EXARC Journal Issue 2017/4

Reviewed Articles

The Mechanics of Splitting Wood and the Design of Neolithic Woodworking Tools

Author(s)
Roland Ennos 1 ✉,
J. A. Ventura Oliveira 1
Publication Date
Because of the anisotropy of wood, trunks and branches can be vulnerable to splitting along the grain, especially radially. This fact was widely exploited in pre-industrial times, when wood was mostly cut and shaped by splitting it along the grain while still green, rather than by sawing...

Now we’re Cooking with Gas! How Experimental Archaeology Challenges Modern Assumptions about Metal Recycling

Author(s)
E. Giovanna Fregni 1
Publication Date
It is accepted knowledge that when re-melting alloys, some of the metal with a lower melting temperature is lost through oxidation, and more metal must be added in order to maintain the desired alloy proportions. In order to understand the changes in alloy content when recycling using Bronze Age technology, experiments were undertaken by the author and others...

Experimental Archaeology as Participant Observation: A Perspective from Medieval Food

Author(s)
Scott D. Stull 1
Publication Date
10th EAC Leiden 2017
***Central to anthropology is the concept of participant observation, where a researcher engages in immersive learning through ethnographic fieldwork. This concept is also important for archaeologists as immersive learning provides an avenue for more robust interpretation and the development of...

Castrum Corcagiensis - Roman Experimental Archaeology in Ireland

Author(s)
Martin McAree 1
Publication Date
Barrack blocks were a central feature in any Roman fort and functioned as the living spaces for a Century and its officers. While Roman forts varied in size from just over an acre for a simple ‘numerius’ fort, to over 55 acers for some large ‘legionary’ forts such as Deva (Chester), the layout of a barrack block...