YEAR Centre Official Launch
The York Experimental Archaeology Research (YEAR) Centre celebrates with a new blog detailing research
YEAR (York Experimental Archaeological Research) Centre has an outdoor experimental archaeology workspace on campus. Nestled in amongst a grove of protected trees adjacent to the lake, this is an ideal space for conducting experiments, teaching and running workshops relating to material culture.
At what feels and looks very much like a prehistoric campsite, students can experience first-hand what it would have been like to craft objects in the past using traditional techniques; for example, firing a pot, hafting an arrowhead, or weaving a basket out of reeds. As well as the fun of making stuff fireside, students are taught how to design, implement and use scientific methods to document their experiments.
Conveniently, the experimental data produced can be easily transported to our new PalaeoHub Laboratories for further processing/analyses, inclusing microwear and residue analysis using state-of-the-art micrsocopic equipment in our Microwear Laboratory. Next door to PalaeoHub is the BioArCh laboratories where researchers can carry out biomolecular techniques, such as lipid analysis, on foodcrusts from pottery.
The YEAR Centre has institutional membership with EXARC – the ICOM Affiliated Organisation representing archaeological open-air museums, experimental archaeology, ancient technology and interpretation.
Visit the YEAR Centre's new website here: