1

ROELAND PAARDEKOOPEREXARC DIRECTOR

RRR & THE PUBLIC:

EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY

AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL

OPEN-AIR MUSEUMS

EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY

“A sub-field of archaeological research which

employs a number of different methods,

techniques, analyses, and approaches within the

context of a controllable imitative experiment to

replicate past phenomena (from objects to

systems) in order to generate and test

hypotheses to provide or enhance analogies for

archaeological interpretation” (Mathieu 2002, 1).

2

3

Working script for experiments (Lammers 2005, 22)

• Define archaeological problem

• Hypothesis-testing or Hypothesis-forming?

• Structure: “static or dynamic” and “single experiment or

multiple simultaneous lines”

• Conditions

• Mid-evaluation: “check design” and “realisation”

• Preparation documentation

• Perform the test and document

• Feedback or comparison

• Ascertain analogy: check “uniformity” & “unambiguity”

• Conclusion

• Report

• Repeat test

EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY

EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY

4

5

ARCH. OPEN-AIR MUSEUMS

VISITORS

1 IMMERSIVE POSITIVE EXPERIENCE

2 LEISURE TIME, RELAXING

MUSEUM

1 CREATING WORK PLACES

2 DEVELOPING TOURIST DESTINATIONS

3 SATISFYING POLITICAL NEEDS

6

ARCH. OPEN-AIR MUSEUMS

INTERPRETATION IS

“ANY LIVE

INTERACTION

BETWEEN MUSEUM /

SITE STAFF AND

VISITORS.”

(IMTAL EUROPE)

7

ARCH. OPEN-AIR MUSEUMS

8

TABLE HURCOMBE

SCIENCE & PUBLIC

9

SCIENCE & PUBLIC

Digital Sarcophagus

SCIENCE & PUBLIC

10

11

SCIENCE & PUBLIC

Music exhibition

12

SCIENCE & PUBLIC

13

CONCLUSION