Experimental archaeology
A
ll research at TraceoLab has a strong experimental component, enabled by the long-term engagement of Christian Lepers, experienced flintknapper and specialist in prehistoric technology, in research programs. Our collaboration with external experts and research institutes adds to our practical know-how. The experiments carried out at TraceoLab serve a range of purposes:
- creation of an extensive reference collection of wear traces and residues on diverse lithic materials (flint, obsidian, dolerite, quartzite, etc.) to aid research and training
- development of new experimental protocols to address issues raised by archaeological analysis
- support for the development of new methods for the analysis of lithic artefacts
- refinement of our understanding of prehistoric techniques and technologies.
Our experimental programs are tailored to each archaeological context and research question. On-going experiments target, for instance, the identification of prehistoric weapon delivery systems based on lithic use-wear, the formation of plant-working polishes and the improvement of methods for their analysis, the fracture mechanical properties of various lithic raw materials, the production methods and properties of prehistoric adhesives, the identification of knapping techniques and idiosyncrasies of individual knappers based on knapping wear, and raw material use and tool forms in the African Stone Age.
These programs are usually actualistic in nature. In planning them, we take advantage of preliminary archaeological observations, site-specific contextual information, and previous ethnographic and experimental data to arrive at realistic reconstructions of past human activities. When necessary, human tool use experiments can be complemented with controlled machine experiments to investigate, for instance, the mechanical properties of lithic and organic raw materials.
In conducting projectile experiments, we generally do not rely on the use of machines, as we prefer to consider the human factor. The targets we use are designed to resemble game animals as closely as possible, and a compromise is struck between realism and ethical sustainability. Our targets make use of animal skeletons embedded in ballistic gel and covered with fresh hide. This design permits the use of the animal parts repeatedly in multiple experiments, and the translucent nature of the gel allows us to analyse the trajectory of the projectiles inside the target.
Experiments performed at TraceoLab combine skilled replication and use of prehistoric tools with the use of state-of-the-art laboratory equipment, including facilities and instruments for projectile experiments, equipment for taphonomic experiments (a climate chamber, a UV chamber, a tumbling barrel), a universal testing machine for mechanical testing of raw materials, and diverse analytical and imaging tools (various optical microscopes, a SEM, a high-speed camera, 3D scanner and printer). These facilities, combined with extensive know-how and regular critical evaluation and updating of our knowledge, allow generating accurate data to advance our knowledge of our ancestors and their evolution.
