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.
Where were the inhabitants of the lake fortress buried (LV)?
The inhabitants of the lake fortress were buried in the flat cemetery on a hill on the north-eastern shore of Lake Āraiši near the Liepiņas farm. As part of the archaeological research on the Āraiši area, 168 female, male and children’s graves were...
Were there any cult houses and if so, where were the clay breasts found? Is there proof for male or female priests or shamans (DE)?
Probably there were cult houses in the Late Young Stone Age, from 4,300 BC. We for example know such buildings from Ludwigshafen and Sipplingen at the Lake Constance and from Marin / Les Piècettes at the Neuenburger Lake in Switzerland.
What crops did prehistoric people grow and what herbs did they collect (CZ)?
The composition of grown plants differs both regionally and temporarily and is dependent on the climate, local conditions, fertility of soil and so on...
What kind of punishments did they know in the Middle Ages when you had done something wrong (NL)?
Medieval punishments were often quite gruesome and painful. One could simply be put in a block of shame, or much worse than that. Much needed to happen before they would for example cut off your hand, because that would mean...
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...
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...
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...
In the Iron Age, didn't they have any domestic animals like cattle, cats or dogs (NL)?
They had cattle, but much smaller then the domesticated kinds we know of today. Dogs are the oldest pets but cats were not there yet in these days in this area, not until the Romans came...
What did prehistoric women do when they had their period (NL)?
Perhaps prehistoric women did not have their period as often as nowadays. In times of lack of food, during pregnancy and the lengthy period of breast feeding, they didn't get bleeding...
Did people have contraception (NL)?
Contraception aids are hardly known from Prehistory. The Greek and Romans used different ways of not getting pregnant: medicines, special positions, periodical abstinence, as well as amulets. If this failed, even then they already used abortion...