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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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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