Living like our ancestors

[ateallthepies]

Has there ever been a well documented experiment in the vein of 'Victorian Farm' about people living in certain periods of British history?

I know there has been 1940's, Victorian and Edwardian long term experiments of living in those era's but has there been anything done in earlier times?

I think year long trials in say stone age and iron age living would be fascinating. I seem to remember some sort of TV documentary about 25-30 years ago on primitive living with a group who lived in roundhouses or something but can only remember glimpses of smelting and animal food preparation?

I enjoyed both the 'Farm' series and would love to see a much earlier version but I guess for it to be true to life special dispensation would be needed to hunt with bows or spears?

I reckon there would be more than a few willing volunteers just on this forum who would participate? Maybe partaking in a long term trial would reveal a greater understanding of how we lived and used things to live?

Anyone else have a time period they would like to faithfully (as much as we can) re-create?

Steve.

 

[Eric_Methven]

There are people who do living history in the bromze and iron age, many more do viking which can be described as the dark ages and so on. Most do it just for a weekend at a time but some experiment for longer periods. The trouble with TV shows about this type of activity is it becomes boring if the participants actually know what they are doing (like people from here for example). So they deliberately pick townies who will miss their TV and laptop, people who are squeamish or don't like bugs, and people from differing walks of life who will enevitably clash and throw a wobblie. It makes for better entertainment. Most of my fellow living history participants pee ourselves laughing at the antics and obvious errors tollerated on these types of programme.

It's amazing just how much you can learn (by watching and doing) even on a weekend in an iron age roundhouse. You discover skills and techniques long forgotten simply because you have to if you want to get something done.

I don't believe it would be possible to trully emulate stone or iron age life on a long term basis in the U.K. today. The land is too well developed, the laws prevent primitive hunting and there are nowhere near as many animals as there were then - so even if some location could be found, the logistics of the time period wouldn't be. You would need to transport a bunch of us (and we'd already need to be well trained in the basics and have a tribal mentality) to some foreign place that was substantialy undeveloped and still had a primitive infrastructure in place. All the temperate regions that would resemble the U.K., are already developed so that leaves the tropics or arctic regions. Neither are a reflection of climatic british conditions some 2000 - 3000 years ago. I don't see how it could be done.

Eric

 

[The Ratcatcher]

The tv documentary was probably about the Butser Ancient Farm project, which is, as far as I know, still going.

 

[Snowfire]

There was a series called Tales from the Green Valley about farming in the 1600s. Available on DVD according to http://www.petersommer.com/about-peter-sommer-travels/tales-from-the-green-valley/

 

[ateallthepies]

Yes it is the basic skills that we have forgotten because we found more efficient or easier ways of doing things that I would like to re-discover. It was my thinking that long term trials would force these things to be found again through nothing more than necessity to survive?
It was a three pronged artefact shown on a recent Neil Oliver program on ancient British history that got me thinking this, as it's use is unknown, as must a whole lot of items that have been discovered but explained by mere 'Ceremonial' purposes?

Steve.

 

[rik_uk3]

Wayland is our local 'Viking' and well into that period (I think), drop him a PM as I believe he has been involved in one or two television programmes.

Once you go back much more than a couple of thousand years its all a bit hazy, lot of guess work involved half the time.

 

[treadlightly]

The programme you refer to was a famous one done in the seventies when a group of people spent a year in an iron age village and lived like them. Can't rememb what it was called but recently someone did a programme which talked to many of the participant now and got their reflections on the project.

 

[Tengu]

That was Butser hill, (I think)

 

[delbach]

I think the iron age programme on the bbc in the 70's was called Living in the past
Andrew

 

[Stringmaker]

If you want to read something that was done before "Reality TV and Celebrity Rubbish" then I recommend this as a brilliant reference document:

http://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/pdf/Living a Stone Age Life.pdf

It is linked from Butser Farm but the project took place in the Netherlands in the seventies. Download the .pdf and read it through.

 

[Dark Horse Dave]

Butser Ancient Farm is still very much going. I've had the pleasure of accompanying large groups of 7 year olds there on two occasions!

They do some interesting bushy-related courses by the way; worth a quick look: http://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/

 

[healthnut]

I have done a lot of traveling to third world countries in my life in my line of work. Believe it or not, there are a lot of people in this world living the same way only under worse conditions because it is the only life they know. We are so fortunate that we are able live as our ancestors by choice and not because we have to.

 

[merrygold85]

Tales from the Green Valley can be seen here and is well worth a watch.

 

[sandbender]

"...I think the iron age programme on the bbc in the 70's was called Living in the past..."

[video=youtube;2e7ZLWz3UMw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e7ZLWz3UMw[/video]

I loved that series.

 

[ateallthepies]

Wow, 1978 this was shown? I was only 4 years old but seems like I remembered parts of it!

I'm gonna have to watch all these episodes Delbach and Sailbender, ta for posting those youtube links!

Steve.

 

[palmnut]

I think the iron age programme on the bbc in the 70's was called Living in the past
Andrew

It was supposedly filmed in Cranborne Chase Woods, just a few miles from where I sit now. This may explain why I stumbled on what appeared to be a stunningly well preserved Banjo type enclosure in the woods whilst walking the dog one day ;-)

Peter

 

[forestwalker]

If you want stone age there is Lynx Vildens various projects over in the USA. Nothing s long term as a full year, but IIRC about two months fully paleolithic. There is also some Dutch people who have done month long experiments.

As others have said Living In the Past is probably the best done one on TV, and is Iron Age. There is a book about it as well.

 

[Highbinder]

Worth a mention too is Les Stroud's documentary of a year in the wild without any tools (only his wife).

 

[Big T]

On TV very recently there is a programme called Curiousity Caveman that seems to cover what you mention. I think it is on the discovery channel.

 

[hedgerowpete]

try the people who do the "primative" books as they are based on the same ideas