‘Historical Craft from the Artisan’s Point of View’. Analysis of the Results of the Survey Conducted Among Craftsmen Specialising in Historical Reconstruction

Abstract

The paper presents the results of the survey carried out by the authors of this paper, the subject of which was experimental archaeology. We asked a group of artisans that deal with historical reconstruction a set of questions about the difficulties they encounter during their reconstruction work. What is their biggest problem? Where do the craftsmen derive information about the ancient technology from? How are their products received by recipients? The chronological framework of the reconstruction industry was narrowed down to one historical period (the time of the Przeworsk culture, that is the Pre-Roman Iron Age, the Roman Iron Age and Migration Period). This clearly showed some connections between a small group of craftsmen using ancient methods in their work and the academic world, and how important it is to acquire historical and archaeological knowledge and to find ethnographic inspirations in order to solve the problems of craft techniques. The survey covered artisans practising various crafts, from metalwork to pottery, which added a broader perspective to the issues studied.

Keywords

• experimental archaeology
• artisan
• artefact reconstruction