ABSTRACT
Experimental archaeology can be defined as the reconstruction of past buildings, technologies, things, and contexts, based on archaeological evidence, and their use, testing, recording, and experience, so as to enable a better understanding of people and their material culture in the past. Although traditionally practiced in the form of scientific experiments, it increasingly involves experiential approaches to buildings and material culture. In this chapter, we define experimental archaeology, outline the senses as they were understood in medieval Europe, and explore how we might use our own senses to investigate early medieval roundhouses and the processes involved in early medieval iron-smelting.
