Â鶹

EXARC Journal Issue 2026/2

DOAJ Seal
EXARC Journal Issue 2026/2
EXARC Journal

13 Articles | DOAJ | Open Access
ISSN: 2212-8956
Publishing date: May 29, 2026
đź“„ EXARC Journal 2026/2 Table of Contents
Published by EXARC

Summary

The 2026/2 issue of EXARC Journal contains six reviewed and seven mixed matters articles. All articles in our Journal are open access to allow for free exchange of information in the fields of experimental archaeology, historical reconstruction, ancient technology, experiential studying and presenting of the past. Éloi Bérubé and Shanti Morell-Hart studied microscopic plant residues on obsidian blades. The study provides insights into the relationship between obsidian blade use, deposition of botanical residues, and recovery of microbotanical remains. Kayleigh Saunderson, Anna Zimmermann and Karina Grömer seeked to understand through experiments HallTex 390, a new textile recently excavated in the Hallstatt salt mines. Life of a stone axe presents results of an eight year long set of experiments studying the life of polished stone tools from their manufacture, use and use after repair or as a new tool. Luigi Garlaschelli and Giacomo Torzo propose two natural explanations to Italian medieval religious blood relics, that periodically 'miraculously' liquefy. Kaira Shlipak aimed to experimentally reconstruct textile cleaning in the ancient Roman fullonicae. Greg Lamb’s study tests whether the form of the Roman dodecahedron is consistent with use as a practical tool in administrative contexts. Mixed matters offer an eclectic collection. On one side we have reports of events, a book review and an obituary of Professor Mamoun Fansa, on the other side Darrell Markewitz made, through his article, available data from his 25 year of iron smelting in small bloomery furnaces. Pedro Lucas Salcedo and Teresa Fernández Azorín report on prehistoric immersions, activities that emulate human life in a prehistoric context within a natural environment.

 

Reviewed Articles

A Functional Reassessment of Roman Dodecahedra as Tools for Forming Standardised Wax Objects

A Functional Reassessment of Roman Dodecahedra as Tools for Forming Standardised Wax Objects
Author(s)
Greg Lamb 1 ✉
Publication Date
Roman dodecahedra are hollow bronze objects dating to the 2nd–4th centuries AD, predominantly found in the north-western provinces of the Roman Empire (Guggenberger, 2013). Despite extensive debate, their function remains undocumented in contemporary sources and unresolved archaeologically. This study applies experimental archaeology to reassess whether the form of the Roman dodecahedron is consistent with use as a practical tool in administrative contexts. This study tests the hypothesis that dodecahedra functioned as forming aids for the production of standardised wax elements - such as bullae or related wax objects - used to secure cords, mark documents, or support identification. Using 3D-printed replicas and historically plausible wax mixtures, a series of forming trials was conducted to evaluate how the object’s geometry interacts with material behaviour...

Life of a Stone Axe. Chaîne opératoire of Neolithic Polished Stone Tools Based on an Archaeological Experiment. A view at the second life of polished tools from Czechia

Life of a Stone Axe: Chaîne opératoire of Neolithic Polished Stone Tools Based on an Archaeological Experiment. A view at the second life of polished tools from Czechia
Author(s)
Radomír Tichý 1 ✉,
Iva Dohnálková 2,
Karel KuÄŤĂ­rek 2,
Aleš Panáček 2,
Petr ZĂ­tka 3
Publication Date
The aim of the project described in this article was to reproduce the life of polished stone tools from their manufacture, use and use after repair or as a new tool. The data resulted from eight years of detailed documented and time-demanding experiments (just drilling alone presents more than 2500 hours of work). Some of the results created a new view of the polished stone tools’ chaîne opératoire. In the Czech environment it especially concerns so called workshops on Neolithic settlements. Furthermore, the data from the experiments are compared to traces of manufacture and use on the original artifacts from Bohemia and Moravia.

Mysteriously Liquefying Blood Relics in Italy

Mysteriously Liquefying Blood Relics in Italy
Author(s)
Luigi Garlaschelli 1 ✉,
Giacomo Torzo 2
Publication Date
The properties of three Italian medieval religious blood relics, that periodically 'miraculously' liquefy, are described and two natural explanations proposed: they may either consist of a thixotropic substance, that can change from solid to liquid when stirred or shaken, or - more probably - of a low-melting substance, that melts when the temperature rises. A few different suitable substances, such as fats, are proposed for this second hypothesis, along with the best dyes that could be added, and actual reproductions of the relics are reported.

Slicing into the Past. Experimental Use of Obsidian Prismatic Blades and Analysis of Modern Botanical Residues

Slicing into the Past, Experimental Use of Obsidian Prismatic Blades and Analysis of Modern Botanical Residues
Author(s)
Éloi Bérubé 1 ✉,
Shanti Morell-Hart 2
Publication Date
This experimental study offers new insights into the deposition and taphonomy of microscopic plant residues (phytoliths and starch grains) on obsidian prismatic blades. Twenty blades were flaked from a new obsidian core and used to process eight botanical elements frequently recovered from archaeological contexts in Mesoamerica: maize (Zea mays) leaves and cobs, two varieties of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), two species of squash (Cucurbita pepo and C. moschata), manioc (Manihot esculenta), and hardwood. We examined the quantity of visible residues deposited on the blades before microbotanical extractions. We analysed and quantified extracted starch grains and phytoliths and made limited observations of microscopic blade usewear. We also documented how experiment participants handled and used prismatic blades. The results obtained in this limited study support the idea that archaeological visibility of certain plants is tied less to sequence of tool use and more to the general visibility of residues created by certain species. This study provides insights into the relationship between obsidian prismatic blade use, deposition of botanical residues, and recovery of microbotanical remains. Tracking taphonomy is important for interpreting relationships between people, plants, and culinary practice.

A New Tablet Weaving Technique from Bronze Age Hallstatt

A New Tablet Weaving Technique from Bronze Age Hallstatt
Author(s)
Kayleigh Saunderson 1,3 ✉,
Anna Zimmermann1,2,
Karina Grömer 1,3
Publication Date
The salt mines of Hallstatt, Upper Austria, bear some of the most significant evidence for our understanding of textile culture in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age in Central Europe due to the exceptional preservation of these finds. Following recent excavations, a new textile, HallTex 390, from the Late Bronze Age “Tuschwerk” mine has revealed multiple previously unknown features, techniques, and a peculiar design: two typical Bronze Age fabrics connected with an unusual ribbon with a ribbed structure, combining twisted and tabby-structured threads of different diameters. While comparisons for similar techniques from Denmark are discussed, this technique is quite unique for Bronze Age Central Europe. Only through experiments were we able to fully understand the textile, which seems to have consisted of tablet weaving with tablets threaded with either two or four threads while simultaneously using the weft as a sewing thread to connect the ribbon to the other textiles. This produced results comparable to the original while also revealing how efficient these Bronze Age craftspeople’s design choices were.

Reconstructing Textile Cleaning in the Ancient Roman Fullonicae

Reconstructing Textile Cleaning in the Ancient Roman Fullonicae
Author(s)
Kaira Shlipak 1 ✉
Publication Date
This project experimentally reconstructs textile cleaning in the ancient Roman fullonicae. White wool fabric was stained with olive oil, soil, wine, and tomato-based sauce to approximate the everyday soiling of Roman garments. After allowing the stains to set for seventy-two hours, the cloth underwent a washing, rinsing, and drying procedure modelled on descriptions and archaeological evidence of fulling workshops. A 1:1 mixture of stale urine and water was tested against a modern castile soap solution and a no-treatment control. The stale urine performed comparably to, and in some cases slightly better than, the castile soap at removing dirt and oil, while both treatments left the wool soft in texture. Notably, the urine-treated cloth retained no detectable odor after drying. These findings support the evidence for urine-based cleaning techniques in the ancient Roman fullonicae.