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…
Lab 1 -EXARC Study- Ellie Simon
After scrolling through all of the articles tagged “experimental archaeology,” I found that the latest era that was focused on was the late middle ages, and a few on the so-called “newest/newer era.” The overwhelming majority of the articles were focused on western, European countries (and some from the Middle East/cradle of civilization) as well…
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…
Woodworking Lab Part 2, Week 7
Group members: Sagal Ahmed, Beck Arnow, Hali’a Buchal, Margie Clauss 28.October.2021, 1:00pm-4:30pm The weather (rain) had interfered with our original lab plans today for pottery firing. Instead, our efforts focused on finishing up the warp weighted loom, which mostly involved touch-ups and detailing of the wood after a week of drying. We did not have…
Woodworking Lab Summary Week 6
Introduction The focus of our lab was to build the pieces of a wooden loom using the tools available during the Anglo-Saxon period. The experiment was as archaeologically accurate as possible. We used traditional woodworking tools, employed traditional techniques, and worked as a group to recreate the sense of community associated with the practice. Sam…
Week 5 Lab Summary: Working with Wool
Introduction 14.October.2021, 12:30pm-5:00pm Welcome to A Woolen Forest Farm! The focus of our lab was to learn about the steps of wool processing which also involved the learning of the preservation of wool crafts and textile arts. Alejandra Sanchez, the resident fiber artist, shepherdess, and conservationist behind A Woolen Forest Farm, helped us to trace…
Week 4 Lab Summary: Metal Casting for Brooches
Introduction: In this lab we were tasked with creating two different types of metal brooches using two methods: casting and fabrication. We were separated into three groups; each group would make one casting in historical form using a 3D printed resin model. Each individual made one fabricated brooch from copper sheet metal. This lab was…
Week 3 Lab Summary: Loom Weight Formation
Elliot Stork, Hali’a Buchal, Phoebe Ward Intro The purpose of our experiment was to turn raw materials (clay, grog, water) into loom weights, by fashioning the materials into the desired shape (a doughnut). We conducted the experiment in the ceramics studio under the guidance of Kelly Connole, who helped us with preparing, handling, and marking…
