In this first episode of EXARC Extracts in 2026, Matilda Siebrecht talks you through the content of EXARC Journal 2026/1.

This issue includes four reviewed articles and six 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. 

Support the show

Have you ever wondered what a drastic change in your diet could do to your system? In the summer of 2025 Ilse Donker ate only wild foraged food for three months. She did this in the context of the Wildbiome Project. This project, set up by Monica Wilde in the UK, investigates the effects on the gut microbiome of eating exclusively foraged food for an extended period. 

The official results of the project are still being processed, but in this conversation with host Jess Shaw Ilse gives us a fascinating insight into the effects the experiment had on her sense of wellbeing. 

Support the show

In this episode of EXARC Extracts, Matilda Siebrecht reads through the articles in issue 2025/3, the third and last episode of the EXARC Journal in 2025, sharing her insights and reactions to the surprising range of research shared within.

This year's third issue of the EXARC Journal includes eight reviewed articles and three mixed matters articles. As always, the articles cover a very wide range of topics. All the articles are open access to allow for free exchange of information and further development of our knowledge of the past. 

Support the show

In this episode of the EXARC Show host Phoebe Baker chats with Markus Klek about his exciting - and sometime scary - hike up to the location where Ötzi the Iceman was found in 1991. The hike required a good deal of strenuous climbing and brought challenges Markus had not encountered before. It was another opportunity to test his equipment and to gain more understanding of what it means to be trekking in a mountainous environment in Stone Age gear.

Markus is an independent researcher focusing on indigenous and prehistoric skin processing technologies, as well as related work in bone, antler and ivory tools. He has published three books on leather and leather-related technologies and has run a successful business centering on prehistoric leather working, Paläotechnik, since 1996. 

Support the show

In this episode of EXARC Extracts, Matilda Siebrecht reads through the articles in issue 2025/2 of the EXARC Journal, sharing her insights and reactions to the amazing range of research shared within.

This year's second issue of the EXARC Journal includes ten reviewed articles and three mixed matters articles. As always, the articles cover a very wide range of topics. All the articles are open access to allow for free exchange of information and further development of our knowledge of the past. 

Support the show

Trekking with Stone Age equipment through snow and icy winds in Sweden last February, Markus Klek - a self-proclaimed 'north nerd' - discovered that nature is a factor that can only be ignored at one's own peril. Nevertheless, this challenging experience offered him another opportunity to test his tools and equipment and find out how they can be tweaked to better withstand the elements on future trips. Jess Shaw is your host.

Exciting news! Markus' plans for a new experiential prehistory event this winter are getting concrete and this time a small number of participants can take part. Read more about Markus' Nordic Winter Camp that will take place in February 2026.

-> Also interesting: in 2024 Matilda Siebrecht chatted with Markus about his earlier experiences: Nordic Walkabout: Q&A beforehand and Nordic Walkabout: Follow-up discussion.

Support the show

Listen in this month to hear all about archaeology in Brazil, as we get ready for the upcoming EAC14 conference, which will be held later this month at the Federal University of Paraná from the 12th – 16th May.

We are joined by a very special guest, João Carlos Moreno de Sousa. João, also known as JuCa, is an Associate Professor of Archaeology at the Federal University of Rio Grande, and at the Federal University of Paraná, both in Brazil. He is also head of the Laboratory for Evolutionary and Experimental Archaeology and Prehistory. JuCa is also one of the primary organisers of the upcoming EAC14 conference. In this episode, we hear more about JuCa’s work, how archaeology and heritage work can be used to bridge the gaps between past and present communities, and about the history of archaeology in Brazil more broadly.

If you’ve found this interesting, we hope to see you at the upcoming hybrid EAC14 conference! We have a fantastic programme planned this year, with experimental archaeology in South America playing a big role in the conference, as well as broader sessions on lithics, rock art, bone, wood, textiles and ceramics. Keynote speakers are Prof. Dr. Hugo Nami from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina and Prof. Dr. Alex Martire from the Federal University of Rio Grande in Brazil.

We hope you enjoy this month’s episode of EXARC Encounters, and join us either online or in person at EAC14!

Support the show

In this episode of EXARC Extracts, Matilda Siebrecht reads through the articles in issue 2025/1 of the EXARC Journal, sharing her insights and reactions to the amazing range of research shared within.

This year's first issue of the EXARC Journal includes thirteen reviewed articles and four matters articles. As always, the articles cover a very wide range of topics. All the articles are open access to allow for free exchange of information and further development of our knowledge of the past. 

Support the show

This episode of EXARC Showcase highlights not one but two projects EXARC members are currently involved in. Matilda Siebrecht presents this varied episode.

The first project is NFDI4Objects, a multidisciplinary consortium within the German National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI). Its aim is to create an easy template to help experimenters structure their experiments and to ensure consistency and comparability between different experiments. To achieve this a workflow tool is developed that allows experimenters to build a visual representation of their experimental design. Ivan Calandra (DE) is co-chair of NFDI4Objects community cluster Experimental Archaeology. See also the article in the EXARC Journal 2025-1. Roeland Paardekooper, founder of EXARC, explains how NFDI4Objects relates to the RETOLD project.

Ilse Donker (NL), re-enactor, forage guide and educator is a participant in The Wildbiome Project. This project seeks to understand what happens to the gut microbiome when you survive by foraging and eating wild food only. It will assess the impact on microbiome composition and key health parameters of people eating an exclusively wild food diet. Participants will do so for one or three months. Ilse talks about her motivation, preparation and expectations taking part in the project. She also discusses her ideas about foraging, reenactment and how looking closely at the way people lived in the past could improve our health and happiness.

Support the show

In this episode of EXARC Showcase John Kiernan shares his wide range of experience, knowledge and interests, hopscotching across various engaging topics. He shares how he became an experimental archaeologist, explores the differences between experimental and experiential archaeology, his reason for starting The EXARC Experimental Archaeology Award, the pros and cons of re-enactment and how failure is a good thing.

Support the show