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 old did people in the early Middle Ages become (NL)?
On the basis of research on 66 skeletons from a graveyard in Susteren (from around 800 to 1100 AD) we know that women on average reached the age of 44 years and men on average 38 years. The infant death rate must have been very high. About one third of the children died before reaching five years.
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,...
Where did people sleep in the migration period in Sweden (SE)?
Well that is a hard question to answer, because no beds of any kind from the migration period in Sweden have survived until today. They may have slept in beds, on benches or maybe even in hammocks. What we can be sure of however is that they didn’t sleep on the floor.
What kind of clothes did people wear in the 14th century (NL)?
Men and women wore linen shirts or "camises" as undergarments. We are not sure about the women, but men wore linen underpants. These were wide, quite baggy things just above or just over the knee...
Wooden castles, did they at all exist (DE)?
Apart from the prehistoric and early medieval large castles, all the way into the High and Late Middle Ages, there were wooden castles. Partly these were, like...
How did people build megalithic tombs (NL)?
First, enough large stones needed to be collected. Presumably this happened in the neighbourhood where the megalithic tomb was planned. Researchers presume the stones were not moved...
What temperature is a fire (NL)?
The heat of a fire depends on the type of fuel and the quantity of added oxygen. A simple wood fire can reach about 700 - 800 ° C.
How tall did people get in the early Middle Ages (NL)?
A graveyard from the Merovingian era (470-750) gave an average height for men of 174 cm. Skeletons from a graveyard in Susteren from the Carolingian age (750-900) resulted in an average height of 172.5 cm. According to Statistics Netherlands, Dutch men...
Did people in prehistory already keep animals (NL)?
In the Old and Middle Stone Age (in the Netherlands about 250.000 - 7.300 years ago) the people were hunters & gatherers. They hunted for wild animals, but did not keep them themselves...
Were there any withches burnt at the Bronze Age stake at the museum in Asparn (AT)?
The stake did not serve as place to burn witches, but the people at the end of the Bronze Age were generally cremated, ashes were collected in an urn.