Experimental Archaeology

A great deal is known about Egyptian pyramid quarry sites, tools used in their construction, transportation of stones from the quarries to the pyramids, and the leveling of stones. However, there is a dearth of information concerning the process of lifting of the blocks from the ground onto the pyramid’s superstructure. While ramps are the most widely accepted method, it is an incomplete approach because ramping cannot lift the blocks at the top of the pyramid. Most Egyptologists suggest that a form of a levering device should accompany ramps to form an amalgamated method. Unfortunately, there are no experimental tests demonstrating that a levering device, composed of materials and technology available to the pyramid builders, can function to lift a block in the limited space available at the top of the superstructure.
My study involved a levering device designed to work with ramps to construct the top of the pyramid. My objective was to construct and build a working lever, by encasing its design within the framework of technologies and materials available to the ancient xiii Egyptian pyramid builders. Testing this lever entailed the fabrication of many models; tests with weights greater than 5560 pounds; and a large-scale experiment that raised a 2530-pound block up one tier in under a minute.

The 18th century water-powered ironworks at Agoreggi, in the Basque country, was reconstructed based on contemporary historical records and archaeological investigations. In 1994-1999 three campaigns of experiments were carried out with the aim of reproducing the scale and technology of the iron production. This paper is a fully illustrated description of the experiments and, in particular, of the practical problems of the air delivery system and the use of the copper tobera (tuyere). In 1999 six agoas (blooms) were made of varying quality and size, the largest being a 30kg ferritic agoa smelted from 140kg of ore, but this is only about half the scale of the 18th century production.
It subsequently transpired that the mouth of the tobera used for the experiments should have been 170% larger, thus allowing more air to be blown into the furnace, and the making of agoas closer to the 18th century size. See Crew 2013, 'Twenty five years of bloomery experiments...', pages [46-48], for an overview of the experiments and a brief discussion of the tobera problem.

Clothes are not only made to protect against the cold, sun, or rain, but also to have an impact on the wearer, provide information and create moods. They are experienced both sensually by the person wearing them
and visually by the audience and since clothing can also be used to alter body shapes, it becomes an object of art.
When worn on the human body, clothing serves as a medium of non-verbal communication and as such can be used to demonstrate cultural, social and individual identities. Strategies for communication via dress exist in all parts of the world, and these systems vary not only geographically but also through time. The task of tailoring as a profession is to create garments which cover both these personal and social demands. This paper is based on observations and considerations that were made during the reconstruction of Bronze Age garments by using experimental archaeology methods.

Although it is now commonplace for archaeologists to study use-alteration patterns on ceramics, the same cannot be said of one of the most ubiquitous classes of hunter-gatherer artifacts, fire-cracked rocks (FCR). It can be shown, however, that many of the same methods and theories applied to the study of cooking ceramics are also relevant to the investigation of rocks used as heating elements. Because use alteration analyses of FCR are so scarce, I describe a range of attributes with the goal of helping researchers identify use alterations (e.g., sooting, reddening, various fracturing patterns) on lithic artifacts from sites worldwide and evaluate their potential function in various cultural practices. These attributes are also outlined in order to create a standardized terminology for describing FCR use-alteration patterns. I discuss my analysis of FCR from three Late Archaic sites (Duck Lake, 913, and 914) on Grand Island in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, followed by an interpretation of their cooking contexts, as a case study. The results indicate great intersite variability among FCR characteristics, cooking methods, and cooking facilities (earth oven, stone boiling, and rock griddle). This use alteration analysis can be applied in archaeological contexts worldwide where similar materials are recovered.

This paper describes our 17th experiment (XP17), which was the first occasion on which a reasonable bloom was made. The smelt was of 7.5kg of moderately rich bog iron ore, in a low shaft furnace, resulting in a low carbon bloom of 1600g. Half the bloom was refined to a billet (642g), then to a flat bar (350g), part of which was forged to a knife. If the whole bloom had been refined, the total losses would have been more than half the original weight, resulting in three smithing hearth slags from each stage of the process. The data is used to make a preliminary calculation of the production from the sites at Bryn y Castell and Crawcwellt, where considerable numbers of smithing hearth bottoms were found.

In molti contesti preistorici e protostorici italiani sono largamente rinvenuti resti strutturali in terra e conglomerati architettonici combusti o parzialmente cementati. La loro caratterizzazione tecnologica è un passo importante per ottenere dati rigurdanti la paleoeconomia,  lo sfruttamento delle risorse e l’esistenza di tradizioni costruttive su scala locale o regionale. L’integrazione al protocollo di analisi tecnologica di osservazioni effettuate ad occhio nudo o con microscopio ottico su sezioni levigate può aiutare ad una migliore comprensione dei resti in una fase intermedia dello studio, successiva alla loro caratterizzazione morfologica ed al riconoscimento di classi di impasto, ma preliminare all’approfondimento dello studio per mezzo di analisi specialistiche. La realizzazione su alcuni campioni di una sezione rettificata e polita (sezione levigata) permette infatti di descrivere con maggiore completezza l’organizzazione e la natura dei componenti, nonché le alterazioni subite dal materiale, ad esempio in caso di esposizione al calore. Si tratta dunque di associare le caratteristiche osservate ai meccanismi di deformazione della materia e a gesti specifici, che una volta messi in sequenza potranno permettere di ricostruire materie prime utilizzate, tecniche e catene operative. Qualche osservazione rilevante può riguardare anche le dinamiche di funzionamento delle strutture o il loro ingresso nel record archeologico. Sono qua presentati alcuni casi studio e chiavi di lettura preliminari, da completare ed affinare con l’avanzamento delle ricerche. Le prime applicazioni di tale tecnica hanno fornito risultati incoraggianti, soprattutto per il rapporto positivo tra massa di dati prodotta e costo finanziario ridotto.

This manual happened by request, and is meant to help assist medieval enthusiasts, experimental archaeologists, re-enactors and anyone else interested in recreating historic ales and beers. It is a collection of bits and pieces published by many authors of the past on the brewing of beer – now conveniently gathered in one place – and it is meant to guide the modern brewer in making the best guesses possible for his or her historic brew. Much of the information available on brewing is from the 16th century, after the invention of printing press. Not all that unexpected, the first books specializing in beer and brewing appeared in Latin, the language of academics, and German, the language of a prolific brewing culture. While I will make an effort to include all books on brewing known to me, whether they are accessible to the English brewer or not, as I am neither fluent in Latin, nor in medieval German, I only have some tantalizing bits and pieces of foreign language information to share – for now.

For more on the subject, and ongoing research, follow my blog at:
https://medievalmeadandbeer.wordpress.com/

In 1987 to 1989 15 experiments were carried out, smelting bog-iron ores in a low shaft furnace. The data from XP13 to XP28 are presented, with quantifications of the smelting and of the refining to billets and bars. Analyses of the bog ores are given. Metallurgical analyses, micrographs and P maps of the blooms from XP22 and XP23 are given, and analyses of the billet from XP17 and the bar from XP16. Line traces for P, As, Co and Ni, across the XP16 bar show the segregation of the P and the surface enrichment of As and Ni.

This PPT was presented at the 2009 'World of Iron' conference. It is a comparative study of bloomery iron made from different ores, refined to bars and forged to knives, looking at the metallography and the slag inclusions. This conference presentation has a wider range of images than could be used in the 2013 published version. The second file has a descriptive text.

Ancient Roman female hairstyles were not created by wigs exclusively, as is often asserted.  Elaborate Roman hairstyles  could be created by sewing with needle and thread as fastener. Article examines the nomenclature, literature, artifacts and intellectual history of the topic.  Illustrated with hairstyle recreations using real hair.

SUMMARY: Chapter 8, in Renfrew & Bahn's textbook (Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice), covers what typically survives, what constitutes an "artifact", interpreting usage, obtaining materials (e.g., quarrying; mining), transporting materials, installing materials, manufacturing items, identifying function, experimental archaeology, etc., regarding stone, bone, antler, shell, leather, wood, plant, metal, faience, glass, and other materials and diverse artifacts.  In my view, this is one of the best college textbooks available, and is invaluable for students, archaeologists, and the public in general, to obtain a top notch overview of approaching and interpreting the archaeological record.  UPDATED May 2023.

SUMMARY: Chapter 5, in Renfrew & Bahn's textbook (Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice), covers past social organizations, including hunter-gatherer groups (bands), segmentary societies (tribal societies), chiefdoms, and early state complex societies, with approaches to assessing settlement patterns, interpreting pertinent historical data, ethnoarchaeology, various ways to examine the various types of past social organizations and their variants, and looking at individuals, identity and society, gender and childhood, and other aspects.  Two additional case studies highlighting social organization in Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome.  In my view, this is one of the best college textbooks available, and is invaluable for students, archaeologists, and the public in general, to obtain a top notch overview of approaching and interpreting the archaeological record.  REVISED: Feb. 2023.

A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of activation temperature on pore development of activated carbon produced from palm shell. Activation of the samples was carried out at 800, 850 and 900°C for different durations ranging from 10 to 180min. The samples were characterized using N2 adsorption for evaluation of micropores and the mercury intrusion technique for mesopore and macropore analysis. Within the range of activation temperatures studied, high burn-off products derived from high activation temperatures tend to have larger micropore development. However, an increase in the activation temperature has no remarkable effect on mesopore and macropore development. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1002/jctb.712/asset/712_ftp.pdf?v=1&t=hytj8q2o&s=714078f9999ade816b5eb3df8f7774e5c13db2b5

Cutmark frequencies are often cited in discussions of Oldowan hominid behavior, yet their interpretation remains enigmatic. To strengthen inferences derived from cutmark data, we conducted experiments with Turkana butchers. We test two hypotheses: (1) cutmark frequency is related to the amount of meat present, and (2) cutmark frequency is related to the size of the bone/carcass being butchered. Hypothesis 1 is not supported, while hypothesis 2 is supported. We document a positive correlation between bone/carcass size and cutmark frequency. We therefore advocate treating bones/ carcasses of different sizes as analytically discrete units.

Abstract Although there are many archaeological and ethnographic evidences for the use of slate and similar rocks for flaking purpose, they raised little interest among specialists, leading to a general ignorance of specific problems associated with these raw materials. ...

Im Römischen Reich gab es große Unterschiede im Ernährungsverhalten der verschiedenen sozialen Schichten. Angehörige der Oberschicht legten Wert auf teure Weine und aufwändig zubereitete Gerichte, die unteren Bevölkerungsschichten waren auf einfache Nahrungsmittel angewiesen.

Experimental archaeology and the investigation of the methods, materials and techniques of fresco wall-paintings, In Souyoudzoglou-Haywood, Christina, O'Sullivan, Aidan, (Eds.), Experimental Archaeology: Making, Understanding, Story-telling, Proceedings of a Workshop in Experimental Archaeology, Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies at Athens with UCD Centre for Experimental Archaeology and Material Culture, Dublin, Athens, 14th-15th October 2017, Oxford: Archaeopress Archaeology, pp. 93-105.

This thesis investigates the interrelationships between settlement distributions, maize agricultural subsistence, and fluctuations in prehistoric climate in the Durango District of southwestern Colorado between A.D. 650-840, also known as the Basketmaker-III/Pueblo-I period. Previous research in the area indicates that large groups of people migrated into the Durango area around A.D. 760, altering age old settlement patterns and establishing some of the earliest villages in the northern Southwest. My focus is to further understandings of the complex interrelationships between settlement patterns and maize agricultural systems and to determine what role agriculture played in the development of these early villages.
Throughout this thesis, I investigate why Basketmaker-III/Pueblo-I peoples chose to live in dispersed or clustered settlement patterns from approximately A.D. 650-840 in the Durango area. This thesis integrates experimentation with dry land and ak’chin farming techniques, excavation and survey data, analysis of Basketmaker-III and Pueblo-I site distributions, modern and paleoclimatic reconstructions, prime agricultural soil and cold air drainage distributions, and aerial photography. I conducted fine-scale research of the agricultural potential around two prehistoric case study communities in the Durango District and then extrapolated my findings onto other communities in the larger area. Finally, I integrate these data into a conceptual model that can aid and direct future research into the prehistoric agroecological and anthropogenic landscapes of the Durango area.

Several types of smoking pipes have been manufactured and used by native North American peoples throughout later prehistoric and historic times. Although substantial information exists on the styles of these pipes, very little is known about their methods of manufacture. This paper examines one particular style of pipe, the Florence Pipe, associated with the proto-Wichita Great Bend peoples. A block of Minnesota pipestone was manufactured into a pipe using stone tools replicated after those found in the Robb Collection from central Kansas. This archaeological assemblage was proposed to have been used in the manufacture of Florence pipes, which was confirmed through use-wear analysis of the collection. The steps and labor requirements for the creation of Florence pipes are illuminated in this paper in a way that cannot be accomplished through archaeological analysis and use-wear analysis alone.

ABSTRACT: This documentary response sheet contains a series of 112 sequential questions drawn from the video, PBS: Helen of Troy (115 minutes; presented by Bettany Hughes).  The documentary examines what we know about Helen of Troy from Homer's Iliad and the mixed opinions and assessments of later writers and popular folklore. Bettany Hughes also places Helen of Troy within the broader perspective of what we know about elite Late Bronze Age women in Mycenaean Greece and Anatolia (e.g., Hittites), and other aspects of the circumstances revolving around the Trojan War, similar situations known from the Late Bronze Age, and other aspects of this period (e.g., warfare; trade; etc.). These sequential questions aim to maximize both student attention to various pertinent points made throughout the documentary and greater retention of the materials covered by the documentary.  In addition, the documentary has been vetted for overall content accuracy (albeit updated and/or corrected in-class), and selected to provide supplementary visual aids (e.g., images of regions, sites, finds, and other materials), additional specialist views (e.g., interviews), and other data to aid in student comprehension of the course lectures and readings from the textbooks.

A Documentation paper for my entry in the Kingdom of Ealdormere Pentathlon competition in 2017. This paper is about the creation and hand sewing of a girls’ clothing – Flemish 1560 - Girl’s Smock, Kirtle, Gown/coat, Hat and Apron based on a child in Pieter Bruegel The Elder’s Children’s Games painting.