EXARC Journal Issue 2026/2

The aim of the project described in this article was to reproduce the life of polished stone tools from their manufacture, use and use after repair or as a new tool. The data resulted from eight years of detailed documented and time-demanding experiments (just drilling alone presents more than 2500 hours of work). Some of the results created a new view of the polished stone tools’ chaîne opératoire. In the Czech environment it especially concerns so called workshops on Neolithic settlements. Furthermore, the data from the experiments are compared to traces of manufacture and use on the original artifacts from Bohemia and Moravia.

The properties of three Italian medieval religious blood relics, that periodically 'miraculously' liquefy, are described and two natural explanations proposed: they may either consist of a thixotropic substance, that can change from solid to liquid when stirred or shaken, or - more probably - of a low-melting substance, that melts when the temperature rises. A few different suitable substances, such as fats, are proposed for this second hypothesis, along with the best dyes that could be added, and actual reproductions of the relics are reported.

This experimental study offers new insights into the deposition and taphonomy of microscopic plant residues (phytoliths and starch grains) on obsidian prismatic blades. Twenty blades were flaked from a new obsidian core and used to process eight botanical elements frequently recovered from archaeological contexts in Mesoamerica: maize (Zea mays) leaves and cobs, two varieties of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), two species of squash (Cucurbita pepo), manioc (Manihot esculenta), and hardwood. We examined the quantity of visible residues deposited on the blades before microbotanical extractions. We analysed and quantified extracted starch grains and phytoliths and made limited observations of microscopic blade usewear. We also documented how experiment participants handled and used prismatic blades. The results obtained in this limited study support the idea that archaeological visibility of certain plants is tied less to sequence of tool use and more to the general visibility of residues created by certain species. This study provides insights into the relationship between obsidian prismatic blade use, deposition of botanical residues, and recovery of microbotanical remains. Tracking taphonomy is important for interpreting relationships between people, plants, and culinary practice.

The salt mines of Hallstatt, Upper Austria, bear some of the most significant evidence for our understanding of textile culture in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age in Central Europe due to the exceptional preservation of these finds. Following recent excavations, a new textile, HallTex 390, from the Late Bronze Age “Tuschwerk” mine has revealed multiple previously unknown features, techniques, and a peculiar design: two typical Bronze Age fabrics connected with an unusual ribbon with a ribbed structure, combining twisted and tabby-structured threads of different diameters. While comparisons for similar techniques from Denmark are discussed, this technique is quite unique for Bronze Age Central Europe. Only through experiments were we able to fully understand the textile, which seems to have consisted of tablet weaving with tablets threaded with either two or four threads while simultaneously using the weft as a sewing thread to connect the ribbon to the other textiles. This produced results comparable to the original while also revealing how efficient these Bronze Age craftspeople’s design choices were.

This project experimentally reconstructs textile cleaning in the ancient Roman fullonicae. White wool fabric was stained with olive oil, soil, wine, and tomato-based sauce to approximate the everyday soiling of Roman garments. After allowing the stains to set for seventy-two hours, the cloth underwent a washing, rinsing, and drying procedure modelled on descriptions and archaeological evidence of fulling workshops. A 1:1 mixture of stale urine and water was tested against a modern castile soap solution and a no-treatment control. The stale urine performed comparably to, and in some cases slightly better than, the castile soap at removing dirt and oil, while both treatments left the wool soft in texture. Notably, the urine-treated cloth retained no detectable odor after drying. These findings support the evidence for urine-based cleaning techniques in the ancient Roman fullonicae.