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 many people lived in a Neolithic house in Northwest Schleswig (DE)?
This is not easy to say. We think that it could have been about ten persons in one long-house – all ages, all sexes, all social groups. We only can make comparisons to houses from younger times to get some idea...
The elephants Hannibal used, did they originate in Asia or Africa (IT)?
The name Hannibal or Chan-i-bal means something like "Mercy of Baäl" in Phoenician or Carthague. As Hannibal Barkas himself attacked the Roman Empire from Africa (the Carthague Empire) it is probable, his elephants originated from there as well...
Why did people believe in the Middle Ages, the world was flat (NL)?
Well, far from everybody thought so. It was long before this, Pythagoras (580 - 500 BC) got to the point, the world was round. After him, many people followed - each with own reasons who thought the world was round, even in the Middle Ages...
Why was Araisi built on an island in the lake (LV)?
Āraiši lake fortress was built and inhabited in the Viking Age (9th–10th cent. AD) by the Latgallians, one of the ancient Baltic groups. In the middle and second half of the...
Are there still skeletons in the megalithic tombs in Northwest Schleswig (DE)?
No, because the skeletons could not be preserved in the dry sandy soils of the Northern German Geest-area...
Were the Neolithic house posts in Northwest Schleswig really this thick (DE)?
Yes, they were. We found the structures inside of the postholes; and it was clear enough to separate the rest of the post itself from the surrounding soil filling...
You are cheating – they didn’t have iron axes in prehistory, did they (DK)?
No, not in the Stone Age. But here we are in the Iron Age. Do you remember the names of the periods: Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age? You do not need to be embarrassed, but the names tell us when the different materials were introduced...
What did Romans wear (NL)?
In Rome and in the Mediterranean parts of the Roman empire, the sun’s warmth enabled Romans to wear next to nothing. The tunic, a long t-shirt like garment, was the most common piece of clothing. Women could add a kind of long cape, the palla...
Did people already have wine bottles in the Celtic area in Austria (AT)?
No, the wine was served in large bronze buckets (Situlae). The Celts did however use bottle shaped vessels from clay, the so called lentil bottles.
Biskupin became the most important site for Polish archaeology of the 20th century, why (PL)?
Because of the unique preservation of the wooden complex of ramparts, houses and streets, because of using modern methods of archaeological and interdisciplinary research, because of initiating archaeology by experiment and because of organizing training camps for archaeology students.