Experimental Archaeology

Research, Experimentation and Outreach in the Early Neolithic Site of La Draga (Banyoles-Spain)

Author(s)
Antoni Palomo 1 ✉,
Raquel Piqué 2,
Xavier Terradas 3,
Joan Anton Barceló 2,
Juan Antonio Rodríguez 3,
Montserrat Buch 4,
Jürgen Junkmanns 5,
Miriam de Diego 2,
Oriol López 2
Publication Date
The exceptional preservation of organic material in the early Neolithic site of La Draga (Banyoles, north-east Iberian Peninsula) has allowed lines of research that had rarely been undertaken in the region. The research project carried out at the site of La Draga involves experimental archaeology as a...

Sherd Shatter Patterns Experiment

Author(s)
S. Evans 1 ✉,
S. Barrera Hernandez 1
Publication Date
In field archaeology, the importance of non-diagnostic sherds is often overlooked. This archaeological experiment suggests that archaeologists should take into greater consideration, contexts where sherds are found grouped together in close proximity. The authors tested a series of experimental drops of modern pots...

The Colour Palette of Antique Bronzes: An Experimental Archaeology Project

Author(s)
Jonathan Devogelaere 1
Publication Date
Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, with lead also added. Hellenistic and Roman bronze objects have a variable percentage of metals, and because of this the colour of the alloy will differ depending on the proportions. The colour of the alloy can be maintained by polishing, but it is also possible to give a patina to the surface of bronze using a reagent...

Painting Bronze Age Plaster from Thebes Boeotia

Author(s)
Αntonis Vlavogilakis 1
Publication Date

The premise

The author is currently studying for a PhD in experimental archaeology at the University of the Aegean. The focus of the research involves the recreation of a 4th Century B.C. wall painting (Tomb of Persephone, Vergina) using the same pigments and painting method that was used by the ancient painter. In this project, we sought to identify the painting technique used, and wanted to demonstrate the way in which the wall was painted. The technique that was used in the tomb is a variation of the fresco technique, which is why we examined similar methods.

A Minoan Experimental House – Paying Tribute to Middle Bronze Age Cretan Vernacular Architecture

Author(s)
Sabine Beckmann 1
Publication Date

Prototypes, situation, general description

Especially impressive are the often massive ruins of dwelling foundations referred to as 'oncolithic' in my typology (for details see Beckmann 2012a).These foundations neutralize the often steep slope incline they are built upon, so that the original houses would have stood in a horizontal position. The settlement pattern and surface findings indicate that these installations were vernacular in character and probably housed mixed agricultural farms (ibid.).

The Gislinge Boat Open Source Project: An Old Boat and a New Idea

Author(s)
Triona Sørensen 1 ✉,
Martin Rodevad Dael 1,
Silas Tavs Ravn 1,
Marie Broen 1,
Marie Krogh Nielsen 1
Publication Date
In 1993, the remains of a wooden boat were uncovered during drainage works north of the village of Gislinge, on the island of Sjælland in Denmark (Gøthche 1995). Now reclaimed agricultural land, the area had once been part of the shallow Lammefjord, itself connected to the Isefjord and the open sea...

Hut 1 of Tornambé, Pietraperzia: an Experimental Project for Prehistoric Sicily Studies

Author(s)
Claudia Speciale 1 ✉,
Kati Caruso 2
Publication Date

Introduction and goals

The goal of this project, started in 2012, was to reconstruct a Bronze Age hut using techniques, methods, and raw materials consistent with the knowledge acquired during the excavation of Tornambè site (Pietraperzia, Enna), and from other known Sicilian and Southern Italian archaeological contexts.

An Energy Saving House from 3400 Years Ago

Author(s)
Irene Staeves 1
Publication Date
The fact that people of the Bronze Age built houses with very good insulation was already presented by Staeves (2010) based on the results of an archaeological excavation in 2003 where an archaeological team of the Main-Kinzig district examined remnants of a Middle Bronze Age settlement. Prior to this, it was assumed that...

UCD Centre for Experimental Archaeology and Material Culture (IE)

Member of EXARC
Yes

The Centre for Experimental Archaeology and Material Culture (CEAMC) at University College Dublin, Ireland, established since 2012, is one of the only specifically designed and dedicated, on-campus university facilities in the world for experimental archaeology and material culture studies. It supports research projects, innovative teaching, and public outreach activities, so as to enable the creation of a better understanding of the nature and role of crafts, technologies and materiality in people’s lives in the past.

The Centre for Experimental Archaeology and Material Culture (CEAMC) at University College Dublin, Ireland, established since 2012, is one of the only specifically designed and dedicated, on-campus university facilities in the world for experimental archaeology and material culture studies.

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
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...