The EXARC Show (Archive)

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!  

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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

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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.

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This month #FinallyFriday travels all the way back into the deep past, as we discuss the trials and joys of experimenting with Neanderthal glue.

Dr Paul Kozowyk is a post-doctoral researcher at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. His work focuses on the investigation of ancient adhesives from Neanderthal and early human archaeological contexts, specifically looking at the material properties of different glue recipes. He is also a talented woodworker, and brings his love and knowledge of crafting to his experimental work.

Phoebe Baker is currently working as a Terrestrial Geophysics Technician for Wessex Archaeology in the UK, but she is also an experimental archaeologist whose research focuses on ancient sewing technologies. Her research looked at the potential use of glue in Neanderthal clothing manufacture, and she has recently been awarded the EXARC grant for her new research project investigating shoemaking technology.

Listen in on Friday 4th November to hear how to overcome the limitations of working without specialised laboratory equipment, how to deal with a lack of archaeological evidence, and why glue is such a sticky subject!

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How can archaeological examples of cremation help us understand the past? How do we even identify a cremation? 

Tim Thompson is a professor of applied biological anthropology and Dean of the School of Health & Life Sciences at Teesside university in the UK. Tim has research interests in a number of areas, but has a primary focus on the archaeology of cremation. As part of this, he has advocated for the application of analytical forensic and scientific techniques to improve our understanding of the changes that bone undergoes whilst burning. Tim has studied cremation in many different time periods and places, including Anglo-Saxon and Roman. 

Yannis Chatzikonstantinou is a PhD candidate at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. His research uses macroscopic and analytical methods, including experimental archaeology, to study burnt human remains from the early Minoan Age in Crete. Experimental archaeology was also a core technique used in his earlier master's thesis, which examined the use of fire in the treatment of the dead during the Aegean Bronze Age. Yannis is also a member of the Tephra archaeological research project, which aims to examine the effect of fire on human remains throughout the Aegean.

So listen in on your podcasting platform of choice to hear all about the chemical changes bone undergoes during burning, how quickly methodological approaches in this area are moving, and how experimental archaeology can help.

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The 2022-3 EXARC Journal is now published, bringing you 8 reviewed and seven 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. Two of the reviewed articles introduce different aspects of RETOLD, the project ensuring that open-air museums can continue telling important cultural heritage stories by developing a standardised data collection. The six experimental articles vary widely from investigation into polished vessel surfaces through  reconstruction of a tablet woven band from the Oseberg and reconstruction of the Iceman's arrow quiver to charring experiments with a variety of modern seed samples. The two articles that stand out are the articles the first experimental archaeological study to formally compare the physical characteristics of tattoos made on human skin using multiple pre-modern tools and tattooing techniques. and article breaching a highly interesting point: “when the only thing we have is the archaeologist’s body, how can we do archaeology?”

Matilda Siebrecht summarises the reviewed articles from the 2022/3 issue of the EXARC Journal. Read the Journal at https://exarc.net/issue-2022-3

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It’s the first Friday of the month! And that means it’s time to listen in to the latest episode of Finally Friday, where this month we’re joined by two partners in the RETOLD Project to talk about the importance of digitisation, documentation and sharing.

Julia Heeb is one of the key figures in the RETOLD Project and also works as the exhibition and research manager at the Open-Air Museum, Museumdorf Düppel, in Germany, a partner institution on the project. In addition to her work as part of the RETOLD Project, Julia also has a PhD and MA in Experimental Archaeology, focussing on experimental approaches to shafthole copper axes from south-eastern Europe.

Cordula Hansen is an experienced VR designer and developer at Nüwa Digital Media Content Production Studios, a Dublin-based digital media agency also partnering the RETOLD project. As well as working in digital design, Cordula has a PhD in art and archaeology, and she is hugely enthusiastic about working to enhance interactions between people and technology in cultural spaces.

So, listen in on your favourite podcasting platform to hear our guests talk about everything from the importance of documenting houses and crafts to the impact of COVID on how we use the digital world.

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Seeing objects from the past in museum exhibition cases is one thing, but seeing how those objects would have been handled by the ancient people who made them is even better! In this month's episode of #FinallyFriday, Matilda is joined by two experts focusing on different ways that we can visualise the past.

Dr Yvonne Lammers-Keijsers is a keen re-enactor and an experienced archaeologist specialised usewear analysis, experimental archaeology, and public outreach. Her work as part of the managerial team at the Prehistoric Village at Eindhoven Museum focuses on designing, creating, and managing exhibitions, organising the large team of volunteers and re-enactors, and creating and implementing educational events.

Frank Wiersema is a professional photographer and videographer specialised in staging scenes from the past through collaborations with living history and experimental archaeology. His work has been used in exhibitions throughout Europe, and attempts through this visual medium to bring the past to life for a broader audience.

So listen in on your podcasting platform of choice to hear all about the trials of visualising the past in the modern day, the different approaches required in photography versus living history, and how to balance authenticity with relatability. 

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With a delay, the 2022-2 EXARC Journal is now published. This issue contains four reviewed articles and whooping nine mixed matters articles. As always, all articles are open access.

From the articles we would like to highlighted the article on the results of EXARC Twinning project by Lauresham, at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Lorsch Abbey, and CEAMC at University College Dublin (UCD) (Re)constructing an Early Medieval Irish Ard and among the mixed matter articles Discussion: Inclusivity in historical interpretation: Who has access and who is erased? 

Matilda Siebrecht summarises the reviewed articles from the 2022/2 issue of the EXARC Journal. Read the Journal at https://exarc.net/issue-2022-2

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To celebrate both the European Archaeology Days and the release of our 20th episode, #FinallyFriday went live to record a special behind-the-scenes chat with our hosts. 

Matilda Siebrecht is currently doing her PhD at the University of Groningen, using microwear analysis to investigate the manufacture and use of Paleo-Inuit bone and ivory tools from Arctic Canada. She pairs her experience in archaeology and journalism with a healthy curiosity into the past, crafts, experiments and much more.

Phoebe Baker is currently completing her masters in Early Prehistory and Human Origins at the University of York, focusing on the use of adhesives in prehistoric clothing. She is a keen archaeologist and works hard to use her enthusiasm and joy for the subject to bring the magic of the past to as many people as possible. 

The EXARC Show podcast series has covered a wide range of different archaeological topics since starting back in 2020, from ancient tattooing to museum interpretation and everything in between. In this episode, Phoebe and Matilda talk about their time hosting the series so far, discussing past episodes and sharing anecdotes from their experience and their own research. Tune in to hear the stories behind the show!

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