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 are the Crannogs in Scotland (UK)?
The earliest known loch-dwellling in Scotland goes back 5,000 years to Neolithic times. This is on the island of North Uist, Scotland.
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.
Did they have chimneys in prehistory (CZ)?
They did not have chimneys in our sense of the word, but from at least the Bronze Age we presume that makeshift chimneys, for example made from wicker and daubed with clay would take smoke from hearths through ceilings...
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 did people eat and drink in the early Middle Ages (NL)?
The main foodstuff for the early medieval person was grain. It was cooked as a whole grain or ground down and used for porridge or bread. Meat, fish, vegetables, peas, beans and lentils were used in stews and soups which were seasoned with salt and herbs...
Do we know what the interior of prehistoric houses looked like (CZ)?
Not much survived because original floors have been destroyed by erosion. Hearths are preserved more commonly (from the Aeneolithic on they were carefully built from daub, stone, isolation layers of bark and so on) or arched ovens...
What kind of clothes did the Neandertal people wear (CH)?
We know much too little about that because clothes do not remain conserved in the soil for such a long time. We can presume however, the Neanderthal used this what they had to their disposal...
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...
What contacts existed between the inhabitants of the lake fortress and other countries (LV)?
In the Early Middle Ages, active trading contacts developed in Latvia, also involving the inhabitants of the lake fortress. Imported jewellery and parts of weapons have been found in the cultural layer...
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.