Â鶹Éç

Page 5 of 8

• 1. Reconstructing the past
• 2. Experiments on artefacts
• 3. Tools and weapons
• 4. Archaeological theme parks
• 5. Heritage centres
• 6. New tools, old methods
• 7. Getting hands-on experience
• 8. Trial and error
• Print entire article

Heritage centres

Some open-air museums focus on education and are open for only part of the year. One such is the Ribe Viking Centre in Denmark, where Viking houses have been reconstructed.

A well-known centre that is open daily throughout the year is Biskupin in Poland, where there are archaeological digs, reconstructed buildings, demonstrations of all aspects of prehistoric life, and an annual festival held over several days. Archaeosite in Belgium also has multi-period buildings, and sets experiments from pot making and iron smelting to logboat building and cooking.

'These centres interpret archaeology to the public in a variety of ways.'

Britain also has many heritage centres, open air museums, and parks featuring a range of reconstructed buildings, where ancient technology is practiced for part if not all of the year. Educational centres like Cranbourne are run under the auspices of the local authority, but many others, like Lejre, are independent .

These centres interpret archaeology to the public in a variety of ways, under the banner of cultural tourism, and they may not be able to survive without income from general visitors as well as from students and school children.

NextPrevious

Published: 2005-06-21