Egyptology in the Present: Experiential and Experimental Methods in Archaeology

This volume builds bridges between usually separate social groups, between different methodologies and even between disciplines. The experimental method is privileged in academic institutions and thus perhaps is subject to clear definitions. It tends to be associated with the scientific and technological. In opposition, the experiential is more rarely defined and is usually associated with schoolchildren, museums and heritage centres; it is often criticised for being unscientific. The introductory chapter of this volume examines the development of these traditionally-assumed differences, giving for the first time a critical and careful definition of the experiential in relation to the experimental. The two are seen as points on a continuum with much common ground. This claim is borne out by succeeding chapters, which cover such topics as textiles, woodworking and stoneworking. The volume, however, is important not only for Egyptology but for archaeological method more generally. It illuminates the pioneering of individuals who founded modern archaeological practice.