The EXARC Show (Archive)

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 look at a really fascinating topic of experimental research - ancient tattooing.

Aaron Deter-Wolf is the prehistoric archaeologist for the Tennessee Division of Archaeology in Nashville, Tennessee in the USA. While his work in this role encompasses a wide range of archaeological research, his main focus of interest is on the archaeological footprint of tattooing, in which topic he has conducted a lot of experimental research.

Maya Sialuk Jacobsen is a professional tattoo artist and private researcher based in Svendborg, Denmark. Her experience in tattooing led to her specialising in traditional methods, particularly revitalising the tattooing traditions of her own Inuit culture. Her work focuses on documenting the patterns and meaning of tattoos in the past, and ensuring that the revival of Inuit tattoos in the present remains safe and authentic to the original meaning of this important tradition.

What did tattooing look like in the past, and how can we identify that archaeologically? How common was tattooing in the past? What are the ethics surrounding experimental tattooing and the study of ethnographic tattooing practices? These are just a few of many questions answered by our guests so listen in on your favourite podcasting platform to hear all about it!

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We are joined by two archaeologists from the Putting Life into Late Neolithic Houses project discussing all the methods they’re using to create a picture of the past, from full scale reconstruction to microwear analysis.

 Annelou van Gijn is Professor of Archaeological Material Culture and Artefact Studies at Leiden University and the Principal Investigator for Putting Life into Late Neolithic Houses. Annelou’s research focusses on prehistoric technology, ancient craft, and materials studies like microwear analysis. She founded and runs the Laboratory for Material Culture Studies at Leiden University She also has extensive experience with reconstructing the past, and previously helped to design and construct a Neolithic house at Hosterworld. 

 Diederik Pomstra has over 20 years of experience in experimental archaeology, ancient technology, and public outreach. His skills in experimental reconstruction, such as flintknapping and bone working, are invaluable to the Putting Life into Late Neolithic Houses project, for which he will be making many of the tools. Like Annelou, Diederik was also a big part of the Hosterworld house reconstruction.

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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 will be talking with archaeologists specialised in human-animal relationships in the past, and indigenous archaeology. Have you always wanted to know how people become zooarchaeologists? What it's like studying ancient animals in remote locations like the Australian outback or the Arctic tundra? How people in the past hunted walrus and wallabies? Then this is the episode for you!

Dr Jillian Garvey  is a zooarchaeologist from La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. Her research focuses on faunal assemblages from the Late Pleistocene and early Ice Age periods of southeastern mainland Australia and Tasmania, where her studies include experimental analysis of butchery practices. She is also interested in looking at the future of animal management in Australia by considering the benefits observed from past and traditional Aboriginal hunting practices. Jillian recorded this seminar, and lives and works, on the unceded land of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people, and pays her respects to Wurundjeri Elders past and present.

Dr Sean Desjardins is also a zooarchaeologist, working at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, however his research is based in Nunavut, Arctic Canada. His work investigates the relationship between humans and animals, both in terms of subsistence and hunting practices but also in terms of spiritual worldviews. His current project looks at the effect of climate change and colonialism on Inuit life and traditions.

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Combining expertise from farmers, historians, scientists and more, A Year on the Field is an exciting new multi-national project set up to examine the farming of one crop across the globe through the centuries.

Claus Kropp is the Project Coordinator for A Year on the Field and currently also manages the Lauresham Laboratory for Experimental Archaeology, in Germany, one of the participating organisations in the project. Claus has a background in medieval history, focussing particularly on medieval agriculture, and also a passionate interest in ox-driving, which he partakes in both professionally and personally. 

Pete Watson is a representative of Howell Living History Farm, a facility of the Mercer County Park Commission. The Farm is based in the USA and is a participating organisation in A Year on the Field exploring the agricultural practices of the region circa 1900. The farm is also open to the public and plays an important role giving visitors the chance to see for themselves how food and farming functioned in the past.

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Listen in to this first episode of "EXARC Extracts", where we provide you with a short summary of the articles in the latest issue of the EXARC Journal. From fire hearths to horse armour to amber to lime mortar, this edition is packed full with interesting experiments and inspiring discussions!

Matilda Siebrecht summarises the reviewed articles from the 2022/1 issue of the EXARC Journal. It includes ten reviewed articles as well as three unreviewed mixed matter articles. 

Read the Journal at https://exarc.net/issue-2022-1

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Saddle up, because it’s time to look at horse riding in (pre)history! Equestrianism often has to be looked at indirectly, either from the equipment used in horse riding or artistic depictions of riding styles. In this month’s episode of Finally Friday, we talk with two experts who look at horse riding in the past in just this way.

Dr Rena Maguire is a visiting researcher at Queens University Belfast, where her research focuses on equestrianism in Ireland in the Late Iron Age and Early Medieval period. She specialises in the material culture associated with horse riding practices, and is particularly interested in using this material as a means to investigate the level of interaction that Late Iron Age Irish society had with mainland Europe.

Joakim Løvgren is one of the founders of EquiAstra, which offers a range of training services – both modern and historic - related to horse riding, and is a historian specialised in Late Medieval equestrianism. His work investigates historic equestrian theory, as well as artistic depictions of horse riding from the past, and how these styles can be practically replicated today.

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Academic journals are an integral element of how we share knowledge of new discoveries, practices, and ideas. But how do these journals get started, what kinds of difficulties do they face and why do we need new ones? In this month’s episode of Finally Friday, our guest speakers discuss their experiences in founding new academic journals.

Martina Revello Lami is an archaeologist and guest researcher at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. Her research has recently expanded to begin exploring the complex relationship between archaeology and society. This is a core aspect of the Ex Novo Journal of Archaeology.
 
Luca Bartoni specialises in IT but has always been interested in History and Culture. He began his venture into living history in 2002 and is currently the president of Archeologia, Reenacment e Storia (AReS).  Luca is also a Journal Manager of the digital journal Archeologie Sperimentali. Temi, Metodi, Ricerche.

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 Ready player 1? Archaeological interpretation is often focused on the physical objects from our past, either in excavation, replication through experimental archaeology, or exhibition in museums. But what other ways are available to interact with the past? In this month's episode of Finally Friday, we speak with two experts focusing on the exciting new ways that videogames can be used in archaeology.

Justyna Neuvonen is an archaeologist and game designer studying at the South Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences. Her work focuses on creating a link between game design and archaeology, and creating accessible and innovative platforms for museum visitors to interact with the past. 

Dr Aris Politopoulos is an archaeologist currently working at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. His research focuses on the intersection of video games and archaeology, and he is a post-doctoral researcher at the ‘Past-at-Play’ lab, which investigates the format of ancient games, and how contemporary games deal with the past as a subject matter.

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From drinking vessels to jewellery, glass is found in archaeological assemblages all over the world. Our guests Sue Heaser and Frank Wiesenberg join us on this month’s episode of Finally Friday to shed light on how experimental archaeology can help us ask new questions of this important material. 

Sue Heaser is an archaeologist, artist and author with specialisms in hot glass beadmaking. Her experience in both modern and archaeological jewellery making often gives Sue a unique insight into how ancient materials were used and her current research focusses on reconstructing and understanding Anglo-Saxon and Roman British bead assemblages in the UK. More recently, this research has moved towards considering how glass’ physical properties can be affected during the glass working process. 

Frank Wiesenberg is a specialist in Roman glass furnace reconstruction and operation. These reconstructions are based on both literary and archaeological source material, as well as a practical knowledge informed by a background in mechanical engineering. He has experimented with both large and small furnaces and has set up replica workshops at a number of places including the Archaeological Park Roman Villa Borg. Frank finished his master’s degree in Archaeology of the Roman Provinces in 2019 and is now currently the executive director of the Römerwelt Museum near Bonn, Germany. 

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A universal experience, hair has often formed a fundamental part of human self-expression and identity. But how can we see changes in hairdressing and styling throughout history and how can experimental reconstruction help us start creating a picture of the people of the past? Our guests Janet Stephens and Dorothee Olthof join us on this month’s Finally Friday to discuss their experiences understanding ancient hairdressing.  

Janet Stephens is a professional hairdresser and experimental archaeologist specialising in ancient hairdressing. Focussing mainly on ancient Greek and Roman hairstyling, although occasionally branching out into Renaissance and Victorian beauty, Janet uses a variety of literary and artistic sources to accurately recreate these hairstyles on live models. Janet’s research has been highlighted by the Wall Street Journal, BBC and NPR, and she also runs a popular YouTube channel showcasing her work. 

Dorothee Olthof is an archaeologist and founder of PRAE, which specialises in archaeology and education with a focus on daily life in the past. As part of this interest in daily life, Dorothee has specialisms in prehistoric, Roman and medieval hairdressing, and she can often be found at festivals, workshops and open days demonstrating these skills to the public. Dorothee stresses the importance of experimental reconstruction and believes strongly in experiencing the past ‘with all senses.’

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