methodology

Discussion: Experimental versus Experiential Archaeology

Author(s)
Edwin Deady 1,
E. Giovanna Fregni 2 ✉,
Alexander Stewart 3,
Tine Schenck 4,
Chris Thomas 5,
Kate Verkooijen 6,
Sonja Natus 7,
Merryn Dineley 8
Publication Date
This is an extract from a lengthy and lively Facebook discussion in the Experimental Archaeology group, illustrating the main points as it took place between 16 August 2014 and 22 August 2014. The full discussion can be found at: www.facebook.com/groups/experimentalarchaeology

Aspects on Realizing House Reconstructions: a Scandinavian Perspective

Author(s)
Ulf Näsman 1
Publication Date

Using examples from the Scandinavian Iron Age and Viking Age, problems in realising house reconstructions are discussed here, including the deskwork necessary as part of the preparations. My own experiences in this field include participation in the 1966-1973 excavations of the settlement fort at Eketorp (Öland, Sweden) and the subsequent partial reconstruction of the fort. The second settlement phase, of interest here, is dated from the fifth to early seventh centuries AD (Borg et al. 1976).

Authenticity is Fiction? Relicts, Narration and Hermeneutics

Author(s)
Jörg van Norden
Publication Date
In many ways, authenticity is everybody’s darling: the historian searches for authentic, historic texts in order to write down history objectively; the readers, naturally, appreciate an authentic description of the past; and museum visitors want to see authentic originals, not replicas...

Discussion: Archaeological Reconstruction in Situ

Author(s)
John H. Jameson 1,2,3,4,
Wulf Hein 5 ✉,
Hannah Simons 6,
Heather Hopkins 7,
Paul Bidwell 8,
Hans Trauner 9,
Marquardt Lund 10,
Renger Elburg 11,
Gary Ball 12,
Martin Müller 13
Publication Date

A view of John H. Jameson (USA)

At historic sites, monuments, and parks, the process of effective interpretation allows each visitor to find an opportunity to personally connect with a resource or place. Each individual may connect to the place in a different way, and some may not connect immediately, but everyone should have an opportunity to explore how that special site or place is meaningful to them.