Devon, Southwest Britain; landscape of gardens, valleys and streams1,000 academic staff and 1,800 employees14,000 undergraduates; 2,000 postgraduate taught course students1,500 research students

Archaeology Department13 lecturers, 2 technicians + admin staff + project researchers150-180 undergraduate students; c 50 research postgraduates 15-25 MA students: 5-10 Experimental Archaeology MA students

Experimental Archaeology Staff

• Linda Hurcombe: stone and bone tools, usewear analysis, hideworking, basketry, fibres and cordage, ceramics and taphonomic processes; worked in community and heritage archaeology and co-investigator on boat project

• Bruce Bradley: stone and bone tools (expert knapper), hideworking, fibres and cordage, ceramics; worked in public presentation and currently directing Learning to be Human project

Alan Outram: fats, bone/antler tools, taphonomic processes

Gill Juleff: archaeometallurgy, smelting and forging iron and lost wax casting; projects in Indian Subcontinent and Exmoor, UK

Facilities for experimental archaeology include wet and clean labs, an experimental lab with supplies of materials and equipment, microscopes, kiln, potter’s wheel. There are 2 outdoor areas and the university land has wild and exotic plants and trees.

Build the boat with bronze age tools, oak trees, and yew withiesBootsbau mit bronzezeitlichen Werkzeugen, Eichenholz und EibenschößlingenCostruire la barca con strumenti dell’etá del Bronzo, quercia e polloni di tasso

sewn plank boat c 2000 BC“genähtes” BootBarca in tavolato “cucito”

Boat project public experimental archaeology National Maritime Museum Falmouth

Sept 2012: Sea trials – perhaps wet feet! Testfahrt im Meer – keine Angst vor nassen Füßen! Test di navigazione in mare – piedi bagnati?

Brain scans before and after learningGehirnscans vor und nach der Lernphase Risonanza magnetica prima e dopo l’apprendimento

Does learning to make tools change your brain?Verändert Feuersteinschlagen das Gehirn?Imparare a produrre uno strumento cambia il tuo cervello?

Learning to be HumanFlintknapping skills project

to compare wear traces; but what materials and what tasks?Vergleich von Abnutzungsspuren – aber von welchen Materialien und welchen Vorgängen?Per confrontare i segni d’uso: ma con quali materiali e quali obbiettivi?

Using stone toolsVerwendung von SteinwerkzeugenUtilizzo di strumenti litici

Nettle (Uritica dioica) bast

2 stages of manual processing

(but no water retting)

Unusual materialsUnusual processes

Fine fibres without water retting

Working hides as place, smell, feel, and people memories

Tasks and places = taskscapes

Sensory worlds

Tanning methods ?

brains,

fat,

smoke,

tree bark

plant

Urine

&

many more

Warmth, colour, texture, smell, flexibility, elasticity, impermeability, retention of qualities after wet-dry cycle

impressions on pot sherdsAbdrücke von Textilien in KeramikImpronte di tessuto su ceramica

Experiments to replicate impressions on pot sherds

Drawn: Pottery vessel Late NeolithicPhoto: experimental “original” basket

Zeichnung: Keramikgefäß, SpätneolithikumFoto: experimenteller Korb als Vorlage für das Gefäß

Disegno: vaso del tardo neoliticoFoto: cestino “originale” sperimentale

Archaeological ‘Copying ‘ and present day ‘reverse engineering’

Touching the past project

Facsimileslaser scans, then3D prints near originals‘authenticity’ transfer

From enclosed display of original in National Museum

to reconstruction copy on open display in local museum, Orkney

to enlivened object‘seen’ textures, drape, and movement viaclips of making and wearing

Enlivened objectdelivered via url code to smart phone or ipad