You will find book reviews in almost each EXARC Journal we publish. We like to talk about what other people publish on experimental archaeology and museums, all to make it easy for our readers to see what is being published on the topics, but also to see the connection between different publications. Allthough most books we review are in English, sometimes we include books in other languages as well as they are very special and deserve to be brought in the spotlight. Our reviewers, just like our books, come from around the world. Please contact us if you know about a publication we should review, we are not ready yet!
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Book Reviews
Featured
Book Review: Eksperimentine archeologija, Lietuvos materialaus paveldo rekonstrukcija, I tomas or Experimental archaeology, Reconstruction of Material Heritage of Lithuania, volume I; compiled by Daiva Luchtaniene
I am honoured to write a review of the book Eksperimentinė archeologija, Lietuvos materialaus paveldo rekonstrukcija, I tomas or Experimental archaeology, Reconstruction of Material Heritage of Lithuania, volume I; compiled by Daiva Luchtanienė. I have to admit that I know very little about Lithuania and their experimental archaeology and I was looking forward to learning more...
Book Review: "The dream of The Old Town – Memories and reflections from a lifetime as museum director by Thomas Bloch Ravn" by Helle Ingerslev Kristensen
Book Review: Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa, Jahrbuch 2023
***The periodical is published by Gunter Schöbel and the European Association for the Advancement of Archaeology by Experiment e. V. (Europäische Vereinigung zur Förderung der Experimentellen Archäologie) in collaboration with the Pfahlbaummuseum Unterhuldingen...
Book Review: Experimental Archaeology: Reconstruction of Material Heritage of Lithuania, Volume II by Daiva Luchtaniene (ed)
Experimental Archaeology: Reconstruction of Material Heritage of Lithuania, Volume II, is an interesting journey back into the past by means of practical experimentations. An insightful volume that contains a collection of well-written and well-crafted essays exploring different facets of ancient life in Lithuania...
Book Review: Celtiform Pendants of Pre-Columbian Costa Rica: Production, distribution, and experimental replication by Waka Kuboyama-Haraikawa
Book Review: Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa, Jahrbuch 2022
***The periodical is published by Gunter Schöbel and the European Association for the Advancement of Archaeology by Experiment e. V. (Europäische Vereinigung zur Förderung der Experimentellen Archäologie) in collaboration with the Pfahlbaummuseum Unterhuldingen...
Book Review: Archaeology as Festival: Virtual Wanderings through FestivalCHAT during Covid-19 by Kiddey and Caraher (eds)
Book Review: Experimentelle Archäologie – Vergessenen Technologien auf der Spur
Book Review: Faserwerkstatt by Doris Fischer
Book Review: Natural Leather Tanning by Markus Klek
Book Review: Rethinking Heritage for Sustainable Development by Sophia Labadi
Book Review: Draft Animals in the Past, Present and Future by Claus Kropp and Lena Zoll (eds)
Book Review: Fragments of the Bronze Age by Matthew G. Knight
Book Review: Reality or Fiction?
Book Review: Craft Sciences by Tina Westerlund et al (eds)
Book Review: Investigations into the Dyeing Industry in Pompeii by H. Hopkins Pepper
Book Review: MI-60. Studies in Experimental Archaeometallurgy: Methodological Approaches from Non-Ferrous Metallurgies by Georges Verly et al (eds)
Book Review: Visitor Experiences and Audiences for the Roman Frontiers by Nigel Mills (ed)
Book Review: A Handbook for Women’s clothing, Northern Europe, 1360-1415 by Ahlqvist and Neijman
The book gives a short historical overview of major events in the chosen area, followed by an informative chapter on colours, a likewise very competent chapter on fabrics, and one on sewing techniques. Then the dress parts are presented, with very clear and informative modern illustrations. The focus is on ordinary dresses, not the really posh ones.
There are no sewing patterns as such, but the experienced seamstress can easily transfer the small silhouette patterns to real patterns, or one can search the bibliography in the book for relevant publications.
Book Review: Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa, Jahrbuch 2021
***This volume – like many in the last two years – has been affected by the pandemic and EXAR waived the fee for many of the affected members. As always, the periodical is divided into three parts: Experiment und Versuch (experiment and testing, pp.10-78), Rekonstruierende Archäologie (reconstructive archaeology, pp.80-101)...
Book Review: Exhibition Catalogue on Experimental Archaeology by Mamuz
Book Review: Pots and Practices: An experimental and microwear approach to Early Iron Age Vessel Biographies by Annelou van Gijn et al (ed)
New or not new to experimental archaeology and microwear methodology in archaeology? Pots and Practices presents a succinct methodology to the analysis developed by archaeologists and a practicing ceramic artist, an investigation into working together on the relationship between two sites, their similarities and differences...
Book Review: Native American Blowguns by Douglas S. Meyer
Book Review: Technology and Experimentation in Archaeology by Sara Cura et al.
Are chaîne opératoire, technology, and experimental protocols and methodology keywords to your research interests? Technology and Experimentation in Archaeology provides international perspectives and excellent case studies on those very subjects...
Book Review: Vorgeschichtliche Techniken im Archäologischen Experiment im Steinzeitpark Dithmarschen by Rüdiger Kelm and Birte Meller (ed.)
Review: Journal of Ethnoarchaeology
Book Review: Determining Prehistoric Skin Processing Technologies by Theresa Emmerich Kamper
Book Review: Reconstruction, Replication, and Re-enactment in the Humanities and Social Sciences
Book Review: Weaving a Realm, Vietnamese clothing from around 1500 AD
Book Review: Road to the Vikings – Bridge between two Worlds by Linda Boye, Klaus Mejer Mynzberg and Mads Thernøe
Book Review: Proceedings from the ReConference 2018
Book Review: Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa, Jahrbuch 2020
***The 19th issue of the periodical includes 19 essays over 231 pages which present the contributions of the EXAR conference held in 2019. The annual report (Jahresbericht, p.225) and the instructions for authors (Autorenrichtlinien, p.229) of Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa can be found at the end...
Book Review: Steinzeitbier – Mesolithisches Brauen am Haspelsee und die Geschichte des Bierbrauens by Ulrich Bähr (ed)
Book Review: Craft Beer Culture and Modern Medievalism: Brewing Dissent by Noëlle Phillips
In Craft Beer Culture and Modern Medievalism: Brewing Dissent, Noëlle Phillips takes a critical look at the people and legends of craft beer and the ways in which medievalism and masculinity have shaped the industry of craft beer brewing. Craft beer may seem to be a rather flippant choice for an analytical scholarly study, but it is a movement deeply infused with modern assumptions...
Book Review: Spaces that tell stories: Recreating Historical Environments by Donna R. Braden
Spaces that tell stories: Recreating historical Environments is a textbook and a how-to manual for those setting up a new exhibition or living history site, or for those evaluating existing interpretation on a site. Everybody who works in museum education, exhibition and living history knows how fantastic it is when an historical environment engages a visitor in the topic. We also know how difficult it can be...
Book Review: Scelte Tecnologiche, Expertise e Aspetti Sociali della Produzione. Una Metodologia Multidisciplinare Applicata allo Studio della Ceramica Eneolitica by Vanessa Forte
Book Review: The Bead Maker From Ribe: The Story of a Viking Craftsman by Thomas Risom
Book Review: Ricostruire e Narrare. L’esperienza dei Musei archeologici all’aperto (Reconstructing and storytelling. The experience of archaeological open-air Museums) by M. Valenti
Book Review: Experimental Archaeology: Making, Understanding, Story-telling by Souyoudzoglou-Haywood and O’Sullivan (eds)
Book Review: With One Needle: How to Nålbind by Mervi Pasanen
Book Review: Viking and Iron Age expanded Boats by Ole Crumlin-Pedersen and Hanus Jensen
Book Review: Historical Brewing Techniques by Lars Marius Garshol
Book Review: The Routledge Handbook of Reenactment Studies by Agnew, Lamb & Tomann (eds)
Book Review: Bronze Age Combat: An Experimental Approach by Raphael Hermann et al
Cometh the hour, cometh the book? There was a considerable anticipatory kerfuffle on archaeological social media about the release of Bronze Age Combat: an experimental approach, and rightly so. It is much more than just an experimental archaeology book with rather gorgeous photographs of swords, spears and shields (although it is that too!). It is a rare publication which manages to...
Book Review: Iron Age Experience, Iron Age Kids and Kaptol - Hallstatt Food Workshop & Cookbook
Book Review: Zivot experimentem. Sbornik praci k zivotnimu jubileu Bohumira Dragouna
Book Review: Mittelsteinzeit, ein Leben im Paradies? by Werner Pfeifer
Book Review: Slow Tech by Peter Ginn
Book Review: Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa, Jahrbuch 2019
***It is the 18th issue of the periodical and includes 27 essays on experimental archaeology as well as an annual report (Jahresbericht, p. 321), an obituary for Sylvia Crumbach (p.325) and instructions for authors (Autorenrichtlinien, p. 326) of Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa on 328 pages...
Book Review: Interpreting the Environment at Museums and Historic Sites by Reid and Vali
Interpreting the Environment at Museums and Historic Sites is a textbook and a call to action. In the midst of the Anthropocene, Debra A. Reid and David D. Vail argue, museums and conservation areas should attend to their environmental assets, tell environmental stories, and take an activist role in encouraging better stewardship.
Book Review: Architectures of Fire: Processes, Space and Agency in Pyrotechnologies edited by Dragos Gheoghiu
Book Review: An Archaeology of Skill: Metalworking Skill and Material Specialization in Early Bronze Age Central Europe by Maikel H.G. Kuijpers
Book Review: Pfeil und Bogen in der Römischen Kaiserzeit, by Holger Riesch
Book Review: Storia Militare, by Mauro Fiorentini
Book Review: Bows and Arrows of the Vikings, by Dan Høj
Book Review: Viking Age Brew, by Mika Laitinen
Book Review: The Living History Anthology, Perspectives from ALHFAM by Martha B. Katz-Hyman et al. (eds)
Book Review: Experimental Archaeology: from Research to Society, by Isabel Cáceres et al.
Book Review: A Handbook for Men's Clothing of the Late 15th Century by Anna Malmborg & Willhelm Schütz
Book Review: Crafting in the World, Materiality in the Making by Burke and Spencer-Wood
Book Review: A Handbook for Women's Clothing of the Late 15th Century by Anna Malmborg & Willhelm Schütz
Book Review: Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa, Jahrbuch 2018
***Like the previous issues, this periodical (Jahrbuch) is published by Gunter Schöbel and the European Association for the advancement of archaeology by experiment e. V. (Europäische Vereinigung zur Förderung der Experimentellen Archäologie) in collaboration with the Pfahlbaummuseum Unteruhldingen...
Book Review: Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa, Jahrbuch 2017
***This volume of Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa does not only serve as 2017’s year book of the European Association for the advancement of archaeology by experiment (EXAR), but also acts as a Festschrift dedicated to Professor Mamoun Fansa, who celebrated his 70th birthday...
Book Review: Dressing Prehistory (Oblekani Praveku) by K. Urbanová and J. T. Pulpán
Book Review: Skanseny Archeologiczne i Archeologia Eksperymentalna by Jan Gancarski
Book Review: Tablets at Work by Claudia Wollny
Book Review: Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa, Bilanz 2015
***Volume number 14 of the periodical “Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa: Bilanz 2015” represents the proceedings of the 11th meeting of EXAR held in cooperation with the Labor für Experimentelle Archäologie (LEA), a branch of the Römisch-Germanischen-Zentralmuseums in Mainz (RGZM)...
Book Review: The Archaeology of Time Travel. Experiencing the Past in the 21st Century, edited by Bodil Petersson and Cornelius Holtorf
Book Review: Proceedings of the 25th Meeting of Archaeologists from Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria
Book Review: Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa, Bilanz 2013
***Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa. Bilanz 2013 published by Gunter Schöbel and the European Association of Archaeology by Experiment e.V. is the product of the experimental archaeology conference AEAS/GAES, held between the 4th - 7th October 2012, Switzerland...
Book Review: Flinthandwerk by Wulf Hein and Marquardt Lund
Book Review: Playing with the Time. Experimental Archaeology and the Study of the Past by Rodrigo Alonso, David Canales, Javier Baena (Eds.)
Book Review: Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa, Jahrbuch 2016
***The periodical "Experimentelle Archäologie" is issued by Gunter Schöbel and the "Europäische Vereinigung zur Förderung der experimentellen Archäologie", together with Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen from Germany. Issue no. 15 includes 223 pages of text, with numerous colour photographs...
Book Review: The Arte Militaire. The Application of 17th Century Military Manuals to Conflict Archaeology by Warwick Louth
Book Review: Forensic Archaeology: the Application of Comparative Excavation Methods and Recording Systems by Laura Evis
Book Review: Representation of the Past in Public Spheres. Experiencing the Past: the Reconstruction and Recreation of History at Colonial Williamsburg by Martine Teunissen
Book Review: The Movement - Comments on the Booklet How to Organize a Historical Event involving Reenactment Groups
What defines re-enactment and living history?
As I believe that a clarification of terms and the contextualisation of matters is a good starting point for any investigation, this question marks the beginning of my guide (Aune Nilsen 2015:6-7). Talking to organisers, museum workers and re-enactors in Scandinavia, I have noted that they all have different answers to this question.
Book Review: the Lifecycle of Structures in Experimental Archaeology – An Object Biography Approach by L. Hurcombe and P. Cunningham
Book Review: das "jungsteinzeitliche" Langhaus in Asparn an der Zaya by E. Lauermann (ed)
Book Review: Management of Open-Air Museums. Workpackage 2: “Improvement of Museum Management” by Jakobsen, B & Burrow, S (eds).
Book Review: Menswear of the Lombards. Reflections in the Light of Archaeology, Iconography and Written Sources
Book Review: Heritage Tourism Destinations by Maria D Alvarez (et al.)
Book Review: The Art of Prehistoric Textile Making: The Development of Craft Traditions and Clothing in Central Europe by Karina Grömer
Book Review: Zurück zu unserem Cheruskerhof! by Sylvia Crumbach
Book Review: Egyptology in the Present: Experiential and Experimental Methods in Archaeology by C. Graves-Brown (Ed)
Book Review: Archaeology and Crafts edited by Rüdiger Kelm
Book Review: Recent Publications: Experimental Archaeology in the November 2015 Issue of the Cambridge Archaeological Journal (Volume 25, Issue 4)
Book Review: Geschichtstheater. Formen der "Living History" by Wolfgang Hochbruck
National interest in re-production of history started when the Ethnological Commission of Westphalia called together with Freilichtmuseum Cloppenburg, one of the oldest German open-air museums, a conference on the topic of “Living history in the Museum” in 2007 in Cloppenburg, Niedersachsen. Subsequent conferences made it clear that - apart from predictable doubts about the reliability and quality of the reconstructions of historical life-worlds and events - there was a significant dissonance regarding terminologies.
Book Review: From Rome to Las Vegas. Reconstructions of Ancient Roman Architecture by Anita Rieche
Book Review: Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa, Bilanz 2014
***Volume number 13 of the periodical Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa. Bilanz contains 215 pages with 18 different articles on a wide variety of subjects. The contributions are presented in four sections: Experiment and Test, Reconstruction Archaeology, Theory and Emanation’, and Short reports...
Book Review: Accidental and Experimental Archaeometallurgy by D. Dungworth and R. Doonan (Eds)
Book Review: Prehistory Hands-On by C. Henderson
Book Review: Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa, Bilanz 2012
***According to James Mathieu in 2002, experimental archaeology is “A subfield of archaeological research which employs a number of different methods, techniques, analyses and approaches within the context of a controllable imitative experiment to replicate past phenomena...
Book Review: Performing Heritage: Research, Practice and Innovation in Museum Theatre and Live Interpretation by Anthony Jackson & Jenny Kidd (eds)
Book Review: "Experiments Past" Edited by Jodi Reeves Flores & Roeland P. Paardekooper
Book Review: Reconstructing Ancient Linen Body Armour by Gregory S Aldrete, Scott Bartell and Alicia Aldrete
Everyone knows that the Ancient Greeks wore bronze armour. Examples have been excavated, mentioned in the literature and depicted on vases, statues et cetera. But there is also mention of something they called 'linothorax': literally, 'linen chest', meaning linen armour for the chest...
Book Review: Communication Strategy–Strategic Public Relations for Archaeological Open-Air Museums by M.A. Zielinska and R.P. Paardekooper
Book Review: An Early Meal - a Viking Age Cookbook & Culinary Odyssey by Daniel Serra and Hanna Tunberg
Book Review: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences by L. Shillito, E. Fairnell and H. S. Williams (eds)
Book Review: The Emergence of Pressure Blade Making: from Origin to Modern Experimentation by Pierre M. Desrosiers (editor)
There are few issues in lithic studies that have captured the imagination and attention of researchers as much as laminar (blade) technologies (see Bar-Yosef & Kuhn 2009). This has resulted in a rich and detailed body of academic work partly reflected in Pierre M. Desrosiers’ (Ed.) The Emergence of Pressure Blade Making: From Origin to Modern Experimentation...
Book Review: The Value of an Archaeological Open-Air Museum is in its Use by Roeland Paardekooper
Book Review: Experimental Archaeology and Fire. The Investigation of a Burnt Reconstruction at West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village by Jess Tipper
Book Review: Guédelon - Building a French Castle the 13th Century Way
Book Review: Aurignacian Clay Hearths from Klissoura Cave 1: an Experimental Approach by Malgorzata Kot
Book Review: Glossary of Prehistoric and Historic Timber Buildings by Lutz Volmer and W. Haio Zimmermann (ed.)
Book Review: Fish Leather Tanning and Sewing by Lotta Rahme and Dag Hartman
Book Review: Toffee Apples & Togas by Rita Roberts
Book Review: The Boyne Currach: from Beneath the Shadows of Newgrange By Claidhbh Ó Gibne
Claidhbh Ó Gibne has devoted himself to building traditional currachs and researching their history. His new volume, The Boyne Currach: From beneath the shadows of Newgrange, puts the currach in the context of the history of...
Book Review: Experimentation and Interpretation, The Use of Experimental Archaeology in the Study of the Past by Dana C. E. Millson
What role does experimental archaeology have in the wider discourse? According to the papers in this book, all of which were presented at the Theoretical Archaeological Group (TAG) conference in Southampton in 2008, a large one...
Book Review: Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa, Bilanz 2011
***Bilanz 2011 once again supplies an exciting, diverse and interesting view into the world of experimental archaeology. Published by EXAR in cooperation with the Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen, Isensee Verlag, Oldenburg 2011, 270 pp, ISBN 978-3-89995-794-5
Book Review: La Arqueología Reconstructiva y el Factor Didáctico by Santacana and Masriera
Both in Europe and in the US there is a multitude of archaeological sites which are shown to the general public either partially or completely rebuilt. This pattern, which is standard practice in many countries, is sternly contested and rejected in others, giving rise to a 200 year old international debate...
Book Review: Die römische Armee im Experiment by Chr. Koepfer, F. W. Himmler & J. Löffl
Book Review: Experimental Archaeology – Between Enlightenment and Experience by Petersson and Narmo
Book Review: Förestallningar om det Förflutna by Bodil Petersson. Imaginations of the Past, Archaeology and Reconstruction
Book Review: Die Knochen- und Geweihgeräte der Feddersen Wierde by Katrin Struckmeyer
Book Review: The Minoan Double Axe: An Experimental Study of Production and Use by Maria Lowe Fri
Book Review: Experimental Archaeology Presented in the AiD Magazine
The top popular magazine in Germany on archaeology is called Archäologie in Deutschland, simply referred to as ‘AiD’. It has been published every two months since 1984 and is 84 pages in length. The publisher is Theiss from Stuttgart. They publish on archaeology, history and ethnography and carry about 650 titles...
Book Review: Experimental Archaeology by Alistair Marshall
Experimental Archaeology: 1. Early Bronze Age Cremation Pyres. 2. Iron Age Grain Storage - the first thing that strikes the reader is that the book’s preface is missing leaving little understanding of the overall purpose of the book beyond the publication of two very different but significant experiments...
Book Review: Die byzantinische Steinsäge von Ephesos by Fritz Mangartz
Water driven saws for cutting stone were thought of as being modern inventions, until recently. At present we have several finds that prove such machines existed in the Classic Era...
Book Review: The Archaeology of Time Travel by Anders Ödman (ed)
At the European Association of Archaeologists' meeting in Malta, September 2008, a session was held on the topic of Archaeology as Time Travel, dedicated to exploring the popular phenomenon of time travel to past times, including a variety of aspects related to materiality/virtuality, the market of time travel experiences, design issues and how time travel should be evaluated as an experience...
Book Review: Experimentelle Archäologie. Eine Gratwanderung zwischen Wissenschaft und Kommerz by Dirk Vorlauf
***The name Dirk Vorlauf is closely connected to the history of experimental archaeology in Germany. From the late1980s, the Vorlauf has conducted several experiments testing archaeological hypotheses, and he is critically involved in methodology and theory...
Book Review: Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa, Bilanz 2010
***Twenty years of Bilanz of experimental archaeology – under this phrase the ninth volume in this series covers a series of articles which deal in different ways with questions in this range...
Book Review: Designing Experimental Research in Archaeology by Jeffrey R. Ferguson (ed)
Designing Experimental Research in Archaeology is a recently published guide to planning and conducting archaeological experiments. Edited by Jeffrey R. Ferguson, a research assistant professor at the archaeometry laboratory at the University of Colorado, the book aims to guide researchers through methodology and experiment design...
Book Review: Sailing into the Past: Learning from Replica Ships by Jenny Bennett (ed)
There must be hundreds of wooden ship replicas across the world, not only the ‘Viking ships’ in Scandinavia, but – as the book Sailing into the past shows, there are many medieval and more recent ones...
Book Review: Experimental Archaeology by John Coles
It may appear odd or redundant to reprint a book that was published in 1979. The subject will have moved on, more will have been discovered, new techniques will have been developed. But this is partly the point: Experimental Archaeology by John Coles is a foundation text for the subject as a whole...