The EXARC Show

Dive into the fascinating world of experimental archaeology, where scientists, craftspeople, sound-experts, musicians, artists and re-enactors come together to recreate the past. They investigate human activities from a wide range of eras, areas and civilizations. Their work involves both the use of traditional materials and techniques but increasingly also modern digital technology. In each of these podcasts two experts from a particular field discuss their experiences, triumphs and tribulations. Each session is followed by a live Q&A session where listeners can join in to ask questions but also to share their own expertise. For more information, visit us at https://exarc.net.So far topics have covered ancient bread baking; the know-how required for skin tanning and antler work; sewing and embroidery techniques in the Middle Ages; the re-creation of ancient music and the recording and collection of soundscapes; the delicate act of interpreting history; and last but not least how current hot topics like sustainability and conservation impact on the practices of experimental archaeology.

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EXARC Extracts 2023/2

June 26, 2023 • EXARC • Season 2023 • Episode 2

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.

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Welcome to EXARC Extracts with me, Matilda Siebrecht, as we summarise the latest reviewed articles from the most recent issue of the EXARC Journal.

Welcome to this episode as we take a little look at what’s included in the latest Spring 2023 edition of the EXARC Journal. First up is an article entitled Reconstructing Ötzi’s Shoes by Eva IJsveld, who had the opportunity to reconstruct the shoes of the famous “Iceman” thanks to a collaboration with the Ötzi Museum in Bolzano, Italy. The article goes into a lot of detail about the different elements of the shoe - the lime bast, net, leather body, cowhide straps, insulating grass, and sole - and how the author attached all of these elements together in the final reconstruction. A nice and detailed and very practical article.

Next is an article on Scandinavian Arrowheads of the Viking Age, Their Manufacture and Distribution by Hector Cole. Anyone interested in forging techniques and arrowhead manufacture will love this article, as it details the reproduction stages of a number of different arrowheads from a range of Viking Age sites, including the Birka style from Scandinavia, the Dublin style from Ireland, and the York style from England.

The third reviewed article details the Reconstruction of ‘Lattara type’ Housing in a French Archaeosite in Southern France, written by Valentin Grande and Corinne Le Baud. The research was conducted at the Randa Ardesca, which is an open-air museum on a so-called “archaeosite”, which aims to recreate a Celtic village from the Early Iron Age. As part of this aim, the museum recently reconstructed the first two block-style houses considered typical of housing types at the site of Lattara, and this article documents the background and process of this project.

Next up is an article entitled An Experimental Approach to Tannur Ovens and Bread Making in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula during the Iron Age, written by Carmen Ramírez Cañas, Penélope I. Martínez de los Reyes, and Antonio M. Sáez Romero. Although the reliance on bread in the Iron Age west Mediterranean is well known, there is limited literary, epigraphic, and material evidence for how exactly it was produced and consumed. The project detailed in this article therefore aimed to reconstruct, use, and maintain a typical bread oven (known as a ‘tannur’), one portable and one fixed. The results of the experiments, which looked in detail at aspects such as baking time, fuel consumption, material durability, and of course baking results, provided further insight into the development of cooking practices in this time and region.

Another reconstruction was the focus of the fifth article, this time looking at The Production of Roman Metal Screw Threads, written by David Sim and Chris Legg. Although these artefacts would have been an essential part of both fastening and imparting motion, the topic of how they are produced is surprisingly absent in the archaeological literature. The experiments detailed in this article therefore aimed to replicate one of the most common screw thread forms found in the Roman Period – V-Form threads – using only period-specific tools and techniques. The results suggest that these objects are surprisingly easy to produce, as detailed through the experimental methods provided.

The final reviewed article for this issue is a bit different to those mentioned already, and is entitled The Scottish Crannog Centre: Sustainable Thinking through Time and Place, by Edward Hiden. The Scottish Crannog centre is a small Iron Age Museum located in Loch Tay in Scotland, and focuses on life in those water-based roundhouses known as ‘Crannogs’. This article documents the history of the site since it became an accredited museum in 2018, and its goals of becoming Scotland’s most sustainable museum. Definitely an interesting read for anyone involved with Open-Air Museums who is interested in a similar path to sustainability.

So, a short and sweet episode today, as many of the reviewed articles in this edition focussed on reconstructions. There are however also several unreviewed Mixed Matters articles. We have two conference reviews: Europeana “Making Digital Culture Count” 2022 written by Caroline Jeffra, and Living History and Experimental Archaeology, Ukraine, March 2023 written by Maria Ivantsiv. There is also a book review on Archaeological Open-Air Museums Reconstruction and Re-enactment – Reality or Fiction? written by Roeland Paardekooper, and the second part of the Discussion on Heritage in Times of War written by Oleksandr Didyk, Iryna Stasiuk, Evgeny Sinytsia, and Maryan Ivanochko. [I apologise profusely for my mispronunciation of those names. Please do not base whether or not you read the article on my inability to pronounce names…] Other articles include A Hall fit for a King; a Meeting fit for All written by Roeland Paardekooper; a discussion of Pottery at the Scottish Crannog Centre written by Rachel Backshall; an overview of RETOLD: Documenting Houses, Sharing the Story with the Visitors written by Magdalena Zielinska; and an account of The Rearrangement of the Archaeological Museum of Arcevia: Aiming to Improve Accessibility, written by Mauro Fiorentini.

This was EXARC Extracts. If you want to find out more about the research mentioned in this episode, check out the latest edition of the EXARC Journal which can be accessed online at exarc.net/journal.