House of Questions
Delphi House of Questions was an EU Culture 2000 project by three EXARC members. Under this umbrella, other EXARC members as well collected and answered the most frequently asked questions by visitors to archaeological open-air museums. The largest part of this collection of questions you can find here – as many of them still carry importance. In most cases we offer the questions both in the original language and in English. With several questions you will find illustrations by Savannah Parent.
How did people make fire in the Iron Age (NL)?
Roughly seen, there are two methods of fire making. The oldest way is the fire drilling: one mounts a wooden peg on a board of wood and rotates this peg quite fast. This way, the temperature rises where the peg touches the board...
How long did it take the Vikings to build a house like the Borg Museums’ longhouse (NO)?
It depends on what resources and materials were available. A possible estimate is one to two years (the reconstruction took one year to build), but we must also consider that the house seems to have been continually added to and maintained.
What kind of jewellery did people wear in the Middle Ages (NL)?
Well, that depended on who you were. There were large differences in classes, between farmers, civilians, clergymen and the nobility.
Often jewellery was about your profession (if you were a man)...
Did toys exist in prehistory? And if they did, from what materials (CZ)?
They surely existed but we are not able to recognize them as such in archaeological material. Miniature vessels, figures of people or animals, rattles and similar artefacts were often made but may have been used for religious and magical activities...
In the Middle Ages, people probably had all the time of the world - no stress (NL)?
Whether the Middle Ages were an easy time with lots of holidays? People were attached a lot to religious habits and there were numerous holidays when a certain saint was worshipped. Sunday was a day of rest as well and a day of veneration since Constantine the Great set up the 7 days system in the year 321...
What was the average life expectancy of the medieval man in Denmark (DK)?
According to the statistics of skeletal finds, approximately 40 years. However, this includes a large infant mortality, and thus some people might well have lived considerably longer...
Where did the first corn come from (CH)?
The first kinds of corn cultivated in Switzerland in the Young Stone Age (about 7,500 years ago) were wheat and barley. These kinds of corn were not indigenous in Europe before they were first grown here, meaning they...
Were Trébuchets common in Denmark (DK)?
As far as we know, they were relatively common. None have survived till modern times, but they are mentioned regularly in written sources...
What were roofs made from during the Bronze Age (CZ)?
Remains of roofs are rarely preserved so we know little about them. They may have been thatched but at that time people did not grow corn with long stalks as rye later in Middle Ages and modern times and...
How many people stayed on a Crannog (UK)?
Crannogs varied in size but it would probably be an extended family of parents, grand parents and children, aunts uncles, cousins, etc. Crannogs were used from 5,000 years ago to as recently as 250 years ago, so the number of people staying there would have changed as the function of crannogs changed.