Lab Summary – Page 2 – Experimental Archaeology / Experiential History

Week 9: Groma Lab Summary

By: Amalia Pappa, Luisa Cichowski, and Soren Eversoll Featured image: sketch by Em Jahn Introduction In our Experimental Archeology lab last week, we learned how to use an ancient Roman measuring tool called a Groma to perform a variety of surveying tasks. The archeological record shows that ancient Romans were very adept at creating straight…

Lab Summary Week 8: Tactics

Introduction This week in Experimental Archaeology, we learned about ancient Greek and Roman military tactics by recreating ancient battle equipment and army formations on the Mini Bald Spot. Before lab, we read about the different tactics of the Greek hoplites, Greek phalanxes, and Roman maniples. In a hoplite, soldiers stood close together with interlocking shields…

Lab Summary Week 7: Grain II

Reporters: Samantha Zimmerman, Rahim Hamid, Marta Kondratiuk. Data drawn from reports by: Ben Scott-Lewis (group A), Amelie Cook (B), Ann Beimers (D), Jake Oberg (E), and Eila Planinc (F). Introduction: This week in Experimental Archaeology, we continued our exploration into the making of bread in accordance with ancient texts such as Cato’s account of bread…

LAB SUMMARY WEEK 6: Tracta, Alica, and Catonian Breadstuffs

Morgan Dieschbourg, Dylan Fox-Arnold, and Em Jahn Introduction: This week, our class set about analyzing Cato’s description of traditional bread-making techniques in De Agricultura (a text from 165 BCE) through experimental archaeology on Carleton College’s Mai Fete Island. Specifically, we looked at six different bread-and-cheese-based recipes outlined in the text: placenta, spira, scriblita, erneum, globi,…

Lab Summary Week 5: Dyeing and Animals

Ruby Becker, Kenton Nagle, Maya Gabor Introduction: This lab took place at A Woolen Forest Farm & Studio, located on 15 acres in Lonsdale, Minnesota and owned by shepherdess and wool worker Alejandra Sanchez. In the week leading up to this lab, our experimental archeology class focused our learning towards ancient dyeing practices both in…

Week 4 Lab Summary: Ritual

by Bee, Ellie, and Will This week in Experimental Archaeology, we took a deep dive into Dr. Morton’s experimental research on rites done at the altar during ancient Greek religious sacrifices. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been found in the archaic cult images of a series of vase paintings. We burned bovine thigh bones…

Lab Write Up: Week 3

By Eila Planinc, Ben Scott-Lewis, and Abbi Vosen Introduction For our second week of Experimental Archaeology, we continued to examine ancient Greek shepherding traditions, this time with a focus on cheese. Last week we used the lens of wool and wool working practices to get at the experience of life in the ancient world, finding…

Week 2 Lab Summary: Wool

Introduction INTRO:For our first experiment, our Experimental Archaeology class got to work turning freshly shorn wool into a piece of woven fabric. This experiment was challenging to record quantitatively, but gave us a great glimpse into the lives of women throughout much of history and the immense amount of work required to create fabric and…

Week 9 Lab Summary: Preparing to Weave

In this lab, we were tasked with beginning the weaving process. Unfortunately, the sheer complication and time-consumption of setting up the warp-weighted loom hampered the process––we have not yet begun weaving, and the lab has been extended somewhat indefinitely into the following week. Even though as a class we didn’t technically complete our task, it…

Week 8 Lab Summary: Pottery Firing

Introduction On Thursday our class finally convened in the Arboretum art yard to fire the loom weights that we shaped in Week 3. We had a great time firing the loom weights with tremendous help from Kelly Connole, the master of pottery, and Austin Mason, our professor. We came to the art yard knowing that…

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