EXARC Journal - Latest Articles

RETOLD: Unlocking the potential of archaeological house reconstructions by standardizing documentation in open-air museums – experiences from the Museumsdorf Düppel in Berlin, Germany

Author(s)
Julia Heeb 1 ✉,
Svea Röbke 1
Publication Date
The Museumsdorf Düppel – a medieval archaeological open-air museum in Berlin – is a good example a bottom-up museum project from the 1970’s. The idea to create an open-air museum was born after the excavation of a medieval settlement had brought to light several house features, wells and objects ranging from pottery sherds to iron artefacts, in south-western Berlin...

Book Review: Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa, Jahrbuch 2023

Author(s)
Svenja Fabian 1
Publication Date
Annual Proceedings of the EXAR Tagung
***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...

Hay is for Horses: Making and Using a Traditional-Style Irish Straw Harness

Author(s)
Rena Maguire 1 ✉,
Robert Johnston 2
Publication Date
The lack of metal lorinery in the archaeological record of early medieval Ireland is addressed through a hypothesis that post-Iron Age bridles were made of straw and rushes, which did not survive deposition. Reconstruction and testing of a straw bridle show the material to be strong and quite suitable for vernacular use.

The Production of Roman Metal Screw Threads - Extended Version

Author(s)
David Sim 1 ✉,
Chris Legg 2
Publication Date
During the Roman period, small metal screw threads were used both as fastenings and to impart motion. This paper, which is an extended version of my previous article, will show that it is possible to produce metal screw threads using very simple technology. The tools and expertise to carry out this work is...

An Experimental Approach to Baking Ancient Roman Placenta

Author(s)
Jake Morton 1 ✉,
Ellen Schlick 2
Publication Date
Cato The Elder (234-149 BC) wrote our oldest extant work of continuous Latin prose, On Farming (de agri cultura), a how-to guide for farming and life that also included many recipes. We were interested in the section on bread recipes in this text, particularly the recipe for the complex, layered placenta due to...

RETOLD: Experiences in a Local Museum with Digital Documentation – The Stone Age Park Dithmarschen in Albersdorf (Germany) as a RETOLD Partner

Author(s)
Rüdiger Kelm 1 ✉,
Roeland Paardekooper 2
Publication Date
The Stone Age Park Dithmarschen in Albersdorf (Germany) is an archaeological open-air museum focussing on the Stone Age. It consists of an outdoor park area of about 40 hectares. This includes archaeological monuments, reconstructed Mesolithic and Neolithic buildings and a recently opened museum building with an exhibition of original artifacts...

RETOLD: Craft Documentation – as Part of the RETOLD Project

Author(s)
George Tomegea 1
Publication Date
RETOLD is a project implemented through the Creative Europe program of the European Union, whose main purpose is the creation of standard documentation tools to be used in open-air museums. Along with creating documentation, craft documentation is an important component of the project that is the subject of this article...

Book Review: Experimental Archaeology: Reconstruction of Material Heritage of Lithuania, Volume II by Daiva Luchtaniene (ed)

Author(s)
Paul Wright 1
Publication Date

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...