EXARC Extracts 2024/1

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.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this first episode of EXARC Extracts for 2024 with me, Matilda Siebrecht, as I summarise the articles in the latest edition of the EXARC Journal.

Our first peer-reviewed article is entitled Reconstructing the Pyrotechnological Development of the Harappans Using Ethnoarchaeological Parallels in The Region of Ghaggar, India written by Garima Singh. The paper discusses the reconstruction of a traditional pottery kiln, in order to consider the research problem of why there are so many more kilns, particularly in the Binjor region, as opposed to other Harappan sites. The article considers the archaeological remains from various Harappan sites, the results of the experiments, and ethnographic parallels. The results provide interesting conclusions that can improve academic comprehension of the Harrappan civilisation.

Next up is Experiments on Painting Viking Age Woodwork by Nanna Friis Hellström, Anna Vebæk Gelskov, Sofie Louise Andersen, and Henriette Lyngstrøm. While previous research on Viking Age pigmentation have focused on the minerals used to create the colours themselves, this article looks instead at other factors that might have influences the painting of Viking woodwork, such as surface treatments, outlines, and paint components. The paper presents several archaeological examples, before discussing the methods and results of the different experimental approaches undertaken: experiments on sanding, visual guidelines, iron ore pigmentation, treating, and painting techniques, and binders. The conclusion shows how understanding the historical practices surrounding painting Viking age woodwork can contribute towards a much broader picture of cultural and artistic expression in this time. 

Our third article is all about An Experimental Reconstruction of Hair Colours from the Jin and Tang Dynasties (265-907 AD) in China, written by Bangcheng Tang, Yan Xue, Yijie Yan, and Bo Yuan. Continuing with the theme of colours, this paper discusses the experimental reconstruction of both herbal and mineral hair colours, based mainly on historic evidence due to the limited archaeological evidence. The article goes into detail on ancient traditional Chinese medical cosmetology, before providing an in-depth summary of the two experiments conducted (both on a variety of different hair types). More experiments are planned, but this paper provides a fascinating introduction to the topic!

The next article is written by Kaari Siemer and is entitled Time travel – a Great Method to Strengthen Cooperation between Museums and Schools. The Experience of Nationwide Time Travels in Estonia. If you’re like me and got excited by the idea that Estonia has discovered time travel, it is probably good to note that this article refers to the Time Travel Method, which is a kind role-playing, partially scripted educational method first developed in the 1980s in the Kamler läns museum in Sweden. The article provides several examples of successful Time Travel experiences conducted at museums in Estonia, and if you’re trying to think of ways to develop your educational experiences at museums, I would definitely recommend giving it a read.

Another experimental study for our next peer-reviewed article, where author David Sim looks at The Making of Roman Metal Ink Pen Nibs. As the title suggests, this paper lays out the method and results for the reconstruction of Roman pen nibs made from copper alloy and iron, in order to establish the amount of time taken in the manufacturing process, and the material lost along the way. These objects have not been studied in depth before, and so this study provides a fascinating insight into a mostly unknown aspect of Roman life.

The next article is entitled Scraping Seal Skins with Mineral Additives by Lasse van den Dikkenberg, Diederik Pomstra, and Annelou van Gijn. This article discussed the results of just one of the many experiments that made up the TELT project – “putting life into Neolithic houses”. In this experiment, scrapers were used on sealskins in order to explore what kinds of use-wear traces are created when scraping fatty hides with mineral additives. The article presents an introduction to the archaeological case study – the Vlaardingen Culture of the Netherlands – as well as previous studies. A detailed overview of the use-wear traces are also provided, and the discussion of these results suggest that it is indeed possible to distinguish between different hide-working processes at archaeological sites.

Our final peer-reviewed article is about The Butser Ancient Farm Horton Neolithic Building – Its Construction and Significance to the Interpretation of Buildings of Early Neolithic Britain and Ireland, written by Trevor Creighton. From pen nibs and scrapers, we end this issue on a slightly larger-scale reconstruction; that of a building based on an early British Neolithic building excavated by Wessex Archaeology back in 2012. The article discusses the archaeological background to the reconstruction, as well as observations made and issues encountered during the project itself. A really interesting insight into the process of prehistoric building reconstruction.

So that’s it for the peer-reviewed articles. We only have a small selection of unreviewed Mixed Matters articles this issue. First up are two conference reviews: ACTION! Museums in the Climate Crisis, NEMO 2023 by Julia Heeb, and Ancient shipping and shipbuilding: issues of research, reconstruction and possibilities of use for the development of tourism, Rivne, Ukraine, 2023 by Andrii Petrauskas. There is also an article on RETOLD: Review of the Meeting at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), June 2022 by Clara Masriera I Esquerra, and Celebrating International Museum Day 2023… Internationally written by Aija Héloïse Pince. 

A great selection of articles as always, so if you want to find out more about any of the titles mentioned in this episode, check out the latest edition of the EXARC Journal, which can be accessed online at exarc.net/journal. And if you’d like to discuss any of these articles further, please do come and join the EXARC Discord server. It’s open to both members and non-members, and is completely free to join. I look forward to seeing you there!