BRONZE AGE
2600 BC- 800 BC
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With no written records, and little settlement, fabric or wood remains, is it possible to create an impression of a Bronze Age man? I think it is. But to do so requires some careful research. The results may create a frown on the brow of your typical archaeologist, but the result is worth doing for two very good reasons:
1) This period sees the development and flowering of native British culture, and it is a period of mysteries, enigmas and human lives just beyond the limit of our knowledge. I can't go back in time - this is the next best thing. 2) Secondly, the general public are, as a rule, totally ignorant of the folk who pioneered civilisation in Britain, the men and women who perfected cereal cultivation, animal domestication, the building of houses, pottery and the weaving of the first cloths. I've settled on that period of history dominated by the final phase of Stonehenge, the end of the Beaker Period, also known in Britain as the Early Bronze Age or the Meldon Bridge period. My efforts at reconstruction will therefore focus on a date around 2200 BC – 2000 BC, and on the landscape of the Yorkshire Wolds, a range of gentle hills near the east coast of Yorkshire rich in bronze age remains. There are finds of clothing and artefacts from the Late Bronze Age that can be of help, but also new British finds that provide me with some wonderful artefacts to try and replicate. The Amesbury Archer and the Boscombe Bowmen are extraordinary and enigmatic finds - Paul Elliott |
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Kellythorpe Burial
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East Yorkshire Beaker FolkThe Archaeology of the Yorkshire Wolds
Rudston Monolith Great Wold Valley Ritual Landscape Duggleby Howe Hull & East Riding Museum Bronze Age Boats at North Ferriby Folkton Drums Roos Carr Figures Willie Howe 
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Bronze Age DiscussionThere are currently two places on the internet where English-speaking Bronze Age reenactors/ reconstructors meet: forums of the Bronze Age Center, and Kelticos.org
Re-enactorsThere are a number of individuals conducting experimental reconstruction, casting bronze tools and weapons, firing bronze age pots and building roundhouses. Others engage the public at public events, putting such artefacts in context. Please let me know if I can add you to this list!
Bill Crumblehome
Bill is a potter living and working in Dorset on the south coast of England. Bill has a passion for ancient pottery, he undertakes experimental archaeology and explorations into Bronze Age techniques. Edwin Deady An ancient boats enthusiast, Edwin builds and paddles coracles and other boats from the bronze age and from other eras. The Age of Bronze Experiments with the Living History of the Bronze Age in Wessex, showing and explaining everyday life to the public. Neil Burridge Bronze sword smith and craftsman whose work is opening up the understanding of ancient bronze working. Neil also runs a series of practical workshops exploring ancient crafts, from gold jewelry to bronze swords. Dave Chapman Bronze founder and sculptor who produces some fine bronzework of the period, using modern methods. Dave also runs courses, of which I've attended two at Flag Fen. Jeroen Zuiderwijk Bronze caster and interpreter at the Archeon park in the Netherlands, working authentically. Matthew Amt A US re-enactor who moves easily from the Roman period into the Bronze Age. He has a particular interest in the Greek Mycenaean and Italian Villanovan culture. Steve Lenz Steve has created a great Urnfield impression, a period of the Bronze Age in Central Europe around the early first millenium BC. He is based in Germany. Jacqui Wood A true experimental archaeologist, and director of Saveock Water Archaeology, Jacqui is most famous amongst re-enactors for her wonderful book, Prehistoric Cookery. |
