Newest Era

Between the 1st to the 12th of June 2017, a huge festival called "Times and Epochs" (Времена и эпохи - Cобрание) was organized in Moscow. This was the occassion to gather participants not only from Russia, but also from many other countries, and demonstrate the best of reenactment to festival visitors...

Read more about EXARC visits Moscow

Review: European Textile Forum 2016

Heather Hopkins (UK)

The annual European Textile Forum took place from 7-13 November 2016. This year the focus was ‘mistakes’, the unintended consequences in textile manufacture or preservation that reveal more about the artefact, the techniques used and its makers than a ‘perfect’ piece could do. The programme was rich in practical experiments..

Read more about Review: European Textile Forum 2016

Academic Workshop on Re-enactment, Replication & Reconstruction

Roeland Paardekooper (NL)

In early June 2017, an academic workshop took place in Leiden, the Netherlands, to stimulate research bridging the natural sciences with the humanities and social sciences. Forty-five international scientists joined from the fields of art history, archaeology, conservation, musicology and anthropology...

Read more about Academic Workshop on Re-enactment, Replication & Reconstruction

Book Review: Forensic Archaeology: The Application of Comparative Excavation Methods and Recording Systems by Laura Evis

Ceilidh Lerwick (USA)

This book is a rewrite of Evis’ PhD thesis compiled between October 2010 and March 2014 at Bournemouth University (University of Exeter 2017). The study was an evaluation of the archaeological excavation methods and recording systems used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australasia and North America...

Read more about Book Review: Forensic Archaeology: The Application of Comparative Excavation Methods and Recording Systems by Laura Evis

Build It and They Will Come: Managing archaeological open-air museums in Britain for Stability

Lydia Hendry (UK)

Archaeological Open-Air Museum

Museums are among the most visited attractions in the UK (ALVA 2015), and with interactive displays and active engagement becoming more commonplace, this success can be capitalised on by archaeological open-air museums. Some European archaeological open-air museums entertain many visitors per year, although most are smaller institutions (Paardekooper 2012)...

Read more about Build It and They Will Come: Managing archaeological open-air museums in Britain for Stability

Conference Review: Fields of Dreams - An overview of the EAC10 conference, Leiden, 20th to 22nd April 2017

Rena Maguire (UK)

In recent years, experimental archaeology has increased in popularity among academics and students alike due, in no small part, to pioneering universities such as Exeter, University College of London, Leiden and University College of Dublin...

Read more about Conference Review: Fields of Dreams - An overview of the EAC10 conference, Leiden, 20th to 22nd April 2017

What to blame for the atmosphere change in re-enactment camps? Personal view

Rona Kreekel (NL)

Lately, I have been seeing quite a few posts by friends announcing that they are quitting the Viking Re-enactment hobby. This is sad and worrisome. Apparently, the reasons for leaving are due to a lack of authenticity, show fight, and atmosphere.

Read more about What to blame for the atmosphere change in re-enactment camps? Personal view

Book Review: Representation of the Past in Public Spheres. Experiencing the Past: the Reconstruction and Recreation of History at Colonial Williamsburg by Martine Teunissen

Evelyn Fidler (CA)

When I read the title, I particularly looked forward to reading this book and I was not disappointed. I am glad I was allowed to review it. Colonial Williamsburg has been held up to me as an example to follow when interpreting in living history and open air museums and also criticised when they don’t get it right...

Read more about Book Review: Representation of the Past in Public Spheres. Experiencing the Past: the Reconstruction and Recreation of History at Colonial Williamsburg by Martine Teunissen

The Movement - Comments on the booklet How to organize a historical event involving reenactment groups

Ingrid Galadriel Aune Nilsen (NO)

I have happily noticed that there is a movement within the re-enactment scene - a move towards discussing re-enactment and living history on a meta-level. In 2014 I published my festival guide How to organize a historical event involving reenactment groups (Aune Nilsen 2014). As a part of an EEA-grants project, we were asked to organize a re-enactment event in Transylvania...

Read more about The Movement - Comments on the booklet How to organize a historical event involving reenactment groups

Book Review: The lifecycle of structures in experimental archaeology – An object Biography Approach by L. Hurcombe and P. Cunningham

Peter Bye-Jensen (UK)

Issue 2017/1