Traditional Re-Creation as Science as Well as Art

Traditional crafts have preserved in many cultures through the transmission of skills, techniques and tips person to person. When that chain of oral communication breaks down, however, we are left with only investigation, trial and error and passion to fill the gaps.

When hundreds of years have come and gone, and crafting tools and methods have changed drastically, the art of re-creating traditional objects in a true-to-era fashion becomes a study unto itself. Not just the end products must be thoroughly investigated, appreciated and examined, but every aspect of how those products were crafted- using materials on hand at the time- must be understood from the ground up.

A the SRS, we hope to develop a comprehensive database of information not just on archeological/anthropological findings, but on the techniques, skills and methods used in the daily life of our ancestors. The reward is in the journey at the SRS, and we hope to encourage people who are as interested in the methods of collecting wool, gathering raw iron, feeding animals and tending plants in historic situations and more to gather here to talk not just Re-Creation… but the re-creation of a lifestyle.

Take a look at this blog outlining the adventure of the recreation of the Langeid Axe:

http://www.khm.uio.no/english/research/projects/langeid/