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| Archaeology offers a 'hands-on' pathway into the lives of our ancestors - find out how tiny finds lead towards a larger picture, and inspire some people to get their own hands dirty. |  A reconstructed Iron Age house
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Experimental archaeology is a form of 'hands-on' study based on questions about past human activity and behaviour. It is used as a tool to test theories and to help interpret archaeological sites and artefacts through an understanding of ancient technologies and the societies that created them.
This understanding is brought about through reconstruction and recreation of environmental conditions, buildings, transport, tools, weapons, domestic equipment, and more. Such activity may form part of an overall interpretation strategy about a particular culture and period, such as at the Iron Age farm complex at Butser [/history/trail/archaeology/experimental/getting_involved_fact_file.shtml] , near Petersfield.
Other activities may be carried out as short-term experiments inspired by a single discovery or motivated by individual interest, such as making a pot or a wattle hurdle [/history/trail/archaeology/experimental/getting_involved_fact_file.shtml] .
'We can always learn more from studying and handling materials like actual house or ship timbers ...'
The better preserved the evidence, the better our chances for effective reconstruction. It is easier, for example, to appreciate the design and function of a ceramic pot that is discovered intact with a residue, than a single, feature-less fragment.
Similarly there are obvious benefits from submerged or waterlogged sites where there is good preservation of organic materials. We can always learn more from studying and handling materials such as actual house or ship timbers than from cavities left by rotted items in the ground, or by carved or painted images, which can be misleading or lack information.
Global communication via the Internet means that theories, methodology, and results of experiments may be shared and compared with greater speed and efficiency than ever before. This should lead to rapid advances in our understanding of ancient technologies and perhaps to more systematic developments in experimental archaeology.
'The tall, elegant horn topped with a bronze boar's head produced a deafening sound ...'
Experiments based on artefact discovery were carried out from as early as the 18th century, inspired by finds of objects such as the bronze carnyx (a horn-like musical instrument) from Lincolnshire and several Bronze Age horns from Denmark and Ireland. Some of the instruments were so complete that they were tested by blowing on several occasions - either end on, or from the side, as was the case for some of the Irish horns.
The discoveries also inspired bronze-working experiments to try to understand the properties of the metal in order to produce an accurate copies of the horns. Unfortunately, as part of one of these experiments, the Lincolnshire carnyx was melted down and was lost forever. Such a sacrifice would not be acceptable today.
The fascination with the potential sound of music in prehistory was not limited to early discoveries. When part of another carnyx was discovered in Deskford, Scotland, a working replica was made to test for sound quality. The tall, elegant horn topped with a bronze boar's head produced a deafening sound, and not surprisingly it is believed to have served as more of an Iron Age war trumpet than a musical instrument.
Images depicting these horn-like pieces appear on the Gundestrup cauldron from Denmark, while the Deskford carnxy is on display in the National Museum of Scotland. Further experiments in the sounds of ancient Scotland have been recorded by specialists and professional musicians using original and replica instruments.
'Finds of partly-perforated stone adzes and axes encouraged experimentation with drilling techniques.'
The art of flint- knapping and other stone working was, and still is, of particular interest, as archaeologists and anthropologists could study objects currently in use, such as arrowheads and axes produced by the natives, and compare them with finds from archaeological sites.
Today demonstrations of shaping flints are practised and recorded in the United States by organisations such as the Society for Primitive Technology, and at many ancient technology centres in Britain and Europe, such as at Cranbourne in Dorset and at Lerje in Denmark. Flint-working and performance testing also continues as the focus of individual research projects, such as the recent study of an assemblage of Swiss Neolithic arrowheads from Hunenberg-Chamleten [/history/trail/archaeology/experimental/getting_involved_fact_file.shtml] .
Methods for working other types of stone were also inspired by 19th-century discoveries, particularly from the Neolithic and Bronze Age Swiss lake dwellings. Finds of partly perforated stone adzes and axes encouraged experimentation with drilling techniques.
Several antiquarians determined that holes could be made in hard stones by using a bow drill [/history/trail/archaeology/experimental/getting_involved_fact_file.shtml] , with the addition of coarse sand and sometimes water at the point of turning. This method was recreated at Phaubaland [/history/trail/archaeology/experimental/getting_involved_fact_file.shtml] in Zurich and it is one of the techniques that we have adapted at the Scottish Crannog Centre [/history/trail/archaeology/experimental/getting_involved_fact_file.shtml] using local materials.
'Ploughing and planting experiments are carried out with various types of early ploughs.'
In Europe, parks such as the Historical Archaeological Research Centre at Lerje in Denmark, established in the 1950s, set the standard for other centres to follow - in research development as well as in public involvement. Reconstructed structures there include tents covered with reindeer hides, Neolithic houses constructed using replica Stone Age tools, and an Iron Age village comprising several longhouses based on discoveries in Jutland.
Ploughing and planting experiments are carried out with various types of early ploughs, and rare or ancient breeds of sheep and cattle are kept on the farm. There are also several workshops, including those for weaving, pottery, and iron forging, where demonstrations and projects take place from time to time. One of the greatest assets of this well-planned centre is the amount of space available for short-term experiments as well as for permanent features.
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.
We can never guarantee, in any case, that the methods we use to build are those employed by our ancestors, but the experiment is valid as long as we work within their means. We can still get an indication of the likely workforce required for example, and we can still learn a great deal about construction techniques and performance or weathering over time. We can also use the finished product to raise awareness about a particular tradition or culture.
'Experiments do not always go to plan, and we learn best from what goes wrong.'
Experiments do not always go to plan, and we learn best from what goes wrong. At Flag Fen, a reconstruction of a small Bronze age roundhouse was thatched using turfs. It turned out that the roof leaked unless the turfs were placed over a lining of straw or other thatching materials.
Several years later, the multi-period park at Archaeolink near Aberdeen made a similar mistake, and had to re-thatch one of its heather-covered roundhouses. One of the reasons for establishing better international experimental archaeology networks is to learn from each other so that we don't all have to make the same mistakes. It is as important to learn about failure as it is to see success.
'It was established to study the role of buildings in archaeological interpretation.'
The crannog reconstruction was based on underwater excavations and aimed to rediscover how the ancient farmers had managed to build their homes on stilts in the water. The project involved students during the building, and continues to involve them in experimental aspects of Iron Age technologies at the Scottish Crannog Centre.
Edinburgh students also participated in the Lemba Archaeological Project, from which the Lemba experimental village was created near Paphos in Cyprus. The village comprises reconstructions of early farming and village communities dating to the Chalcolithic period in Cypriot prehistory, about 3800-2500 BC. It has been running for nearly 15 years and was established to study the role of buildings in archaeological interpretation and their impact on the formation of archaeological sites.
Experimental archaeology provides insight into methods of ancient manufacture and technology, and the resources and workforce required. It also provides an enormous sense of satisfaction when the experiments are successful.
It cannot tell us about rituals or social hierarchy, but it can bring us closer to understanding what it might have been like to live in a particular time and place. As a result, experimental archaeology also plays an important role in public archaeology and lifelong learning, and this role will expand with more research and international collaboration.
Published on Â鶹Éç History: 2005-06-21
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