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Blingy, fashionable or personal. Jewellery has been an integral element of identity for thousands of years. Despite this, historic and archaeological examples of these items of adornment have often been understudied and misunderstood. This month we are joined by two guests who are intent on changing this, aiming to highlight the true beauty of jewellery in a wider context. Listen in to hear all about the similarities and differences between studying historic and archaeological jewellery and how to start moving towards seeing these objects as craft items which can tell us their own fascinating stories.
Tess Machling is an archaeologist and independent researcher looking at Prehistoric and Iron Age gold from a craft perspective. Tess is now at the forefront of a project called The Big Book of Torcs, which aims to explore the techniques, manufacture and craft required to create British Iron Age Torcs. The project involves a number of people from a variety of backgrounds, including goldsmiths, silversmiths, jewellers, archaeologists and heritage specialists.
Sigrid van Roode is an archaeologist and jewellery historian. Originally trained as an Egyptologist, her PhD research examined 19 th Century Egyptian jewellery. With 30 years of experience in jewellery research, Sigrid’s goal is now to preserve and share the information associated with items of adornment from North Africa and the Middle East. She also works as a jewellery consultant and runs the website Bedouin Silver, which contains blogs, e-books and online courses.Support the show
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When we talk about documentation, digitalisation and restoration we usually assume that the sites where this takes place are accessible and safe, like in an open-air museum. However, there is a category of conservation specialists who, on a daily basis, are dealing with a range of challenges when they work in remote and/or dangerous areas. In this episode two heritage preservation experts talk about what drives them and how they address the perils their teams face in places like Iraq, Mozambique or Angola.
Stefano Campana is Professor of Landscape Archaeology at the University of Siena, specialising in documentation and remote sensing. He is the co-founder of Archeo Tech & Survey, a spin-off company from the University of Siena, which specialises in archaeology, remote sensing and geomatics. Giovanni Fontana Antonelli is an architect and landscape planner who devoted two decades of his work to the safeguarding of cultural heritage in the Arab world. He is the co-founder of Archi.Media Trust, a non profit organisation focussing on cultural heritage preservation and cultural development.
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The 2024/3 EXARC Journal brings you five reviewed and five mixed matter articles. All the articles are open access to allow for free exchange of information and further development of our knowledge of the past.
This time two of the reviewed articles come from the UK and one a piece from Greece, Norway and the United States. Each of the articles tackles a different topic. John Whittaker and Mary Jane Berman used microlithic flakes as teeth in a wooden grater to better understand the archaeological evidence of such teeth and also the processing of manioc. Sally Pointer’s project looked into the earliest soapmaking. Georgia Kordatzaki’s study assessed the impact of firing on burnished ceramic surfaces. Andrew Fitches and Ben Elliott’s article studies Mesolithic drilling methods and is based on a series of experiments, in which different techniques were used to drill holes in red deer antler. Antoinette Olsen tested a possibility of weaving eight end satin with five rods on a warp-weighted loom.
In the mixed matters section John Hill introduces the Nesshenge project, there is a review of Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa, Jahrbuch 2023.reports from the EAA Conference in Belfast in September 2023 and from the seminar: The Future of Experimentation – from experiment to new archaeological knowledge in Lejre Land of Legends in March 2024.An article on the RETOLD project from Museumsdorf Düppel talks about standardizing documentation of archaeological house reconstructions.
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In this month's episode of Finally Friday, Matilda chats with two specialists in nalbinding to find out all the details of the development, origins, and variety of this unique craft.
Niina-Hannele Nuutinen (Nele) is the co-ordinator of the EXARC textiles working group and a masters student in Crafting Science at the University of Eastern Finland, where she looks at identifying structure vs technique in different kinds of non-woven textiles. Emma Boast is an archaeological small finds specialist with the University of York Department of Archaeology, specialising in early medieval and Viking Age material culture, and is also registered with the UK Guild of Master Craftsmen as a professional nalbinder with her business Nidavellnir.
Together, our guests discuss their experiences and answer those burning questions that I'm sure all of us have had about nalbinding. Where and when did nalbinding start? What is the difference between it and knitting or crochet? How can we know if it's the right craft for us to try out? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this month's episode!
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Like many things in the modern world, digitalisation has transformed the way we interact with the past and opened opportunities for visualisation, curation and sharing. But how do we actually use these digital tools? How do we use them to engage the public? And how do we ensure our digital data is a fair representation of the past?
Henk Alkemade was originally trained as a physical geographer but went into a career in IT following his studies. In 2007, he joined the Dutch National Heritage Agency as an IT manager. This gave him this opportunity to become involved in Europeana projects such as CARARE and LoCloud, which helped reignite a passion in cultural heritage. Henke now works full time in Cultural Heritage, connecting this heritage with IT through his work as a senior specialist in historical landscapes.
Elin Tinuviel Torbergsen currently works for the Museum Nord as a curator for the West Lofoten Department. In addition to this, she is also working on her PhD in media and communication. In these roles, she is attempting to identify digital solutions connecting the archaeological objects on display in the museums with their original places of discovery, and their wider cultural landscapes. Part of this work includes creating digital AR simulations of the world in the past.
In this episode we dive into their respective projects, compare the different types of methods they use and discuss how digitalisation will continue to change heritage in the future.
If you’d like to hear more from our speakers after the episode, they will both be presenting their research at our Digitalisation in Open-Air Museums and Reconstructions conference at the Museum Batavialand in September, we’d love to see you there!
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The 2024/2 EXARC Journal brings you eight reviewed and five mixed matter articles. All the articles are open access to allow for free exchange of information and further development of our knowledge of the past.
The reviewed articles come from far and wide. The majority of the articles come from Europe with two from the United States. Luc Bordes’ article is dedicated to the evolution of throwing sticks. The article by Alexander Whitehead, Anthony Sinclair and Christopher Scott talks about the use of experimental archaeology in research of the pathogenic properties of bifacial butchery tools during the Middle Pleistocene. Marie-Elise Porqueddu, Nuria Castaneda Clemente and Javier Baena Preysler investigate the technical gestures used in mining flint. ‘Hay is for horses’ by Rena Maguire and Robert Johnson tests the hypothesis that post-Iron Age bridles in Ireland could have been made of straw and rushes. Those are only four of the eight articles. The others are dedicated to classification of archaeological open-air museums, Roman baking, Roman metalworking and Etruscan weaving.
The mixed matters section contains an obituary for Andy Kurzweil, the adventures and experiences of three Romanian archaeology students in archaeological open-air museums in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. There is a book review of Experimental Archaeology: Reconstruction of Material Heritage of Lithuania II. Finally there are two articles documenting the RETOLD project.
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In this month's episode of #FinallyFriday, we're discussing how experimental archaeology projects can help in developing well-being!
Megan Russell is a PhD student leading the Experimental Health Project. After working in commercial archaeology, Megan saw the potential of experimental archaeology being used as a tool to increase mental health. She is exploring how other aspects of archaeology such as craft can contribute to mental health as a more accessible option.
Dr Hayden Scott Pratt is curator at the Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre. He is currently running the ‘Living in the Round’ experimental archaeology Wellbeing project, which aims to bring together local people through the medium of community-focused, experimental archaeology.
Between them, the guests present their experiences running different experimental archaeology projects that explore issues related to mental health. They deal with questions of what actually is "well-being"? How can we create more longevity for projects dealing with well-being? What impact does physical setting have on the project? Tune in to find out the answers, and discover some great examples of the positive societal impact of experimental archaeology.Support the show
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This episode we're having a bit of fun and looking at an alternative kind of living history with two guests from the Middle Earth Re-enactment society.
Eric Meulemans is based in the USA with an academic background in history and historic preservation. He has worked at various open-air museums, predominantly using his crafting skills in wood and metal, which he has honed through his company, Meuleurgy.
Steve Mijatovic based in Australia and has a background interest in Anglo Saxon history and weapons based martial arts, which led him into the world of Viking Age re-enactment. He is fascinated by all things historic, in particular historic poetry, and pursues this interest through living history as well as performative education.Join us to hear all about how the society started and what exactly they do in terms of living history, but also to listen in to discussions on the authenticity of re-enactment, maintaining a social group that's scattered around the world, and why the setting of a fantasy world enables a more diverse re-enactment experience. So pop the kettle on, and let's settle down for a listen along with second breakfast!
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So you’ve dug up an object… but how do you know what it was used for? Microwear and use-wear analysis is a growing sub-field within archaeology looking for microscopic traces on artefacts which might give us clues on how they were used in the past – or what might have happened to them once they were abandoned. Join us on this month’s episode of #FinallyFriday for a deep dive into the world of microscopes and experimental reference collections.
Matilda Siebrecht is a professional archaeologist and journalist. Matilda has been a member of EXARC for many years, volunteering in many roles such as being one of the co-hosts on the show, helping organise conferences and events, and since the beginning of 2024, has taken over the role as EXARC’s Director. Outside of her EXARC responsibilities, Matilda is a micro-wear specialist. Whilst her Master’s research focussed on amber and ground-stone analysis, her PhD research at the University of Groningen examined use-wear on ivory and bone tools from the historic arctic populations of Canada.
Éva Halbrucker is a use-wear specialist and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Ghent. As part of her PhD, Eva used use-wear and micro-wear analysis on flint to examine the Neolithic-Mesolithic transition of north-west Belgium. Eva is now doing similar research as part of the ROAM: a Regional Outlook on Ancient Migration project, examining the lithic material from the Mesolithic in the Meuse Valley in south Belgium. Additionally, she is also part of an international research project of a Bronze Age tell settlement in Hungary as a stone tool specialist.Support the show
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The 2024/1 EXARC Journal is bringing you seven reviewed and five mixed matter articles. All the articles are open access to allow for free exchange of information and further development of our knowledge of the past.
The reviewed articles come from far and wide. This time round we have four articles coming from Europe (Estonia, Denmark, Netherlands and UK) while the other two are from China and India. Trevor Creighton from Butser Ancient Farm (UK) discusses the problems and limitations of reconstructing a Neolithic building. Kaari Siemer talks about the use of the ‘time travel’ method in Estonia. The Dutch team tested a hypothesis on use-wear traces on scrapers, the Chinese team carried out an experimental reconstruction of herbal and mineral hair colours. Garima Singh (India) dedicated her study to the evolution of pyrotechnology within Harrapan culture. David Sim (UK) discusses the production of Roman metal pen nibs. Finally, the Danish team carried out experiments with painting Viking Age woodwork.
The mixed matters section contains reports from various events: A meeting of heritage sector’s professional and volunteer contributors in the Netherlands, an international internet dialogue on museums celebrating International Museum Day, the Ancient shipping and shipbuilding seminar in Ukraine and others.
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Lather, rinse, and repeat – an insight into early chemistry. In this month’s episode of #FinallyFriday we dive into the history of soap, debunking soap origin myths and breaking down the science of making soap. From sourcing specific wood ash to hunting down ancient recipes, our two experts explore all the factors that are needed to create a good bar of soap.
Sally Pointer is an archaeologist and freelance heritage educator with a background in museum education and teaching traditional skills. She has recently completed an MSc in Experimental Archaeology at the University of Exeter, where she is now an Honorary Associate Research Fellow. Her research interests are diverse, and she is currently working on projects that explore early textile tools and bast fibres in prehistory. She has an ongoing interest in the development of cosmetics, perfumes and soaps across time and is also working on a book project to explore the history and archaeology of soap. She regularly teaches workshops on ancient skills and traditional crafts and can often be found doing costumed interpretation and audience engagement at heritage sites. She also uses social media and YouTube to help share projects and tutorials on a wide range of topics. The origins of soap have been clouded in myth and misinformation for a long time, and a major project within her MSc and currently being prepared for publication explores the probable scenarios in which true soap was first observed in the ancient world.
Dr Sara Robb began making honey soaps and beeswax creams after leaving academic research in 2003. Formulating for nearly 20 years, Sara's recipes are available in books (Dr Sara’s Honey Potions, Beauty & the Bees, Making and Selling Cosmetics: Honeycomb Cleansing Cream) and numerous journal articles (British Beekeeping Journal, Bee Craft, BBKA News, Bees for Development Journal). Dr Robb has a keen interest in teaching others to formulate cosmetics (running workshops at the British Beekeepers Association Spring Convention and The National Honey Show) and helping small producers by providing Cosmetic Product Safety Reports. Dr Sara Robb is a VUB Certified Safety Assessor, Member of the Society for Cosmetic Scientists, & The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA).Support the show
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It's getting closer to the end of the year, which means that it's time for our next episode of Mirrors and Windows. This year, founding member and current director Roeland Paardekooper chats with Matilda Siebrecht, who will be taking over the role of director in January. Together, they talk about what's happened in 2023 - from the conference in Turun to this year's EXARC award winners - and look ahead to what's coming in 2024 - such as the culmination of projects such as ReTold and TELT. They also look even further back, with Roeland sharing some of his experiences and stories from his time in EXARC (although he insists he wasn't sitting in a rocking chair by the fire during the recording!). And of course, they also look further ahead, as Matilda shares some of her plans and ideas for the future of EXARC.
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The 2023/4 EXARC Journal presents seven reviewed and eleven mixed matters articles. All the articles are open access to allow for free exchange of information and further development of our knowledge of the past.
The reviewed articles come from Europe, Canada, Australia and Syria. As usual they cover wide variety of topics. Can Experimental Archaeology Confirm Ethnographic Evidence? Presents an experimental programme used to examine how boomerangs may be used to retouch stone tools. Testing Roman Glass in the Flame explains the importance of glass properties such as viscosity, temperature working range and softening point when studying ancient techniques of glass working. How Open-air Museums Can Create Programmes for People Affected by Dementia presents special programmes for elderly people with dementia, run by the open-air museum Den Gamble By, in Denmark. “Look at The Bones!” describes an experiment testing the idea presented in the popular press that “Vikings unwittingly made their swords stronger” by using bones in the chain of production from iron ore through to finished swords. Strategy of Presenting Prehistoric Sites Like an Open-air Stand analyses the problems and challenges of preserving and at the same time attracting visitors to prehistoric sites, while engaging local communities in Syria. In Italy, in the middle of the Baroque age, the fashion for drinking chocolate rapidly spread through the courts, nobles, clergy and convents. Experimental Archaeology and the Sustainability of Dental Calculus Research introduces a project that explored the potential of a new methodological approach to investigate the history of chocolate. by combining experimental archaeology with micromorphological and chemical analysis of dental calculus. How were Half-Moons on Shells Made in the Upper Palaeolithic? Presents a study, the aim of which was to reconstruct the chaîne opératoire required to create half-moon-shaped objects from mollusc shell valva, common objects in Italian burials from the Upper Paleolithic onward.The mixed matters section contains 11 articles, including an article on utilising experimental archaeological elements within primary education in China., six book reviews and four conference and event reports.
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The use of metal has transformed almost every aspect of life, helping us to clothe ourselves, create cars, trains and planes, get to the bottom of the ocean and out into space. On this month’s episode of Finally Friday, we take a look at how experimental archaeology helps us to understand metal in the past, with guests Fergus Milton and Giovanna Fregni. Fergus Milton is a long-standing prehistoric metalworking demonstrator at Butser Ancient Farm in the UK. He works closely with the public, giving frequent demonstrations of his work. Giovanna Fregni is an experienced jeweller and archaeologist with particular interests in non-ferrous metals and replicating ancient metalworking techniques from the Bronze Age to Medieval period. Similarly to Fergus, she now offers demonstration and teaching on these ancient techniques.
Fergus Milton is a long-standing prehistoric metalworking demonstrator at Butser Ancient Farm in the UK. Having been involved in experimental metalworking since the early 2000s, Fergus has developed particular interests in smelting, principally of copper ores (although also delving into other metals such as tin, lead, brass and occasionally, iron). In his demonstrator role at Butser, Fergus works closely with the public, offering demonstrations and occasional teaching, of these fascinating skills.
Giovanna Fregni is an experienced jeweller and archaeologist with particular interests in non-ferrous metals and replicating ancient metalworking techniques from the Bronze Age to Medieval period. She particularly enjoys reconstructing hammers, anvils and other tools to understand metalworking technologies. She has also contributed to research on the preservation and reconstruction of archaeological metal. Currently, Giovanna travels significantly, offering demonstration and teaching on these ancient metalworking techniques.
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We all enjoy visiting museums and other archaeological areas, but what are the implications of sustainability when maintaining and rebuilding these sites? This month we consider open-air museums and cultural heritage sites from the perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals, as Matilda chats with guests Amy Stewart and Silje Evjenth Bentsen.
Amy Stewart is the curator at the Crannog Centre Open Air Museum in Scotland. Since the unfortunate destruction of the central Crannog several years ago, Amy has become involved in planning the new build, and part of this job involves considering the implications of sustainability at the museum site.
Dr Silje Evjenth Bentsen is the project manager of “Fotefar mot nord” (“Traces towards the North”) in Norway. This project aims to promote cultural heritage as a resource for both the local community and the tourism industry, and one of the main themes of developing it further is that of sustainability.
Together, they discuss issues of social, material, and environmental sustainability when rebuilding cultural heritage sites.Support the show
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The 2023/3 EXARC Journal is bringing you four reviewed and eight mixed matter articles. All the articles are open access to allow for free exchange of information and further development of our knowledge of the past.
The reviewed articles come from Denmark, United Kingdom and two from Italy. Two of them concern metal production – Henriette Lyngstrøm’s article on drawing wire from bog ore iron and Mauro Fiorentini’s article on casting a copper axe. Another article by Francesca Tomei and Juan Ignacio Jimenez Rivero deals with pottery production. The last article by a collective of Italian researchers is dedicated to garum, one of the most famous sauce in Roman cuisine.
In the mixed matters section you can find reports on conferences and events including the EAC 13, which took place in Torun Poland in May 2023, the RETOLD meeting in Sibiu, Romania and Archaeology Days in Kernave, Lithuania. You can also find there reviews of Rethinking Heritage for Sustainable development and Draft animals in the Past, Present and Future.Support the show
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In this month’s episode of Finally Friday we are talking sustainable and natural buildings! Most of us live in and around buildings every day, but could going back to historic or natural building techniques add new dimension to our architecture? This month Phoebe is joined by two experts from our EXARC community, Caroline Nicolay and Daniel Postma.
Caroline Nicolay is an archaeologist and heritage specialist who focusses on the public’s interaction, interpretation and experience of archaeology. She has worked in a number of open-air museums across England and France but has since established her own living history and experiential archaeology company, Pario Gallico. With Pario Gallico, Caroline particularly likes to focus on recreating Iron Age wall paintings, but she also works on other areas of history up until the Tudor period. More recently, to complement her research in wall painting, she has begun training in the conservation and maintenance of traditional earth buildings.
Daniel Postma is a natural builder and archaeologist based in Scotland. His first involvement in experimental archaeology began in the research and eventual reconstruction of an early medieval turf building located in the north of the Netherlands and he is now a specialist in this material. Since then, Daniel has trained in contemporary natural and sustainable building techniques, which help contribute to a more holistic idea of how buildings in the past may have been constructed. His company Archaeo Build, takes this idea further, focussing on the interaction between past and present forms of natural building.
Tune in from Friday 7th July to hear Caroline and Daniel chat everything from floors made with blood to the effects of the Industrial Revolution.Support the show
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The 2023/2 EXARC Journal is bringing you six reviewed and eight mixed matter articles. All the articles are open access to allow for free exchange of information and further development of our knowledge of the past.
As usual the articles vary widely. Among the reviewed articles we have for example articles on Reconstructing Ötzi’s shoes by Eva IJsveld (NL), production of Roma screws by David Sim and Chris Legg (UK) and Tannūr ovens by Carmen Ramírez Cañas, Penélope I. Martínez de los Reyes and Antonio M. Sáez Romero (ES).
In the mixed matters section you can find continuation of the discussion with Ukrainians archaeologists on the topic Heritage in Times of War, review of the book Archaeological Open-Air Museums: Reconstruction and Reenactment – Reality or Fiction? containing contributions from the 2018 conference of the same name and reports on a number of events.Support the show
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Beans, beans! They’re good for the heart! In this month’s episode we are joined by two specialists from the EXARC Experimental Archaeology Award winning project Investigating the Origin of the Common Bean in the New World. We hear about the difficulties identifying beans in the archaeological record and how using organic residue analysis might begin to spill the beans… on beans.
Timothy Baumann is the lead investigator on the project. His research interests in experimental archaeology focus mainly on prehistoric and historic foodways, pottery and tools from the south-eastern United States, which is where the idea for the project came from. Tim is also the former director the University of Tennessee’s Laboratory of Environmental Archaeology and Curator of Archaeology at the University of Tennessee’s McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture.
Eleanora Reber is a Professor of Archaeology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and Interim Chair of the International Studies Department. She is also a specialist in organic residue analysis and her lab, the UNCW Pottery Residue Lab is a dedicated facility for gas chromatography – mass spectrometry analysis of absorbed and visible pottery residue analysis. Nora has research interests in plant domestication and agriculture, and she plays an important role in the project as lead in absorbed residue analysis.
Tune in from Friday 9 th June to hear Tim and Nora chat everything beans!Support the show
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Only one month to go until our 2023 EXARC conference, and to celebrate we chatted with Linda Hurcombe, organiser of EAC12, and Grzegorz Osipowicz, organiser of the upcoming EAC13. Together, they shared their experience in what it takes to organise an international archaeology conference and how conferences have changed since the start of the COVID pandemic. We also chatted with them about their own experiences in experimental archaeology, and how the research field has changed since its first explorations.
Professor Grzegorz Osipowicz is the head of the Department of Prehistory at the Institute of Archaeology at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland. His research focuses on traceology and residue studies, and he is particularly interested in the Mesolithic period and spatial studies.
Professor Linda Hurcombe is the founder and director of the MSC in Experimental Archaeology at Exeter University and President of the Prehistoric Society. Her research is wide-ranging, but was originally also based in use-wear studies and has since expanded to include ethnographies of craft traditions, perishable material culture, and the sensory experiences of prehistory.
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