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.
Did people tidy their houses in prehistory (CZ)?
Certainly, the earliest Neolithic houses had smooth floors from fine clay stamped down (it was not simply the stamped down surface of the ground but a layer of...
I saw visitors throw coins into a few of the wooden canoes in the museum. Why (DE)?
This question rather requires answering by ethnologists. From archaeological view, this phenomenon can easiest be explained as the popular adaptation of earlier ‘”water cults”. From prehistory, we know numerous sacrifices...
Why are different parts of the Iron Age called in different ways (SE)?
Also in Sweden, the Iron Age is divided into the Early Iron Age (500 B.C - 400 A.D.) and the Late Iron Age (400 - 1050 A.D.). These period are in turn subdivided...
Was there a division of roles in the early Middle Ages (NL)?
There was a traditional division of roles. Women in general took care of the children. They herded and milked the cattle and sheep and fed the chickens. Shaving sheep, plucking wool,...
Wich orders of monks and nuns existed in the Middle Ages in Denmark (DK)?
Those were the following:
# Birgittine Order. Munks and nuns
# Benedictine Order. Munks and nuns
# Cistercienser Order. Munks and nuns...
Were there many parties in the Middle Ages? (NL)?
The image we have of the Middle Ages is often about the king at his castle, knights and ladies, jokers et cetera. But the truth was much different...
Stress probably didn't exist in the Iron Age? They had plenty of time (NL)?
The uttermost importance in those days was that the small groups could hardly rely upon others in bad times: a failed harvest for example was a huge disaster...
Did the Vikings have iron (NO)?
Yes, the Vikings had both iron and steel. They had to make it themselves, through a process called “blestring” or iron smelting. This was a major undertaking, so iron was expensive. Here at Lofotr we have documented this process on a DVD which is sold in our museum store.
Did you have find treasures in the megalithic tombs in Northwest Schleswig (DE)?
It is a question of what you understand as a „treasure“: There were no gold finds or something like this, but there were finds of stone and ceramics which are very important from a cultural historic perspective! They are treasures for archaeologists!
Which Gods were worshipped by the Romans (NL)?
Romans were very open minded about their religion. They worshipped a wide variety of divine entities. A household could give praise to an ancestor for protection and prosperity, whilst...