Experimental Archaeology books

[Tengu]

Any that you may reccomend?

If yoou have any on offer I would be up for a swap (All the ones I saw online are drattingly expensive...)

 

[boatman]

Are you on facebook Experimental Archaeology group? What area are you studying? Seen Exarc?

 

[John Fenna]

Primitive Technology: a book of Earth Skills and Primitive technology II: Ancestral Skills (guess who they quote on page 197 )

 

[Palaeocory]

Is there a specific era or topic you are looking for experiments in? I recommend the experimental archaeology facebook page too, good group

 

[Tengu]

As If I would join Facebook! Who do you think I am?

Anything really, as I intend doing it at postgrad level, and they will cover as much as they can

 

[Palaeocory]

Hmmm there is an MA in experimental archaeology at Exeter, I wonder if you could get hold of some of their reading lists...? (Is that the course you'll be doing??)

 

[Tengu]

I dont know (Though thats where my tutor studied it.) I have asked her.

They also do it at Dublin.

 

[boatman]

I enjoy the Experimental Archaeology Facebook group and my membership of Exarc. Not sure you can be serious about experimental archaeology without contact with some of the leaders in the field and the many doing their own small experiments.

 

[MilkTheFrog]

Interested in this too as an Archaeology undergrad, I'm currently on the BSc course but my uni offers both a BA and BSc, the difference mainly seems to be in the subjects you take alongside the degree but I'll have to discuss that with my profs when I return from my gap year to see if there's scope for dissertations or specialisations in experimental archaeology. I don't have any personal book suggestions, but a quick search turns up a lot of authors that seem worth looking into. John Coles, Dana C.E. Millson, Jodi Reeves Flores, Frederick Foulds, Jeffrey Ferguson. I'll ask around for specific recommendation, but my understanding is that the vast majority of our understanding of traditional methods comes from ethnographic studies, it's certainly worth looking for some of those relevant to whatever you're interested in.

 

[MilkTheFrog]

So I asked on reddit here (as I don't want to take all the credit for research), seems the key suggestions were:

• Designing Experimental Research in Archaeology, ed. Jeffrey Ferguson
• A View to the Past: Experience and Experiment in Primitive Technology, Scott Jones

As well as a few pointers for papers to look at. Do keep us posted on how this works out for you!

 

[Paul W]

Done a bit of Exarc myself. Rather than a general book on Exarc I would suggest you decide which area you're interested in and get specialist book on that area. For example if you're into Beaker pottery a specialist book on Beaker pottery manufacture would be more useful than anything else.