Editing Experimental archaeology (section)

== Examples ==

=== Butser Ancient Farm ===
[[File:Stone Age Horton Hall at Butser Ancient Farm.jpg|thumb|Butser Ancient Farm's reconstruction of a Stone Age house found in Hampshire, UK.]]
One of the earliest examples is [[Butser Ancient Farm]], which recreates buildings from UK archaeology to test theories of construction, use, and materials. Today, the site features a working [[Stone Age]] [[farm]], a [[Bronze Age]] [[Roundhouse (dwelling)|roundhouse]], [[Iron Age]] village, [[Roman villa]], and [[Anglo-Saxons|Saxon]] long halls.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/about-us |access-date=2022-09-07 |website=Butser Ancient Farm |language=en-US}}</ref> The work carried out at Butser has been instrumental in establishing experimental archaeology as a legitimate archaeological discipline, as well as assisted in bringing study of prehistory to the UK school curriculum.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aston |first=Mick |date=2001-10-05 |title=Obituary: Peter Reynolds |url=http://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/oct/05/guardianobituaries.humanities |access-date=2022-09-07 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

Butser still carries out [[long-term experiment]]s in prehistoric agriculture, animal husbandry, and manufacturing to test ideas posited by archaeologists, as well as introducing visitors to the discipline.

=== Lejre Land of Legends ===
Another early example is the [[Land of Legends (Sagnlandet Lejre)|Lejre Land of Legends]], the oldest open-air museum in [[Denmark]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sagnlandet Lejre (DK) {{!}} EXARC |url=https://exarc.net/members/venues/sagnlandet-lejre-dk |access-date=2022-09-07 |website=exarc.net}}</ref> The site features reconstructed buildings from the Stone Age, Iron Age, [[Viking Age|Viking era]], and 19th century, and runs experiments on prehistoric living and technologies.

=== Other examples ===
* The [[Kon-Tiki expedition|''Kon-Tiki'' expedition]] (1947), a [[balsa]] raft built by [[Thor Heyerdahl]], sailed from [[Peru]] to [[Polynesia]] to demonstrate the possibility of cultural exchange between [[South America]] and the Polynesian islands.
* Attempts to transport large stones like those used in [[Stonehenge]] over short distances using only technology that would have been available at the time. The original stones were probably moved from [[Pembrokeshire]] to the site on [[Salisbury Plain]].
* Since the 1970s the re-construction of timber framed buildings has informed understanding of early Anglo Saxon buildings at [[West Stow]], Suffolk, England. This extensive program of research through experiment and experience continues today.
* The reconstruction of part of [[Hadrian's Wall]] at [[Vindolanda]], carried out in limited time by local volunteers.
* Greek [[trireme]]s have been reconstructed by skilled sailors from plans and archaeological remains and have been successfully tried at sea.
* Attempts to manufacture steel that matches all the characteristics of [[Damascus steel]], whose original manufacturing techniques have been lost for centuries, including [[computational fluid dynamics]] reconstructions by the [[University of Exeter]] of the [[Sri Lanka]] furnaces at Samanalawewa, thought to be the most likely sources for Damascus steel.
* Experiments using reproduction [[Bâton de commandement|bâtons de commandement]] as [[spear]] throwers.
* [[Guédelon Castle]], a medieval construction project located in [[Treigny]], France.
* [[Ozark Medieval Fortress]], a defunct sister project to Guédelon.
* The [[Pamunkey Project]] – [[Errett Callahan]] led a series of extended Late Woodland living experiences in [[Tidewater Virginia]].
* [https://worldatlatl.org The World Atlatl Association], an organization devoted to the use and research of [[atlatl]]s, helped lobby for the legalization of atlatls as a means of deer hunting in Missouri.
* [[Marcus Junkelmann]] constructed Roman devices and gear for various museums. He also tested and analyzed them in various reenactments, among them a group of [[Legionary|legionaries]] in full authentic gear crossing the [[Alps]]  from [[Verona]] to [[Augsburg]].
* Ma'agen Michael II, a replica of a 2,400-year-old merchantman; built by Haifa University and the Israel Antiquities Authority
* Reconstruction of Galileo's Experiment: the inclined plane.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.u-picardie.fr/~dellis/Documents/PhysicsEducation/Reconstruction%20of%20Galileo%20Galilei.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2012-09-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913235506/http://www.u-picardie.fr/~dellis/Documents/PhysicsEducation/Reconstruction%20of%20Galileo%20Galilei.pdf |archive-date=2012-09-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Reconstruction of Lomonosov's discovery of Venus's atmosphere.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Experimental Reconstruction of Lomonosov's Discovery of Venus's Atmosphere with Antique Refractors During the 2012 Transit of Venus|first1=Alexandre|last1=Koukarine|first2=Igor|last2=Nesterenko|first3=Yuri|last3=Petrunin|first4=Vladimir|last4=Shiltsev|date=1 November 2013|journal=Solar System Research|volume=47|issue=6|pages=487–490|doi=10.1134/S0038094613060038|arxiv=1208.5286|bibcode=2013SoSyR..47..487K|s2cid=119201160}}</ref>
* Construction of a [[monastic community]] according to the ninth-century [[Plan of Saint Gall]] at [[Campus Galli]].
* [[Janet Stephens]] utilizing her own skill as a hairdresser to reconstruct Roman-era hairstyles, rebutting previously held theories about single-prong pins being used to hold them in place.
* [[Ben Marwick]] trampled experimentally-produced flaked stone artefacts into sediments excavated from [[Malakunanja II]] to show that it was unlikely that they had moved extensively through the deposit during the Pleistocene.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Marwick|first1=Ben|last2=Hayes|first2=Elspeth|last3=Clarkson|first3=Chris|last4=Fullagar|first4=Richard|title=Movement of lithics by trampling: An experiment in the Madjedbebe sediments, northern Australia|journal=Journal of Archaeological Science|date=March 2017|volume=79|pages=73–85|doi=10.1016/j.jas.2017.01.008|url=https://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers/4466}}</ref>
* [[Killian Driscoll]] undertook a series of experiments to examine the prehistoric use of vein [[quartz]].<ref>{{cite thesis|last1=Driscoll|first1=Killian|title=Understanding quartz technology in early prehistoric Ireland|date=2010|publisher=University College Dublin|url=http://www.lithicsireland.ie/phd_quartz_lithic_technology_contents.html}}</ref> This involved experimental [[knapping]] to understand the fracture mechanics of the material;<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Driscoll|first1=Killian|title=Vein quartz in lithic traditions: an analysis based on experimental archaeology|journal=Journal of Archaeological Science|date=2011|volume=38|issue=3|pages=734–745|url=http://www.lithicsireland.ie/killian_driscoll_publications_2011_vein_quartz_lithic_traditions_analysis_experimental_archaeology_abstract.html|doi=10.1016/j.jas.2010.10.027}}</ref> the experimental burning of quartz;<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Driscoll|first1=Killian|last2=Menuge|first2=Julian|title=Recognising burnt vein quartz artefacts in archaeological assemblages|journal=Journal of Archaeological Science|date=2011|volume=38|issue=9|pages=2251–2260|url=http://www.lithicsireland.ie/killian_driscoll_publications_2011_recognising_burnt_vein_quartz_artefacts_archaeological_assemblages_abstract.html|doi=10.1016/j.jas.2011.03.028}}</ref> and an experiment designed to investigate the ease of identification of stone tools made from quartz;<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Driscoll|first1=Killian|title= Identifying and classifying vein quartz artefacts: an experiment conducted at the World Archaeological Congress, 2008|journal=Archaeometry|date=2011|volume=53|issue=6|pages=1280–1296|url=http://www.lithicsireland.ie/killian_driscoll_publications_2011_identifying_classifying_quartz_artefacts_experiment_archaeometry_abstract.html|doi=10.1111/j.1475-4754.2011.00600.x}}</ref> this series was added to by an experiment that examined the effects of trampling on quartz tools compared to flint.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Driscoll|first1=K|last2=Alcaina|first2=J|last3=Égüez|first3=N|last4=Mangado|first4=X|last5=Fullola|first5=J-M.|last6=Tejero|first6=J-M.|title=Trampled under foot: A quartz and chert human trampling experiment at the Cova del Parco rock shelter, Spain|journal=Quaternary International|date=2016|volume=424|pages=130–142|url=http://www.lithicsireland.ie/killian_driscoll_publications_2016_quartz_chert_trampling_experiment_abstract.html|doi=10.1016/j.quaint.2015.04.054|bibcode=2016QuInt.424..130D}}</ref>
* Beginning in the 1980s, a project to build an [[Iron Age]] [[Roundhouse (dwelling)|Roundhouse]] was led by a teacher at [[Cranborne]] Middle School. In 2002, the site was expanded into the [[Cranborne Ancient Technology Centre]] with an additional [[Vikings|Viking]] [[Longhouse]] and [[Neolithic]] dwellings that are all used for educational purposes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ancienttechnologycentre.com/about-us|title=Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Anglo Saxon & Viking School Trips|website=Ancient Technology centre|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-02-05}}</ref>
* At [[University College Dublin]], Ireland, the Centre for Experimental Archaeology and Material Culture (founded 2012) is one of the only university campus facilities of this type for experimental archaeological research and teaching in the world.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/medieval-hut-at-ucd-burned-down-in-arson-attack-1.3898671|title=Medieval hut at UCD burned down in 'arson' attack|first=Sorcha|last=Pollak|newspaper=The Irish Times}}</ref> Their work has involved [[Mesolithic]], early medieval and [[Viking Ireland|Viking Age]] houses, [[pottery]], stone, flint, [[chert]], and quartz technologies; [[bronze]], iron and glass-working; and food production.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ucd.ie/archaeology/ceamc/|title=UCD School of Archaeology|website=www.ucd.ie}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/earchaeol?lang=en|title=ExperimentArchaeolog (@EArchaeol) &#124; Twitter|website=twitter.com}}</ref>
* Sutton Hoo Ships Company based in Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK is a 4-year project to build a full size reconstruction of the Sutton Hoo burial ship excavated by Basil Brown at [[Sutton Hoo]] in 1939. The reconstruction process is attempting to discover and use traditional boat building skills and methods that might have been used by the Anglo Saxon shipbuilders of the time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Sutton Hoo Ship's Company |url=https://saxonship.org/ |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=saxonship.org}}</ref>