The EXARC Show

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.

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! Support the Show.

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.

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. Support the Show.

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.

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. Support the Show.

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. Support the Show.

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. Support the Show.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. Support the Show.

The 2023/1 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. There are some very interesting themes being discussed in this issue. Among others we have the first three contributions from the Sustainable Revolution for Open-Air Museums Session from the ICOM conference in Prague 2022. These come from AOZA in Germany, Twah Longwar in India and an experiment testing the potential of a shared project in a ‘virtual’ open-air museum. More will follow. The other reviewed articles tackle various topics: we have articles on experimental weaving with ceramic crescents, making peat charcoal, reconstruction of scarab stamp seals production chain and last but not least there is Hard Fun, an overlap between a pedagogic case study and an archaeological experiment. From the mixed matter section, we would like to highlight two articles: the first part of the discussion with Ukrainians archaeologists on the topic Heritage in Times of War, and John Conyard’s experience from the 2,500th Anniversary of the Battle of Plataea, which took place on the 26-31 July 2022. Support the Show.

Why do people wear shoes? What kind of materials can you make shoes out of? How can we recreate shoes from the past? On this month’s episode we are joined by two specialists in ancient footwear to think about all these questions and more… Markus Klek is an independent researcher focussing on indigenous and prehistoric skin processing technologies, as well as related work in bone, antler and ivory tools. He has published three books on leather and leather related technologies, and has run a successful business centring on prehistoric leatherworking, Palaeotechnik, since 1996. Markus has recreated a range of Palaeolithic and contemporary leather-based clothing and shoes. Doug Meyer has explored ancient technologies for more than 30 years after finding inspiration at a primitive technology demonstration at a summer college. Doug has since explored many aspects of early cultures, including flint knapping, archery and blowgun technology, and has considerable experience in brain tanning and leather work. He also has experience creating replicas and in teaching his skills to others. Support the Show.

In this February episode of Finally Friday we're talking all about flint! This material is one of the most commonly found throughout prehistory, and so this month Matilda chatted about flint and flint-knapping with two experts from our EXARC community, Morten Kutschera and Prof. Javier Baena Preysler. What are the implications of different ways to learn and teach flint-knapping? How much do flint tools change throughout human history, and why? Can you knap flint with a pen? To find out the answers to these questions and more, make sure to tune in to this month's episode! Morten Kutschera is an experimental archaeologist with experience in many different kinds of technology, although he is particularly well known for his flint knapping expertise. He is currently working as a county archaeologist in Agder, Norway, where his responsibilities range between fieldwork, public archaeology, and everything relating to the stone age. Professor Javier Baena Preysler is professor of prehistory and archaeology at the Universidad Autóma de Madrid, and director of the university’s laboratory of experimental archaeology. Although his research covers many different topics, he is especially esteemed for his flint knapping knowledge and expertise, and is one of the leaders of experimental archaeological research in Spain. Support the Show.

After 20 times putting together a year report, we decided it was time to do things differently: we did the year report as a podcast. EXARC Chair Dr Peter Inker leads our director Roeland Paardekooper through the year that passed. Of course we also comment on the future! For our more than 400 members around the world, 2022 has been a difficult year, where the ones who could respond quickest to the changing circumstances were successful. This counts for museums, freelancers, students, craftspeople, and university members. But work could not stop: museums kept on building, experiments were executed and school groups as well as tourists were entertained with living history. On the EXARC website, we showcased 300 events worldwide, and the EXARC Journal has 180,000 reads per year, all open access. We welcome fresh ideas from countries like Brazil and also look at sustainability, more broadly than just climate change. EXARC truly is a network, something that one can see during the European Archaeology Days, in the Colonial Williamsburg Fellowship, but also in SUN, the Support Ukraine Network and the project where we help put life in late Neolitihic Houses. Last but not least, EXARC is working with five other partners in RETOLD where we are looking at how to save the stories told in open-air museums in such a way that anybody can reuse the information. Talking about networks, we attended conferences like the ICOM General Conference in Prague and the NEMO conference in Loule, Portugal. Here we noticed how important it is to cooperate with other professionals. Looking to 2023, we will be occupied with our large conference in May in Poland, on Experimental Archaeology. Although many people will travel down to the city of Torun, we expect even more to join us online. We will do this, just like anything in EXARC really, with the help of many volunteers. We thank you all: members, the audience, volunteers, the board, see you again soon! Support the Show.

The EXARC Journal 2022-4 is published now, this issue includes 5 reviewed articles and 5 unreviewed mixed matter articles. As usual the articles vary widely. From the process of designing and running a new course on Experimental Archaeology and Experiential History at a small liberal arts college in central Minnesota, through working with gems and research of Early British glass beads to a study of Early Mesoamerican textile production and ancient Egyptian metalworking. All the articles are open access to allow for a free exchange of information and further development of our knowledge of the past. Matilda Siebrecht summarises the reviewed articles from the 2022/4 issue of the EXARC Journal. Read the Journal at https://exarc.net/issue-2022-4 Support the Show.

In this very special edition of #FinallyFriday, we chatted with two of the main instigators of the new Support Ukraine Network (SUN). The aim of this network is to provide support for open-air museums as well as individual experimental archaeologists and traditional craft practitioners, many of whom are currently struggling to access resources or profit from research networks due to the ongoing war. EXARC have teamed up with Ukraine based ancient craft expert and EXARC member Yarema Ivantsiv, and the YEAR Centre (York Experimental Archaeological Research, UK), directed by Dr Aimee Little. Tune in to this episode of the EXARC Show to hear a discussion from these two inspiring individuals as they talk about their own experiences, aims, and dreams in relation to this new initiative. Dr Aimee Little is a senior lecturer in early prehistory, material culture and experimental archaeology at the University of York in the UK, and director of the York Experimental Archaeology Research Centre. Alongside her archaeological research, she has always been an advocate for diversity and inclusivity, and it was her who first approached EXARC with an initial idea for the Support Ukraine Network. Yarema Ivantsiv is a Ukranian re-enactor with a background in tourism and historic preservation. He is the director of the NGO Chorna Galych, which is an organisation uniting re-enactors, historians, and artists through museums, historic sites, and organised events. Through his work, he aims to inspire interest in national history, the preservation and restoration of historical and cultural monuments, the revival of crafts, folk crafts, and national culture. Support the Show.