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.
Who was King Arthur and when did he live and rule (NL)?
King Arthur is a myth. See for an extensive explanation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_arthur
What musical instruments did people use in the Middle Ages (NL)?
In those days, people knew stringed instruments like the harp, lyre, lute and the hardy-gurdy. The blown instruments they knew were horn, trumpet, bagpipes and flute. And then the percussion instruments: drums, timpani, rattle, clatter, bells, cymbals and tambourines.
Were the people in the Iron Age in Poland religious (PL)?
It is very difficult to reconstruct the beliefs of people back then on the base of what we found. Besides that, we can only imagine if religion was all pervasive or not that important...
Did the people in the old days brush their teeth like we do (CH)?
The prehistoric people did not have the possibility to brush their teeth, because they obviously did not have toothpaste or toothbrushes. Besides that they did not know anything about teeth hygiene...
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.
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...
What kind of clothing did people wear in prehistory (NL)?
There has been only a limited number of finds of clothing in the Netherlands. Therefore, the reconstructions we show at Archeon are based on many assumptions and foreign finds, mainly from Germany and Denmark...
Did prehistoric dwellings have windows? How were they protected from the bad weather (CZ)?
Unfortunately large parts of prehistoric house walls are only rarely preserved to allow us to ponder the question of windows. In archaeological open-air museums they reconstruct windows according to traditional house building as very small which seems probable...
How long does prehistory already exist (NL)?
We usually let prehistory start with the emergence of mankind. Of course, the planet is much older than that, but that part of the past is studied by palaeontologists...
Was the longhouse at Borg really 83 metres long (NO)?
Yes, the house was this long during its last phase of existence, but it had been rebuilt several times, so the length has varied.