Nicholas Groat | The University of Sheffield (original) (raw)

Papers by Nicholas Groat

Experimentelle Archaeologie / Experimental Archaeology, 2021

Assemblage, 2021

Since antiquarians first broke rocks, experimental archaeology has forged its way through the fri... more Since antiquarians first broke rocks, experimental archaeology has forged its way through the fringes of archaeological practice to become a widely accepted facet of archaeological research with a thriving community, attracting a broad range of proponents, from university researchers, to avid amateurs. However, from the necessity for rigorous scientific methodology and hypothesis testing, to the role of experiment within the wider archaeological process, the fundamental tenets of experimental archaeology continue to be debated. In order to address these issues, a panel discussion and open debate at the second Experimental Archaeology Student Symposium (EAStS) brought together students, academics, and professionals working with experimental archaeology to discuss the topic of "Experimental Archaeology in the 2020s: New Directions, Challenges, and Opportunities". This paper draws upon themes and ideas brought to light during that discussion in order to critically assess the current state of experimental archaeology and what role archaeological experiment might play in the future. Whilst not an all-encompassing evaluation of such a broad topic, this paper focuses on a few key fundamental themes-the context of experiments, how insights are generated and disseminated, and the role of experiment archaeology in the archaeological process. The current transformative climate of archaeology presents both a challenging future for the discipline but also encourages a critical and necessary opportunity to evaluate its directions. It is hoped that by considering both the positive and negative aspects of experimental archaeology today, the comments and synthesis presented here might help lay the groundwork for more critical discussion in the future.

Pots and Practices: An Experimental and Microwear Approach to Early Iron Age Vessel Biographies, 2020

Ceramic use-wear analysis has been cited in ethnoarchaeological studies as a way to identify the ... more Ceramic use-wear analysis has been cited in ethnoarchaeological studies as a way to identify the results and material damages of fermentation. In turn, the presence of a fermentation use-wear signature has been taken to denote the presence or absence of fermented foodstuffs and, in some cases, the possibility of alcoholic products. However, such a deterioration signature has never been fully explored, let alone had its application in archaeological interpretations critically discussed. While use-wear analysis has proven to be a valuable methodological tool in interpreting the biography and function of objects, its use in studies on alcohol production has not been meaningfully integrated into a nuanced interpretation of the craft. Integral to this, sequences of technical gestures that form specific techniques and craft practices, and mediate the creation of material culture, cannot be easily observed. Conversely, use-wear analysis has the potential to reveal technical gestures and mitigate this issue due to its intrinsic ability to explore the relationship between technical choice, action, and resulting surface damage. Combining these ideas, this study uses alcohol-related material from the Early Iron Age Heuneburg, Germany, as a basis for an exploratory experimental programme to further this methodological discussion. Through using this process, the merits of ceramic use-wear analysis as a source of information for enhancing our interpretations of the socially facilitated process of alcohol production can be discussed, while also offering a more meaningful application of the analytical procedure for this craft practice.

Gebrauchsspurenanalysen an Keramik wurden in ethnoarchäologischen Studien als eine Möglichkeit zitiert, um Ergebnisse von und Materialschäden durch Fermentation zu identifizieren. Im Gegenzug wurde das Vorliegen einer Gebrauchsspur infolge Fermentation als Nachweis der An- oder Abwesenheit fermentierter Nahrung und in manchen Fällen des möglichen Vorkommens alkoholischer Erzeugnisse betrachtet. Allerdings wurden solche Abnutzungszeichen nie vollständig untersucht, geschweige denn wurde ihre Anwendung bei archäologischen Interpretationen kritisch diskutiert. Während Gebrauchsspurenanalysen sich als wertvolles methodisches Werkzeug zur Interpretation der Biographie und Funktion von Objekten erwiesen haben, wurde ihre Verwendung bei Studien zur Alkoholherstellung bisher nicht aussagekräftig in eine ausführliche Deutung des Handwerks integriert. Dadurch bedingt lassen sich Abfolgen technischer Handgriffe („Gesten“), die spezielle Techniken und Handwerkspraktiken bilden und die Erschaffung materieller Kultur übermitteln, nicht leicht beobachten. Umgekehrt hat die Gebrauchsspurenanalyse das Potential, technische Gesten zu entdecken und dieses Problem zu entschärfen dank ihrer naturgegebenen Möglichkeit, das Verhältnis zwischen technischer Wahlmöglichkeit, Handlung und resultierendem Oberflächenschaden zu erforschen. Diese Untersuchung verbindet diese Ideen und benutzt alkoholrelevante Funde von der früheisenzeitlichen Heuneburg, Deutschland, als Grundlage für ein experimentelles Forschungsprogramm, um diese methodische Diskussion voranzubringen. Durch diese Vorgehensweise können gleichermaßen die Stärken der Gebrauchsspurenanalyse von Keramik als Informationsquelle für eine verbesserte Interpretation des sozial geförderten Vorgangs der Alkoholproduktion diskutiert und eine bedeutungsvollere Anwendung der Analyse dieser Handwerkspraxis gegeben werden.

EXARC Journal , 2020

The material record for bloomery furnaces in Iron Age and Roman Britain is fragmentary and, becau... more The material record for bloomery furnaces in Iron Age and Roman Britain is fragmentary and, because of this paucity of evidence, the reconstruction of the ceramic structures used in iron production is difficult. Experiments have nevertheless been carried out to explore the working parameters and efficiency of iron smelting in bowl furnaces (small structures with little structure above ground level, interior measuring about 30 cm in height) (Craddock, 1995; Girbal, 2013) and shaft furnaces (height c.1m) (Smith, 2013; Crew, 2013; Doonan and Dungworth, 2013; Tylecote and Merkel, 1985; Tylecote and Wynne, 1958). These experiments aimed to clarify which furnace is more efficient for iron smelting and therefore what method was most likely used in Iron Age and Roman Britain. It is theorised that iron smelting furnaces developed from bowl structures to shaft structures over time, as smelters sought furnaces which could reach higher temperatures and create more reducing atmospheres (Dungworth 2013; Tylecote and Merkel, 1985; Tylecote and Wynne, 1958). These experiments suggest that the shaft furnace was used as it could meet these requirements. This study looks at the working conditions of a shaft furnace at an intermediary height-between that of a bowl furnace and of a shaft furnace-in order to understand its working parameters and to consequently better understand the progression from a bowl to a 1m high shaft structure.

Was tranken die frühen Kelten? Bedeutungen und Funktionen mediterraner Importe im früheisenzeitlichen Mitteleuropa, 2019

In the context of the BEFIM project (“Meanings and Functions of Mediterranean Imports in Early Ir... more In the context of the BEFIM project (“Meanings and Functions of Mediterranean Imports in Early Iron Age Central Europe”) the life histories of (drinking) vessels from the Early Celtic hillfort settlements of the Heuneburg were examined, studying the way of production and use. In order to do so, we set up an extensive experimental program of dozens of experiments directed at a better understanding of the way this pottery was made and used. The participation of an experienced potter allowed us to reproduce exact replicas of the supposed drinking ware and explore in detail the traces of production and the effect of temper, firing temperature and so forth on the development of production traces and wear. Especially variations in the temper material, like the frequently observed addition of calcite in the archaeological pottery, strongly affected the characteristics of the use-wear marks that developed from the preparation of different products (grape wine, honey wine, different kinds of porridge etc.). The influence of alcohol production, including fermentation, on the pottery was explored. We also tested the effect of different gestures of preparing food and drink (mixing, stirring, pounding), different ways of storage and handling, and the manner of consumption like decanting using various kinds of utensils. The traces we observed on the experimental vessels, using an integrated low and high power approach, formed the basis for our interpretation of the archaeological vessels from the Heuneburg.

Im Rahmen des Projektes BEFIM („Bedeutungen und Funktionen mediterraner
Importe im früheisenzeitlichen Mitteleuropa“) wurde die Biographie von (Trink)Gefäßen aus den eisenzeitlichen Siedlungen der Heuneburg untersucht, indem die Herstellungs- und Gebrauchsarten betrachtet wurden. Zu diesem Zweck wurde ein umfangreiches Versuchsprogramm mit Dutzenden von Experimenten aufgelegt, das ein besseres Verständnis der Herstellungs- und Verwendungsweise der Keramik zum Ziel hatte. Die Mitwirkung eines erfahrenen Töpfers erlaubte die Herstellung exakter Repliken der mutmaßlichen Trinkgefäße und eine detaillierte Erforschung der Herstellungsspuren sowie der Auswirkungen der Magerung, Brenntemperatur, etc. auf die Entstehung von Produktions- und Abnutzungsspuren. Besonders Variationen im Material der Magerung wie die häufig beobachtete Beimischung von Kalzit in der archäologischen Keramik beeinflusste stark die Beschaffenheit der Gebrauchsspuren, die bei der Zubereitung verschiedener Lebensmittel entstanden (Traubenwein, Honigwein, verschiedene Breiarten etc.). Die Auswirkungen von Alkoholherstellung, einschließlich der Fermentierung, auf die Keramik wurde untersucht. Wir testeten auch die Folgen verschiedener Körperbewegungen bei der Zubereitung von Speisen und Getränken (Mischen, Umrühren, Stampfen), verschiedene Arten der Lagerung und Handhabung sowie Konsumweisen wie das Umfüllen mit verschiedenen Utensilien. Die Spuren, die wir auf den experimentellen Gefäßen feststellten, indem wir einen integrierten Ansatz mit geringer und hoher Krafteinwirkung verfolgten, bildeten die Grundlage für unsere Interpretation der archäologischen Keramik von der Heuneburg.

Conference Presentations by Nicholas Groat

Allchin Symposium on South Asian Archaeology, 2020

This paper reconsiders proffered ceramic distillation apparatus from South Central Asia in a holi... more This paper reconsiders proffered ceramic distillation apparatus from South Central Asia in a holistic manner in order to comment on the interpretation of technical complexity. Long-established views on "Hellenisation in the East" stand as prime examples of how captivating sociocultural interactions and human experiences can be reduced to two-dimensional grand narratives. Despite efforts to move away from such limited discussions (e.g. through seminal reconsiderations of art, architecture, and religious iconography), recognising a Greek legacy in facets of society has historically been common, reliant on defining material expressions of technical complexity and ergo societal sophistication. Since the 1950s, the treatment of distillation in Gandhāra is one such example, notably by championing the interpretation of ceramic forms as components of a distillation apparatus. When seen as indicative of a Greek intellectual influence, such attributions echo how Classical origins are frequently considered the basis of scientific and technological prowess. This paper will therefore present a synthesis of, and response to, the interpretation of distillation apparatus and constituent components of proposed configurations in Gandhāra. While this is a subject critiqued before from a chronological stance, this paper argues that opportunities in considering the chaîne opératoire, craft, and technological network vitally allow for a nuanced perspective on what the 'apparatus' affords within a holistic understanding of technical innovation.

2nd Experimental Archaeology Student Symposium (EAStS), 2020

Archaeology is in a transformative stage: the frequent citing of declining student numbers, dwind... more Archaeology is in a transformative stage: the frequent citing of declining student numbers, dwindling public interest, economic uncertainty, and increasing pressure to monetise research all paint a somewhat depressing future. Although it may seem bleak, the mantra that challenging times inspire creative thinking rings true-an opportunity to conceptualise the future of archaeological practice, its current shortcomings, and what it offers in the year 2020. What then can be said for the changing role of experimental archaeology? This discussion will examine the role that experimental archaeology can have in the year 2020 and beyond. After a brief outline of the common themes in this debate, an open discussion with the panel will explore what the practice of experimental archaeology will be like in its next evolution and highlight avenues in the field that require further critical evaluation.

Was tranken die frühen Kelten? Bedeutungen und Funktionen mediterraner Importe im früheisenzeitlichen Mitteleuropa, 2017

8th International Student Archaeologists Conference Dedicated to Pitt Rivers, Vardzia, Georgia, 2016

Chartered Institution for Archaeologists (CIfA) Annual Conference, 2016