Short pitch about experimental archaeology, archaeological open-air museums and their value for the the public, given at the workshop Re-enactment, Reproduction and Reconstruction in Leiden (NL), June 2017

1. 1
ROELAND PAARDEKOOPER
EXARC DIRECTOR
RRR & THE PUBLIC:
EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY
AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL
OPEN-AIR MUSEUMS

2. EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY
“A sub-field of archaeological research which
employs a number of different methods,
techniques, analyses, and approaches within the
context of a controllable imitative experiment to
replicate past phenomena (from objects to
systems) in order to generate and test
hypotheses to provide or enhance analogies for
archaeological interpretation” (Mathieu 2002, 1).
2

3. 3
Working script for experiments (Lammers 2005, 22)
• Define archaeological problem
• Hypothesis-testing or Hypothesis-forming?
• Structure: “static or dynamic” and “single experiment or
multiple simultaneous lines”
• Conditions
• Mid-evaluation: “check design” and “realisation”
• Preparation documentation
• Perform the test and document
• Feedback or comparison
• Ascertain analogy: check “uniformity” & “unambiguity”
• Conclusion
• Report
• Repeat test
EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY

4. EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY
4

5. 5
ARCH. OPEN-AIR MUSEUMS

6. VISITORS
1 IMMERSIVE
POSITIVE
EXPERIENCE
2 LEISURE TIME,
RELAXING
MUSEUM
1 CREATING WORK
PLACES
2 DEVELOPING
TOURIST
DESTINATIONS
3 SATISFYING
POLITICAL NEEDS
6
ARCH. OPEN-AIR MUSEUMS

7. INTERPRETATION IS
“ANY LIVE
INTERACTION
BETWEEN MUSEUM /
SITE STAFF AND
VISITORS.”
(IMTAL EUROPE)
7
ARCH. OPEN-AIR MUSEUMS

8. 8
TABLE HURCOMBE
SCIENCE & PUBLIC

9. 9
SCIENCE & PUBLIC
Digital Sarcophagus

10. SCIENCE & PUBLIC
10

11. 11
SCIENCE & PUBLIC
Music exhibition

12. 12
SCIENCE & PUBLIC

13. 13
CONCLUSION