The 2024/4 EXARC Journal brings you eight reviewed and six mixed matter articles. All the articles are open access to allow for free exchange of information and further development of our knowledge of the past.

While most of the articles have come from Europe (Germany, Finland, Spain and the UK), there is also an article from the US and from Iran. As always, the articles cover a wide range of topics. In a first for us, Anthony Dawson examines the form, function and practicality of the clothing worn by late nineteenth century railway guards in Britain. It does so by taking a re-enactment approach, involving the commissioning, wearing, and reporting of replica garments in an appropriate workplace. Jouni Jäppinen’s article presents a possible method an 8th century blacksmith may have used when forging fibula. Marc-Philipp Häg presents tools made from organic material such as shell, wood and bone could have been used to harvest cereal plants. Crystal A. Dozier and, Arland L. Wallace described their recreation of a pumpkin leather mat. Maria Carme Belarte et al. analysed the characteristics and functioning of several bread-baking traditional ovens that are still used in the Riff area (Morocco). Tahere Rahimkhani studied the architecture of Makhunik village (Doreh Rural District, South Khorasan Province, Iran) the impact of immaterial issues, such as religion in a very religious village, on material issues such as architecture. Alexandra Coucouzeli et al.’s article demonstrates that the building or megaron on the Toumba hill at Lefkandi (Euboea), dating from c.950 BC, was a timber-framed structure. Charlotte Clarke et al. tested the hypothesis that Neanderthals may have been purposefully gathering manganese dioxide to aid in their fire lighting.

In the mixed matters section two of the articles present RETOLD, a four-year project coordinated by EXARC and supported by the European Commission which aims to develop a documentation system designed for archaeological and ethnographic open-air museums. There were also three book reviews, including Drømmen om Den Gamle By by Den Gamble By’s former director, Bloch Ravn, where he talks about the many years of work in running and developing the museum. Giovanna Fregni reports on the festival celebrating the 770th year of the founding of Daugailiai in Northeast Lithuania, that included demonstrations and experiments in bronze casting.