Archaeological Open-Air Museum

Facilitated Dialogue: An Emerging Field of Museum Practice

Author(s)
Foteini Venieri 1,2,3 ✉
Publication Date
EXARC Journal Issue 2022/1

Introduction

Almost 60 years ago, new museology’s call for a re-examination of the very identity of the museum, of its functions and purposes, brought forward its social role and signaled a major turn by initiating new areas of museum practice and research (Vergo, 1989). Since then, the relation of museums to their social, economic, and political environment has been the subject of many studies. Terms such as social and cultural inclusion, democratization and social responsibility are central in the current museological discourse.

EXARC Journal 2021/4 online

Submitted by EXARC on

The EXARC Journal 2021/4 was published in November and contains 13 reviewed and 4 unreviewed articles. As always, all articles are open access.

Four of the reviewed articles have been presented at the EAC 12 World Tour this year and are now available in the journal. Dzwiza looks at Ancient Technologies in Contexts of the Sustainable Development Goals, Palmer investigates the weaving of an Ancient Greek chlamys; Durante, Stellacci, Pellegrini, de Angelis and Scacchetti evaluate the production and possible uses of deer antler tools in Italy and Ertl and Yoshida look at the Approaches to Experimental Pit House Reconstructions in the Japanese Central Highlands...

Approaches to Experimental Pit House Reconstructions in the Japanese Central Highlands: Architectural History, Community Archaeology and Ethnology

Author(s)
John Ertl 1 ✉,
Yasuyuki Yoshida 2
Publication Date
EXARC Journal Issue 2021/4

Introduction

In Japan, experimental archaeology has thrived on many efforts to reconstruct prehistoric buildings. Since 1949, approximately one thousand buildings have been built at 360 sites (Ertl, 2021), making archaeological reconstruction something of a national pastime. In this article we compare approaches to making ancient pit houses at three sites located in the Central Highlands region of Japan: Togariishi-Yosukeone site (Chino City, Nagano Prefecture), Idojiri site (Fujimi Town, Nagano) and Umenoki site (Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture) (See Figures 1–3).

The Weald & Downland Living Museum’s Saxon Hall

Author(s)
Lucy Hockley 1 ✉
Publication Date
EXARC Journal Issue 2021/3
In the early days of the Weald & Downland Open Air Museum, from September 1970, there was a Saxon building on the site, which was one of only two archaeological reconstructions at the museum. This original sunken-floor Saxon building is no longer standing but, after several years in the planning, a new project saw the construction in 2015 of another Saxon building, the Saxon Hall from Steyning...

Approaches to the Documentation of Houses in Open-Air Museums

Author(s)
Enrico Lehnhardt 1 ✉,
Stefan Solleder 1
Publication Date
EXARC Journal Issue 2021/1
The seminar was divided into two parts. One group professionally documented the long-term experiment “House 1” in the Museums Village Düppel for the first time. The house was built in the 1970s and left to decay in 1990. The area was freed from vegetation and photographed at regular intervals. The second group reflected on the continuous documentation of reconstructed houses in archaeological...

Complexul National Muzeal ASTRA (RO)

Member of EXARC
No

The ASTRA Open-Air Museum situated in the natural reservation of Dumbrava Sibiului, 4 kilometers away from the Sibiu city centre, spreads across 96 ha, of which more than 40 ha are covered by the permanent exhibition. It was opened in 1963 when the assumed mission was to present the traditional technical patrimony in rural Romania, mills for grinding, oil, grapes and fruit presses, sawmills and watermills, and some peasant industries.

After the 90's, the museum goes through an obvious transformation, the aspect of traditional culture being more present through the houses rebuilt in the museum, but also with emphasis on the immaterial patrimony. ASTRA Open-Air Museum currently holds over 400 monuments of folk architecture and technique, as well as an impressive collection of ethnographic heritage objects. Conceived as a living museum, it hosts many traditional events such as: traditional fairs, workshops, folk festivals and performances.

Open-Air Museum de Locht (NL)

Member of EXARC
No

The open-air museum “de Locht” is an agricultural open-air museum, focusing on the life of farmers on the North-Limburg sandy soils. This includes the growing of asparagus and mushrooms. They collect, archive and present, also in person, about older ways of life, traditions, crafts and folk culture, looking back at the past, but also with a view on the future of North Limburg.

Archaeological research in 2009 led to the discovery of a farm on the grounds of the open-air museum, dating to about 1320 AD. It was decided to reconstruct this farm on site by placing new posts in the exact old postholes. Volunteers then constructed a fully furnished farm.

StaPark (RS)

Member of EXARC
No

The Neolithic archaeological open-air museum StaPark has been built in the village of Stapary and very vicinity of the archaeological localities Velika Gradina and Mala Gradina where the Neolithic man’s natural environment has been recognized and mainly researched.

A settlement of 1.500 square meters, consisting of four wattle and daub houses and one half pit-house, is built and furnished in accordance with lifestyle of Neolithic man. Exhibitions dedicated to the clothes producing, leather processing, tools crafting, processing the ceramics and weapons and preparing food of a Neolithic man are the museum’s permanent exhibition.

Questions from the Ancient Technology Centre

Submitted by EXARC on

EXARC's member the Ancient Technology Centre (ATC) needs help to decide how to improve.

Dorset Council is developing a grant application for improvements at the Ancient Technology Centre to enhance the experience, increase our activities and make it accessible to more visitors. The ATC envisages having more parking, a new visitor centre and improved facilities, including updating our reconstructed 'ancient' buildings.

The Story of your Site: Archaeological Site Museums and Archaeological Open-Air Museums

Author(s)
Roeland Paardekooper 1 ✉
Publication Date
EXARC Journal Issue 2020/4
Archaeological site museums may not be that well defined worldwide, yet, they are found almost everywhere. Archaeological sites with reconstructed buildings based on archaeology however seem to be a younger phenomenon and are mainly concentrated in Europe, Japan and North America. Both types of museums however have old roots. Important is not so much the site per se, but the message...