The Bloomsbury Handbook of Experimental Approaches to Roman Archaeology

This volume is the first comprehensive overview of Roman experimental archaeology, exploring its key themes, methodologies and applications through a diverse array of international case studies. Experiments, simulations and reconstructions are important methods for understanding the past, from uncovering how ancient objects and structures were made, used, destroyed, deposited and affected underground, to illuminating the experiences of tasting ancient foods, fighting alongside comrades or living in replicated structures. Although the incorporation of experimentation has had great success in prehistoric studies, greater reliance on the wealth of literary and material sources remaining from the classical period has meant that its potential for Roman studies has yet to be fully realised. The 26 chapters in this book are divided into 6 thematic parts, each of which opens with a contextualizing introduction that frames the detailed case studies found in individual chapters and showcases the actual and potential diversity of experimentation as applied to the Roman past by scholars, re-enactors, and practitioners in the heritage sector. In laying out a detailed guide to Roman experimental archaeology, the volume as a whole maps its past, present and future, and provides a firm foundation for further practical research and collaboration. In doing so, it reasserts that experiments and reconstructions are a significant resource for testing or developing theories, rather than merely artistic replicas, and that the vast amount of quantifiable data they yield can be invaluable in support of interpretations of relevant archaeological or historical evidence, regardless of the period in question and beyond the confines of academia.>

Auteur
Lee Graña Nicolaou is a Research Fellow in Archaeology at the University of Bologna, Italy.Tatiana Ivleva is a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Newcastle, UK.Bill Griffiths is Head of Programmes and Collections at Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums, UK.

Contenu
List of Illustrations List of Tables List of Contributors Preface Foreword (Roeland Paardekooper, EXARC, Netherlands) Acknowledgements Introduction Introduction: The Past, Present, and Future Role of Experimentation in Roman Studies Lee Graña Nicolaou (University of Bologna, Italy), Tatiana Ivleva (University of Newcastle, UK) and Bill Griffiths (Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums, UK) Part I: Experimentation as a Tool for Academic and Public Engagement Chapter 1: Towards Sets of Guidelines for Roman Re-enactment and Reconstruction Archaeology revisited Bill Griffiths Chapter 2: Doing (Roman) History: Blurring the Lines between Academics, Reenactors and Artisans Anique Hamelink (Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums, UK) Chapter 3: Popularising Local Archaeology via Roman ExperimentatioN: The 'Man and Iron in the First Centuries Project' in Poland Andrzej Przychodni (Historical and Archaeological Museum in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, Poland) Chapter 4: The Influence of Experimental Workshops on Archaeological Communities: The Impact of 'TRACamp' Matthew Mandich (Independent Researcher, UK) Part II. Rebuilding the Past: Architectural Reconstructions and Open-air Museums Chapter 5: Adventures with a Hypocaust and Mass wall Cob Walling Richard Brunning (South West Heritage Trust, UK) Chapter 6: Mind the Gap(s): Theoretical and Hands-on Approaches to the Production of Roman Brick and Tile Tim Clerbaut (Ghent University, Belgium), Thomas Hauck (Vicus Eisenberg, Germany), Anna Langgartner (Museum Roman Fort Saalburg, Germany) and Rüdiger Schwarz (Museum Roman Fort Saalburg, Germany) Chapter 7: Rammed Earth, Hand-hewn Timber, and Wood-fired Tiles: The Physical reconstruction of Three Roman Craftsmen Houses at Xanten, Germany Peter Kienzle (Xanten Archaeological Park, Germany) Chapter 8: The Oil Merchant's House in the Roman City Quarter of Carnuntum Marion Grossmann (Carnuntum, Austria) Part III. Actualistic Experiments: Activities, Processes and Chains of Production Chapter 9: Ancient Fish Sauce at the Roman Table: Identifying Archaeological Traces of Ancient Recipes via Experimental Research into the Use and Deposition of Cooking Wares Sally Grainger (Independent Researcher, UK), Edward Biddulph (Oxford Archaeology, UK), Simona Mileto (Independent Researcher, Spain) and Alessandra Pecci (University of Barcelona, Spain) Chapter 10: The Panis Quadratus: Form, Flour, and Tools of the Trade Farrell Monaco (University of Leicester, UK) Chapter 11: Roman Leather Manufacture and the Archaeological Record: An Experimental Approach Hrafnhildur Helga Halldórsdóttir and Gillian Taylor (Teesside University, UK) Chapter 12: Off with their Heads! Broken Figurines and Religious Practice in Roman Britain Matthew Fittock (Finds Liaison Officer for Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, UK) Chapter 13: An Experimental Approach to the Study of the Roman Oil Lamp Caitlin Lobl (University College Dublin, Ireland) Chapter 14: The Role of Interdisciplinary Experiments in Developing Untested Theories: The Application of Engineering and Digital Approaches in the Study of Roman Dyeing Vats from Pompeii Heather Hopkins (Independent Researcher, UK) Chapter 15: Testing Ethnographic Hypotheses with Reconstructed Artefacts: Replicated Lead Fishing-net Weights and their Use on Cast-nets Lee Graña Nicolaou (University of Bologna, Italy) Part IV. Experiencing the Past: Sensory Experiences and Interpretations Chapter 16: Approaching the Romano-British Glass Bangle Craft with a Craftsperson Perspective Tatiana Ivleva (University of Newcastle, UK) Chapter 17: Reconstructing Recipes from Apicius: Professional Observations on Practices, Consistencies and Successes Jill Hatch and Mark Hatch (Taste of History, UK) Chapter 18: The Price of a Mile. Marching and its Impact on the Soldier: An Approximation to the Republican Army through an Experimental Perspective Jose Miguel Gallego (University of Barcelona, Spain, Eduard Ble (University of Barcelona, Spain), Pau Valdés Matías (Independent Researcher, Spain), and María Martínez-Esparza (Medical School of the Murcia University, Spain) Chapter 19: Identifying Severe Hair Loss via the Reproduction of Known Roman Hair Styles: The Case of Julia Domna Janet Stephens (Independent Researcher, USA) Chapter 20: Interpreting Clothing of the Late Antique Period: The Role of Experimental Archaeology Faith Pennick Morgan (Independent Researcher, UK) Part V. Digital technologies: 3D reconstructions and gaming Chapter 21: 3D Reconstructions as an Educational Tool Matthew Nicholls (University of Oxford, UK) Chapter 22: Methods and Applications of 3D digital Reconstructions: The Roman Fishponds of Maritime Villas in Southern Latium Roberta Ferritto (University of Bologna, Italy, and UPenn, USA) Chapter 23: Shedding Light in Roman Houses: Using 3D Reconstructions to Analyse the Use of Natural Light Lucia Michielin (University of Edinburgh, UK) Chapter 24: Digital Reconstructions as a Method to Test the Feasibility of Multiple Interpretations of Archaeological Artefacts as Illustrated by a Case Study of a Belt-like Object from Second Century CE Vimose Martijn Wijnhoven (Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic), Aleksei Moskvin and Mariia Moskvina (Saint Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design, Russia) Chapter 25: Rome was not Built in a Day: Reimagining the Roman Empire in Video Games Aris Politopoulos, Angus Mol (Leiden University Netherlands), Corine Gerritsen (Independent Researcher, Netherlands) and Omar Bugter (Independent Researcher, Netherlands) Chapter 26: The Missing Dead: Reconstructing the Past through Digital Gameplay at Roman Vindolanda Barbara Birley (Vindolanda Trust and Roman Army Museum, UK), Claire Stocks (University of Amsterdam, Netherlands) and Richard Davison (Newcastle University, UK) **Concl…