common Cooking Terms in Connection with Brewing

Susan Verberg (US)
Issue 2018/4
Experimental Archaeology
Modern chemistry provides us with a deeper understanding of fermentation, but that does not necessarily translate into an easier interpretation of medieval recipes. Our modern brewing methods and sanitary measures have evolved, and the language and terminology used in brewing has changed over the years. The arcane language of early medieval recipes often makes modern interpretations...

Moving Monoliths: Easter Island and Environmental Collapse

Maureen Folk (US)
Issue 2018/3
Experimental Archaeology
The Rapa Nui civilization once thrived on Easter Island, and produced unique statues which became a parable for collapse around the world (Hunt and Lipo, 2011). Several experiments have been conducted to better understand this collapse, specifically surrounding the movement of the islands’ largest inhabitants, the moai – the large monolithic human figures carved by the Rapa Nui people...

Experimental Archaeometallurgy of Early-Middle Bronze Age Cyprus: Pilot Experiments of Copper Smelting at Pyrgos-Mavroraki

Marco Romeo Pitone (UK)
Issue 2018/3
Experimental Archaeology
10th EAC Leiden 2017
***Pyrgos-Mavroraki, an early 2nd millennium BC proto-industrial settlement, is an excellent case-study on which to apply experimental archaeometallurgy because it presents many different elements connected to the chaine-operatoire of copper metallurgy, typical of Early/Middle Bronze Age Cyprus...

Experimental Archaeology Newcastle - EXARN (UK)

Member of EXARC
Yes

EXARN (Experimental Archaeology Newcastle) is a recently established PGR led Experimental Archaeology research group within the Archaeology Department at Newcastle University. EXARN, affiliated with the Cluster for Interdisciplinary Artefact Studies (CIAS), promotes the study of material culture, archaeo-materials and ancient technologies through EA.

Its aim is to bring together researchers employing EA and to encourage, aid and inform those interested in this research method, students and academics alike. EXARN's experimental projects are mainly related to the members' own PG research. EXARN organised the 1st Annual Experimental Archaeology Student Symposium, hosted this year at Newcastle University, intended as a completely student-led, student-focused conference. 

The University of New England (AU)

Member of EXARC
No

The University of New England has a well-earned reputation as one of Australia's great teaching, training and research universities. Through its leading role in the provision of distance education, UNE has contributed to the nation's development over more than half a century. Today, UNE is extending its global reach through the adoption of the latest communication technologies, and is recognised as an innovator in flexible online education.

Archaeology at UNE has a national and international reputation for research and teaching across a diverse range of areas. These include the discovery and description of the ‘hobbit’ (Homo floresiensis) in Indonesia, research into stone tool ‘design space’ and cognitive evolution, analysis of the history of commensal and domesticated animals, patterns of exchange in the Bronze Age of southern Arabia and the Near East, and the landscapes of global colonialism reflected in the 19th Century convict system in Australia.

Re-Creating an Aboriginal Earth Oven with Clayey Heating Elements: Experimental Archaeology and Paleodietary Implications

Maurizio Campanelli,
Jane Muir,
Alice Mora,
Daniel Clarke and
Darren Griffin (AUS)
Issue 2018/2
Experimental Archaeology
Earth ovens may relate to different ancestral cooking techniques, serving specific needs and functions. In eastern and south-eastern Australia, they were a significant element of a thriving pre-colonial Aboriginal culture. However, today it is extremely rare to find such structures well preserved. Based on archaeological and historical records...

Understanding the Archaeological Record: Reconstructing a Warp-Weighted Loom

Tena Karavidović and
Tajana Sekelj Ivančan (HR)
Issue 2018/2
Experimental Archaeology
10th EAC Leiden 2017
***The paper deals with a reconstruction of a warp-weighted loom based on a rare find of 36 in situ loom weights in an object interpreted as a weaving hut at an archaeological site Virje-Sušine in Northern Croatia dated in late Iron Age (La Tène C period, 2/2 3rd – 2/2 2nd century BC)...