Experimentation in Archaeology

After a brief overview of the history of archaeological experimentation which has not yet been established as a sub-discipline, this chapter presents four recent examples of experimentation focusing on questions relating to Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The methods, biases and possible results of the two main forms of experimentation practiced in archaeology – controlled and contextual archaeological experiments – are discussed. Ultimately, the aim of archaeological experimentation can be summed up as “making to (seek to) understand”.