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.
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...
How did the cavemen know that it is possible to make tools from flint (CH)?
At least 2 million years ago, the early people started to use stones as tools. At first they used complete rocks as hammer, for example to open animal bones with to get to the tasty marrow...
Does a narrow water ditch and a wattle fence have any defensive value anyway (DE)?
Yes. One should realise, the potential enemy was under fire of arrows and stones when trying to conquer the ditch and tall fence.
What did children in prehistory do (NL)?
There were no schools yet as nobody could read or write, so no time needed to be wasted on that. Instead, they had to help with jobs in and around the house like cooking, spinning wool and tending the cattle. Surely they had time for play as well. Excavations revealed for example small ceramic pots and animals. Maybe these were toys.
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 old did people get in the Middle Ages (NL)?
Averagely 35 years. Many children died before they turned 5 years old and very few people got really old (50 - 70 years). http://www.literatuurgeschiedenis.nl/thema.asp?ID=8 (in Dutch)...
How many parish churches existed in Denmark in the Middle Ages (DK)?
In total there were 2,000 stone churches, all built between 1150 and 1250 AD. In libraries in Denmark you will find books about them...
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...
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...
Did people in prehistory use any hygienic means, tools (razors, toothbrushes et cetera) (CZ)?
Yes, they did. For example special razors were made in the Bronze Age (but before that people may have cut their beards and hair with stone tools which we cannot recognise)...