Exarc

The Perfume Theme Park Museum of Cyprus' research protocol of Experimental Archaeology, aims at verifying hypotheses of ancient perfume manufacturing processes, to formulate a possible comparison with modern realities derived from the island's ancient cultural heritage. What has recently emerged from international investigations is that distillation is a very ancient art, which existed for many centuries before its parameters and functions were formalised. It may have been born before use of ceramics, suggesting that the need to distil created clay apparatus/alembic, not the contrary (Belgiorno 2017, pp. 51-59).

This paper relates to a study of experimental archaeology, executed by Ruben Cataldo, about the forging methods used to produce some replicas of two metal points found during the archaeological excavations carried out between 1992 and 1996 by the University of Salento in the medieval village Quattro Macine (translated Four Millstones), located in the municipality of Giuggianello, a small town in Southern Apulia (South-East Italy). This study has been made by forging several replicas of these two particular finds, describing the step by step forging process of both artefacts. The study also focused on the interpretation problem between arrowheads and crossbow bolt heads, reflecting on the differences between the two types of weapons, and trying to formulate an idea of how to properly interpret the artefacts, to guarantee a certainty on this kind of analysis. The interesting thing about these two points is that not many similar finds have been discovered in the whole area, and none ha...

The limits of precision casting were explored experimentally at the Bronze Casting Workshop at Wilhelminaoord, the Netherlands, by making wax models, moulds and lost wax castings using essentially early metalworking conditions. Geometrically patterned models of Dark Age type dies were used to make wax patterns to simulate one of the finest detailed objects to come from excavation, the Tjitsma die. Examination of mould surfaces and castings by scanning electron microscopy showed that the limiting surface resolution of lost wax casting in bronze was the finely textured dendritic cast surface. The mould surfaces had taken the geometric pattern of the original wax models very well, although there is a fine particulate texture to the mould surface, but this is far finer than the limiting dendritic surfaces of the cast bronze.

What should an archaeologist do if one of the reconstructions of an experimental village is accidentally burning during the night? Simple: pick up a camera and start taking pictures. And then, of course, plan the excavation to record as much information as possible followed by an analytical and detailed publication on the results.

Pyrgos-Mavroraki, an early 2nd millennium BC proto-industrial settlement, is an excellent case-study on which to apply experimental archaeometallurgy because it presents many different elements connected to the chaine-operatoire of copper metallurgy, typical of Early/Middle Bronze Age Cyprus. The site excavated by the Italian Archaeological Mission of the ITABC-CNR of Rome (Institute for Technologies applied to the Cultural Heritage of the Italian National Research Council), revealed different metallurgical areas and a coppersmith workshop equipped with a set of basalt anvils (Belgiorno, 2017). The combination of the metallurgical evidence of the entire copper processing (crucibles, moulds, anvils, stone tools), the huge presence of non-tapping slags all over the site and the identification of several structures interpretable as furnaces, suggested that some sort of smelting process took place at Pyrgos-Mavroraki. Some pilot experiments have been preliminarily carried out to test th...

The eighth European Textile Forum took place 6-12th November 2017, organised by Katrin Kania and Sabine Ringenberg. It was held at its adopted home LEA (Labor für Expermentelle Archäologie) in Mayen, Germany, a satellite of the RGZM (Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum) at Mainz, by invitation of LEA director Michael Herdick. The European Textile Forum is a gathering of academics, professional re-enactors, textile specialists and enthusiasts. Through academic presentations, on-site experiments and round-table discussion they present new findings and test theoretical ideas, acting as the proving ground between theory and practice. Previous findings have been published through Oxbow in 2013 as 'Ancient Textiles Modern Science'. A new proceedings is currently being finalised.

In the modern world currently, there is an interest in and desire to understand ancient craft technologies, along with learning the practical side of these skills. Nålbinding is a craft which has been taught and demonstrated for the last 50 years, mainly within heritage and re-enactment communities. The cultural and social history of this craft has survived as a narrative better in some countries than others. In some places it has completely disappeared, leaving only fragmented archaeological remains behind. With a limited collection of archaeological examples surviving, each nålbinder or scholar comes up with their own way of assessing, learning and teaching this craft. In many cases it is this practical knowledge that is passed-down from archaeologists or fibre historians to a student; this then starts to create its own social application of the craft. Once that tutor has gone or the student moves on, nålbinding then can either evolve into an artistic craft form for the nålbinder,...

The ancient Egyptian civilisation intentionally mummified a wide variety of animals including many avian species. Research concerning animal mummification has been underway since 2000 at the KNH Centre, University of Manchester, and was formalised in 2010 with the establishment of the Ancient Egyptian Animal Bio Bank project. A collaborative partnership with the Central Manchester NHS Trust has enabled 200 mummies to be radiographed using state-of-the-art medical imaging facilities. The use of imaging technology (X-ray and CT) has enabled details of the internal contents and mummification techniques used to produce these mummies (the majority of which are wrapped) to be investigated non-invasively, thus without compromising the integrity of the artefacts themselves. Experiential mummification of a female sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) has been conducted using techniques witnessed through the imaging of ancient specimens, in particular the lack of evisceration methods and the use of natron as a desiccant; as well as the use of a beeswax and resin mixture to anoint the bird, prior to wrapping in linen.

Kernavė is one of the most picturesque places in Lithuania. Five hill-forts surround the wide valley of Pajauta. This place has always been visited by people not only for its sights but also for its aura of the distant past. Ever since people in Lithuania became more interested in history, Kernavė has been a symbol of the grandeur of Lithuania's past.

History is a record of past events, activities, situations, and processes. As a subject, it helps students in understanding not only who they are and where they came from, but it also offers them an opportunity to make informed decisions about present issues and future developments. History also teaches responsible citizenship, and develops critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Historians believe that the study of history sensitizes an individual to the universality of the human experience as well as to the peculiarities that distinguish cultures and societies from one another (Daniels, 1981; Voss, 1998). As one of the disciplines among social sciences, history, thus, represents accounts of multi-layered and multifaceted human experiences across time and space constructed by historians through working on both primary and secondary sources.

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. One of the indisputable successes of SEPA is the reconstruction of one of the supposed prehistoric birch tar and pitch production methods without the use of ceramics (Osipowicz 2005a), as well as the recreation of a Neolithic technique for making holes in stone axes (Osipowicz 2005b) and successful experiments with various techniques for bone and antler softening (Osipowicz 2007). At present, papers on the findings of further experiments in these fields are being prepared for publishing, as well as results of new experiments with use of, for example, ranged weapons, axes made of bone and antler and trampling. Moreover, the SEPA members also ...

Bone fishhooks have occasionally been retrieved from bone assemblages at coastal sites dating to the Middle Mesolithic phase (8300-6300 cal. BC) in Southern Norway and Western Sweden (the north-eastern Skagerrak region, Figure 1). Several studies of fishhooks from these sites have been undertaken in recent years (Jonsson, 1996; Mansrud, 2017; Mansrud and Persson, 2017). Fishhooks can be manufactured from different osseous materials, including antler, ribs and shafts of different long bones of large ruminants (Bergsvik and David, 2015, p.208; Clausen, 2018; David, 1999, p.123). It has been assumed that species within the deer family (Cervidae) provided the raw material for the fishhooks in the north-eastern Skagerrak region. However, most of the bone assemblages are not well preserved. The animal bones and the fishhooks were heavily fragmented, often burnt and/or weathered (See Figures 2, 3). Thus, in many cases it was difficult to ascertain which osseous raw material was utilized, h...

The annual European Textile Forum took place from 7-13 November 2016. This year the focus was 'mistakes', the unintended consequences in textile manufacture or preservation that reveal more about the artefact, the techniques used and its makers than a 'perfect' piece could do. The programme was rich in practical experiments, making use of the conference and laboratory facilities. There were lectures, workshops, roundtable discussions and a day's visit to the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum (RGZM) in Mainz. The forum is a place where academics, professionals, re-enactors, skilled amateurs and novices can meet to present new ideas and findings, compare notes, advise, reflect and learn new skills. The European Textile Forum is a proving ground for new theories in a friendly environment, organised by Katrin Kania and Sabine Ringenberg. Delegates could stay the length of the conference, a couple of days or use day passes to visit as they wished.

This 700-plus page book is dedicated to the exploring the basics of tablet weaving. This book will not only allow the reader to understand the step-by-step methods for different tablet weaving techniques but also describes the process behind creating one's own pattern.

The Pfahlbauland exhibition at Landiwiese in Zurich in 1990 was an important event for the Swiss experimental archaeology community. On 27 March 2010, the board of the Working Group on Experimental Archaeology in Switzerland (AEAS-GAES) invited a panel of experts to hold a public debate in Olten on whether the incentives that had existed at the time still played their part, how they were now constituted and what the future perspectives were.

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. The first phase of this experiment began in 2007 with the construction of a scaled replica of the Iron Age Iberian kiln brought to light at the excavation of Alcalá de Júcar (Province of Albacete). This reconstruction employed materials and techniques identified on the archaeological dig, as well as ethnographic parallels. Some parallels were drawn from the Catalonian town of Verdú, the location of the experiment. This town has an uninterrupted 500 year tradition of ceramic production. The kiln comprised two chambers separated by a grate. Four sensors installed in the kiln recorded a maximum temperature of 600° C. This temperature is probably due ...

The conference in Documentation Strategies in (Archaeological) Open-air Museums, organised through the Experimental Archaeology Society (EXARC), was due to be held in Berlin on March 26th and 27th 2020. Unfortunately, the first half of March 2020 saw the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic throughout Europe which caused the implementation of government restrictions on travel and public gatherings. It seemed as if the EXARC Berlin conference, along with so many other archaeological events, would have to be cancelled. However, the organisers were determined to see it through, and so decided to adapt the event to an online platform. The speakers had already been asked to provide a recorded version of their presentations in case of individual Coronavirus-related cancellations, and so these recorded talks were used instead as the main content. Each video was uploaded to YouTube and a Discord page provided as a channel for discussion and questions during the course of the conference.

In November 2019, Experimental and Experiential Archaeology made its debut as an independent session at the ASOR Annual Meeting in San, Diego, California, USA, featuring research done in the context of the ancient Near East (http://www.asor.org/). The session was organized by Tracy L. Spurrier from the University of Toronto who has been dabbling in modern lost wax bronze casting in order to research how King Sennacherib cast colossal bronze statues in 700 BC Nineveh (northern Iraq, ancient Mesopotamia). This inspired her to start a session for other archaeologists exploring experimental and experiential archaeology in the ancient Near East and the ASOR meeting was a perfect North American outlet.

Most of the population of Roman Italy was poor, whether they were the poor who were constantly in search for food and shelter, or the temporarily poor who were artisans or shopkeepers but could fall into poverty at times (Garnsey, 1998, pp.226-227). In classical literature, pleasures of the mind were favoured over pleasures of the body (Gowers, 1993, p.2). Epictetus (Ench. 41) wrote that only stupid men spent time dwelling on matters of the body such as eating, and drinking, and that attention should be devoted entirely to the mind. Plutarch (Mor. 686 c-d) wrote that taking pleasure in the lingering smell of cooking was not the characteristic of a free-born man, and held contempt for those who were too fervent about minor pleasures (Mor. 1094 c). Gowers suggests that this bias, which is common amongst philosophers, could have affected the transmission of classical texts (Gowers, 1993, p.3). In other words, those works which concerned the simple joys of food and cooking may have larg...

This paper aims to present a techno-functional study of lignite ornamental objects found during the Fedele excavations (1977-1980) in the Boira Fusca Cave (Cuorgne, Salto-Turin, Italy). The site demonstrates a chrono-cultural sequence which extends from the late Palaeolithic to the Modern era. Particularly during the first phases of the Metal Ages (Chalcolithic to Early Bronze Age- c. 3400-1600 BC) the cave was a burial site, similar to others in the Alpine area. The technological study of manufacturing methods, based on a wide experimental base, and conducted with the aid of digital microscopy is focused on drilling and shaping techniques.