What Is an Experimental Archaeologist?

An experimental archaeologist is a scholar who spends his or her days seeking to understand early cultures through experimentation, trial and error, and calculated recreations. Most are trained first and foremost as archaeologists, then use their expertise to help redesign aspects of early life only hinted at in uncovered artifacts. Sometimes this involves actually trying to use primitive tools the way they might have been first used, or recreating kilns to try to discern exactly how ancient pottery was fired. Other times the work is more theoretical, based on reconstructing cultural norms and societal mores to explain certain finds. An experimental archaeologist can work in a variety of settings, but always focuses on using site evidence to make conjectures about life, society, or culture as it once was.

The field of experimental archaeology is credited with having discovered many of the truths modern society holds about earlier civilizations. Archaeological digs usually reveal objects — household effects, for instance, and basic building foundations — but these finds rarely form a complete picture of how a society lived or what they believed. Sometimes, it is not even clear what certain finds are. An experimental archaeologist studies uncovered evidence, then uses logic, deduction, and experimentation to recreate the most likely circumstances and scenarios for original use.

There are two main branches of experimental archaeology: one related to things and one related to people. The study of things focuses on artifacts that have been recovered from archaeological digs. A professional with this specialty studies recovered objects and object fragments with an eye towards how they were used and by whom.

Much of the work of a “things” experimental archaeologist centers on placing found objects in context. Artifacts must be viewed in light of their location and anything that was known about the people that created them. Sometimes this involves primary historian work, piecing together anything that is known about a people or a culture.

The study is often very hands-on. An experimental archaeologist often personally tries out tools or works with others to build historically accurate replicas of buildings and other structures. Recreations are some of the best ways to bring history to life in a way that sheds light on a society’s processes, approaches, or even general culture.

An archaeological professional who focuses on cultures usually has more of a grounding in anthropology. This professional has the same sort of operational goals as an artifacts-based experimental archaeologist, but focuses more on what found objects say about a people than how they were used on a day-to-day basis. Cultural studies are usually a lot more theoretical and rarely involve actual hands-on recreations. Archaeology jobs in this sector usually focus on putting findings into context, then using that context to create some kind of compelling narrative about who people were, what they held important, and how they governed themselves, among other things.

Experimental archaeologists often work for nonprofit, often government-based, research groups, but they are also frequently on staff with universities. Most have a specific geographical focus that has typically been honed through years of experience and pointed research. A person must usually have quite a bit of knowledge of archaeology before he or she can be hired onto a project in an experimental capacity. Experimentalists are often recruited specifically, usually on a per-project basis, though permanent positions are sometimes available depending on the circumstances.