Experimental Archaeology

From the Neolithic period comes a whole range of various kinds of artefacts made of antler (for example axes, hammer-adzes), distinguished by the presence of a large hole (diameter over 2 cm) in their structure. With time, archaeologists started to wonder about possible ways of producing holes of this type...

In 1998 the Society for Experimental Primeval Archaeology (SEPA) was founded at the Institute of Archaeology at the Nicolaus Copernicus University (NCU) in Toruń. Since its beginnings, SEPA members have dedicated a great effort to engaging in numerous scientific experiments with the aim to present human lifestyle in prehistoric times in general...

Khirbet el-Alia is a large mound, located north-east of Tel Yarmouth, in the Ramat Bet Shemesh region of Israel. An excavation that was conducted north of the mound revealed the remains of a settlement and an adjacent cemetery of shaft graves, dating back to the Intermediate Bronze Age (IBA)...

The goal of this project is to reconstruct the operational sequence of manufacture of Iberian Iron Age pottery, from clay procurement to firing in a reconstructed kiln. Although pottery is the most characteristic artefact recovered on Iberian Iron Age excavations, most of its complex processes and production techniques remain poorly known...

Textile impressions on pottery provide evidence for fabrics and weaves in areas where the fabrics themselves do not survive. This article argues that the impressions can provide information on the uses of different fibres, the weaving technologies and possible trading or agricultural advances connected with these fibres...

7th UK EA Conference Cardiff 2013
***The Prometheus Project was an experimental archaeological investigation carried out at Butser Ancient Farm, Hampshire, England, into prehistoric logboat building techniques. The project focused on exploring the use of fire in building logboats...

7th UK EA Conference Cardiff 2013
***Dyeing, especially in bright, intense colours, has been one of the methods used to embellish textiles and add to their value. A considerable dyeing industry can be shown to have existed in Pompeii. The city of Pompeii was destroyed in a volcanic eruption in AD 79, but its remains were preserved in situ...

8th UK EA Conference Oxford 2014
***The early Middle Chalcolithic pottery tradition of Seh Gabi Tepe in Iran is called Dalma tradition. Among the different types of Dalma pottery, I have focused on monochrome painted ceramics, to investigate, by means of experimental analysis, how their decoration technology was undertaken...

8th UK EA Conference Oxford 2014
***The Shetland Islands are the northernmost part of Britain, located northeast of the Orkney Islands and Scottish mainland. Similar to other locations in northwest Europe, during the Neolithic Period (4000-2500 cal BC) suitable lithic sources were exploited for use in the production of stone axes and other artefacts...

7th UK EA Conference Cardiff 2013
***The Minoan chisel is thought to have been used by the metal worker, the stone mason, the sculptor, the carpenter, and the ivory and bone worker. However, barely any work has been conducted to substantiate the different workers and their chisels...