This document discusses experimental archaeology approaches used at the Kierikki Stone Age Centre and the University of Exeter Archaeology Department. It outlines the strengths of experimental actions, including their use of space and time, diversity of settings and participants, and ability to study tool and structure use. Weaknesses are also noted, such as challenges maintaining comparable records. The document proposes producing a book detailing a layered methodology for experimental archaeology and examples of recording methods. Finally, it describes a series of workshops at the University of Exeter to explore theories, present case studies, and develop areas of interest in experimental archaeology.

1. WP 5: Dialogue with Science
Kierikki Stone Age Centre & University of
Exeter/Archaeology Department
Linda Hurcombe
Leena Lehtinen
Miska Sliden
12.4.2012

2. Experimental Archaeology:
interacting range of approaches
2

3. Experimental Actions: strengths
• Space: inside and outside
• Time: longevity; many days per annum and multi-year projects
• Diversity: each has different climate, soils, ‘time periods’
• People: staff researchers/presenters/volunteers
public of all kinds - families and children!
• Living settings: interactions between
tasks/spaces/people/seasons/crops/animals
• Tools/structures – performance and maintenance until exhaustion
• Depositional processes and formation/survival of archaeological evidence
• Sustainability and climate change agendas
3

4. Experimental Actions: weaknesses
• Use of Space: needs to be in keeping with period and safe for public
• Time: –longterm commitments need to cope with many people or change in
personnel
• Diversity: no clear patterns
• Staff /volunteers – need to do their job not make records
• public - difficult to keep records comparable and record the diversity of
participants
• Living settings: interactions between
tasks/spaces/people/seasons/crops/animals – reasoned guess
• Tools/structures – performance and maintenance until exhaustion – may not
be truly comparable to past practices
• Depositional processes and formation/survival of archaeological evidence –
changes can be exponential and influenced by sporadic events
4

5. Products: Book
• 3 - layers approach - taking account of who is designing and recording the
experiment and its intended publication route
• Examples of good practices on the methodology of experimental archaeology
for different contexts and across different subjects
• Examples of recording methods – easy to use or to adapt
5

6. Exeter workshops
• Not one conference but series of 1 week
workshops with small numbers
need to know preferred time of year – Autumn
or Spring and
• Explore theories and methodologies
• Present case studies
• Develop areas of interest
6

7. Exeter workshops
• Not one conference but series of 1 week
workshops with small numbers
need to know preferred time of year – Autumn
or Spring and
• Explore theories and methodologies
• Present case studies
• Develop areas of interest
6