Paardekooper (eds) Paardekooper & Reeves Flores Experiments Past Histories of Experimental Archaeology With Experiments Past the important role that experimental archaeology has played in the development of archaeology is finally uncovered and understood. Experimental archaeology is a method to attempt to replicate archaeological artefacts and/or processes to test certain hypotheses or discover information about those artefacts and/ or processes. It has been a key part of archaeology for well over a century, but such experiments are often embedded in wider research, conducted in isolation or never published or reported. Experiments Past provides readers with a glimpse of experimental work and experience that was previously inaccessible due to language, geographic and documentation barriers, while establishing a historical context for the issues confronting experimental archaeology today. This volume contains formal papers on the history of experimental methodologies in archaeology, as well as personal experiences of the development of experimental archaeology from early leaders in the field, such as Hans-Ole Hansen. Experiments Past Also represented in these chapters are the histories of experimental approaches to taphonomy, the archaeology of boats, building structures and agricultural practices, as well as narratives on how experimental archaeology has developed on a national level in several European countries and its role in encouraging a wide-scale interest and Experiments Past engagement with the past. Histories of Experimental Archaeology edited by Jodi Reeves Flores & Roeland Paardekooper Sidestone ISBNSidestone 978-90-8890-251-2 Press ISBN: 978-90-8890-251-2 9 789088 902512 This is an Open Access publication. Visit our website for more OA publication, to read any of our books for free online, or to buy them in print or PDF. www.sidestone.com Check out some of our latest publications: Experiments Past Sidestone Press Experiments Past Histories of Experimental Archaeology edited by Jodi Reeves Flores & Roeland Paardekooper © 2014, individual authors Published by Sidestone Press, Leiden www.sidestone.com ISBN 978-90-8890-251-2 Lay-out & cover design: Sidestone Press Photographs cover: © Sagnlandet Lejre, Henriette Lyngstrøm & The Hellenic Institute for the Preservation of Nautical Tradition, Athens Published with the support of Sagnlandet Lejre & EXARC Contents Histories of Experimental Archaeology. Documenting the Past for the 7 Future Roeland Paardekooper & Jodi Reeves Flores The History of Experimental Archaeology in Croatia 15 Andrea Jerkušić History of Experimental Archaeology in Latvia 35 Artūrs Tomsons Experimental Archaeology in Ireland. Its Past and Potential for the 47 Future Tríona Sørensen & Aidan O’Sullivan Experimental Archaeology in France. A History of the Discipline 67 Guillaume Reich & Damien Linder Experimental Archaeology in Spain 85 Javier Baena Preysler, Concepción Torres, Antoni Palomo, Millán Mozota & Ignacio Clemente The Developmental Steps of Experimental Archaeology in Greece 97 Through Key Historical Replicative Experiments and Reconstructions Nikolaos Kleisiaris, Spyridon Bakas & Stefanos Skarmintzos The Role of Experimental Archaeology in (West) German Universities 117 from 1946 Onwards – Initial Remarks Martin Schmidt Ruminating on the Past. A History of Digestive Taphonomy in 131 Experimental Archaeology Don P. O’Meara The History and Development of Archaeological Open-Air Museums 147 in Europe Roeland Paardekooper Experience and Experiment 167 Hans-Ole Hansen Erfaring og Eksperiment 182 Hans-Ole Hansen Experimental Archaeology in Denmark 1960-1980 – As Seen Through 189 the Letters of Robert Thomsen Henriette Lyngstrøm The Origins of Experimental Archaeology in Catalonia. The 205 Experimental Area of L’Esquerda Imma Ollich-Castanyer, Montserrat Rocafiguera-Espona & David Serrat Building, Burning, Digging and Imagining: Trying to Approach 215 the Prehistoric Dwelling. Experiments Conducted by the National University of Arts in Romania Dragoş Gheorghiu From Ship-Find to Sea-Going Reconstruction. Experimental Maritime 233 Archaeology at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde Vibeke Bischoff, Anton Englert, Søren Nielsen & Morten Ravn Experimental Iron Smelting in the Research on Reconstruction of 249 the Bloomery Process in the Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross) Mountains, Poland Szymon Orzechowski & Andrzej Przychodni Engaging Experiments. From Silent Cultural Heritage to Active Social 269 Memory Lars Holten Histories of Experimental Archaeology Documenting the Past for the Future Roeland Paardekooper & Jodi Reeves Flores Reconstructing the past is an intricate task for archaeologists, who rely on a multitude of methods such as excavation, analysis of artefacts, the use of archives and historical texts, and developing analogies from multiple sources. Archaeology is filled with an experimental air. In the field, archaeologists have experimented with different excavation and recording practices, introducing new technology as it becomes available. In the laboratory, people experiment with different methods, techniques and materials; sometimes they replicate an archaeological item or process under controlled conditions. One method available to archaeologists is experimental archaeology; this involves the replication of artefacts or past processes in order to test falsifiable hypotheses or to gather data systematically. Just as with other archaeological research, the results of experimenting with the past have not always been shared or preserved. This leaves today’s researchers with a limited foundation of literature and data to build upon. This volume sheds light on the Figure 1: Group photo of participants from the History of Experimental Archaeology Conference, April 2013, Lejre (Photo: Viire Pajuste, 2013) paardekooper & reeves flores 7 historical application of this method with in archaeological research and provides increased access to the knowledge that people have gained about the past through experimental archaeology. Looking at the history of a discipline helps to form a holistic view, and it reminds us of forgotten ideas, discoveries and methods. Histories of academic disciplines and methods highlight the influences they have had on our understanding of the world. Through this process, histories of archaeology contribute to our understanding of both our past and our present (Wengrow 2003, 134). Additionally, our view of history can become warped over time. Laura Nadar has illustrated how new movements in anthropology can “…shake up the discipline and... obliterate disciplinary memory” (Nadar 2001, 613). It is possible for this to take place in archaeology, as well. The recognition of this ‘forgetfulness’ may be one of the reasons archaeologists have become so interested in their history over the past several decades. However, despite the plethora of studies concerning the history of archaeology (for examples, see Daniel 1975, Piggott 1989, Kehoe 1998, Trigger 2006, Rowley-Conwy 2007), few have focused on the history of experimental archaeology. By actively re-engaging with the history of experimental archaeology, we can identify the origins of many of our current practices, ideas and beliefs concerning the methodology, and evaluate their historical impact. Previous publications on the history of experimental archaeology Perhaps the most well-known history of experimental archaeology is included in John Coles’ Experimental Archaeology (1979). Since it was first published, Experimental Archaeology has been reprinted several times, the most recent being in 2010. This new addition includes a preface from Roeland Paardekooper in which he discusses the historical importance of the book as well as developments in experimental archaeology since its original publication. Before this, little English language literature on the subject was available, although there were at least two bibliographies on experimental archaeology. A Bibliography of Replicative Experiments in Archaeology (Graham et al. 1972) and Bibliography of Archaeology I: experiments, lithic technology and petrography (Hester and Heizer 1973) are two reference lists of works that contain imitative experiments or that discuss their use. In the 1973 bibliography, the section ‘Experiments and Replications’ extends over 14 pages, and the references are divided into five major classes. It has been noted that this publication played an important role in bringing experiments from journals and reports together in one place (Saraydar 2008). Today, there is an online bibliography of experimental archaeology available: the Bibliography on Experimental Archaeology, Education and Archaeological Open-Air Museums (Paardekooper 2014). The bibliography stores references on experimental archaeology as well as re-enactment, archaeological education, and archaeological open-air museums. The database builds on several ongoing publications as well as other bibliographies and journals that are no longer in production. The initial source for the online collection was a printed German bibliography titled Bibliographie zur Experimentellen Archäologie, which included 8 experiments past over 2,000 titles. In addition to this, Paardekooper has added about 8,000 references relevant to experimental archaeology and archaeological open-air museums from other sources such as the Archaeological Textiles Newsletter, the Bulletin of Primitive Technology, Experimentelle Archäologie in Deutschland/in Europa, the Bulletin voor Archeologische Experimenten en Educatie, and EuroREA