Replicating The Past: The Art and Science of the Archaeological Experiment

Experiments have long played a crucial role in scientific investigation. In archaeology, they provide solutions to increasingly sophisticated and intractable problems that are beyond the reach of more conventional methods. This volume introduces readers to the role of replicative experiments in modern archaeology and the ways such experiments are designed, carried out, and their results evaluated. With an emphasis on contemporary archaeological theory, this text is structured around case studies in which investigations that provide particularly good insight into the nature of archaeological experimentation are examined in detail and critiqued. The contributions of archaeological experiments in the classroom and in educating the general public about the past are also evaluated.