Why experimental archaeology

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Don't have an account? Sign in via your Institution. More recently, archaeologists have emphasised the use of a scientific framework for archaeological experimentation, where a greater focus is placed on the design and control of experiments for testing specific hypotheses about past activities.

CAS has a dedicated experimental laboratory for stone tool experimental research. Here, CAS researchers employ both flintknapping and controlled flaking to understand prehistoric stone tools. In this way, CAS researchers are able to isolate and quantify the influence of specific knapping parameters, such as the shape of the core, the shape and material of the hammer, and the angle and location of the hammer impact.

These fundamental properties, once verified experimentally, can be effectively applied to archaeological data to understanding change in past stone knapping techniques. Another focus of the CAS experimental laboratory is to evaluate the effect of heat treatment on different stone types. By using the mechanical flaking machine and a dedicated oven furnace, current CAS projects are examining the influence of source variation and heating temperature on the flaking properties of siliceous raw material from Australia, South Africa and Indonesia.

As with the study of ethnographic paralells it helps the archaeologists of the 21 st century to step back and broaden their understanding of the range of possibilities in which the archaeological record has come about.

A particularly valuable facet of experimental archaeology is the potential that it offers to broaden the archaeological experience to include the wider community. Some experiments involve many people, others involve just a few individuals, but the value of experiment is that it brings different specialisms and skills to bear upon archaeological interpretation. Builders, flintknappers, boatmen, fishermen and hunters have all potentially vital roles in archaeological experiments relevant to studies of Mesolithic Scotland and the list of potential skills is almost endless.

The value of experiment lies not just in its use of related expertise but also in its use as an interpretive tool. Archaeological sites and finds, particularly those of the Mesolithic, can be difficult to relate to the everyday life of the past. Nothing can beat the practical demonstration of ancient skills, the actual experience of entering a reconstructed building, or the fun of trying something out for oneself.