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.
What kinds of wood did people use in Prehistory for tree canoes (NL)?
Kinds of wood used in Dutch prehistory were for sure oak (Quercus), lime (Tilia) and needle wood. The fact that more different kinds of wood were used could refer to that...
What is a megalithic tomb (hunebed)(NL)?
A megalithic tomb (in the Netherlands called 'hunebed') is a 'room' made of large boulders in which the dead were buried. The Dutch megalithic tombs were built between 3.400 - 3.200 BC by the people of the funnel beaker (TRB) culture.
Do you know anything about how people kept food cool in the Middle Ages (NL)?
There are different ways. Actually, the best fridges are either streaming water or a hole in the ground. Rich people would have ice cellars where they would store ice in winter time, which would remain good until Summer.
Did they use animals in the Middle Ages (NL)?
Domestic animals (dog and horse in Stone Age, the sheep with the first farmers, the pig, chicken with the Romans - roughly said) are wild animals which were domesticated by humans for own use...
Are there in Czech Republic any archaeological finds from caves? And if there are, where are they? (CZ)
At present in Czechia we know of 200 archaeological site in caves, below overhanging rocks and in gorges, Most of the sites were discovered in the karst areas: mostly in the Bohemian Karst (Central Bohemia, south-west from Prague), Moravian Karst (Central Moravia) and Štramberk Karst (Northern Moravia)...
What is rose water? Where can you buy it (NL)?
Rose water was used extensively in the Middle Ages in the upper class kitchen. Nowadays, it is still an important ingredient in the India and Surinam kitchen. It adds a tender aroma to dishes...
Are the things in the living quarters of the chieftain’s longhouse at Borg authentic (NO)?
About 90% of the things in the living quarters are copies of things found from the Viking era. The rest have been made as we think they must have looked, based on old texts and our own practical experiences...
Did they really have such beautiful colours in the past (DK)?
Yes. From about the middle of the Danish Iron Age they began to colour their clothes in all sorts of colours. In the Early Iron Age, one had carefully sorted out the wool and made use of the natural colours of the yarn to create dice and striped patterns...
How was the weather like in the Neolithic Era in Austria (AT)?
The Neolithic is characterised by a warmer period; mean temperatures of 2 - 3 degrees warmer can be counted with. Obviously, our seasons like we know them were present back then as well.
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...