RSVP required, please call Landon Defibaugh at 814-624-9211 or email
Zm9ydGJlZGZvcmRtdXNldW0gfCBnbWFpbCAhIGNvbQ== to register. There are 30 seats available.
Experimental Archaeology helps unearth the connections between our ancestors through modern Archaeology and Heritage Crafts. It is a novel branch of Anthropology and Archaeology, extending our understanding of our past beyond the artifact, through the action of reproducing an artifact as our ancestors might have. As with all sciences, insight into the material culture evolves with not only new finds, but also through understanding the processes and techniques that were needed to make those artifacts. Crafting History may support trade routes, sharing of technology, customs, and daily life of our ancestors.
Ken and Cynthia bring a unique perspective into the hands-on science behind the scene in studios and shops around the world. They'll share examples of Experimental Archaeology. They will share the importance of our Heritage Crafts; we are losing the technology that civilizations were built upon. They'll share some of the affordable tools that Experimental Archaeologists can use today to record their data and the modern tools to document the skills required to reproduce an artifact.
This lecture is for anyone interested in Archaeology, History, Reenactment, Crafting, and anyone wanting to dig deeper and go behind the scenes of an artifact's history coming to light, in order to connect with our ancestors. They will discuss the techniques of the Experimental Archaeologist, from research, crafting, documenting, and working with Archaeologists, and those of an Experiential Archaeologist and their role in our understanding of daily living in the past.
In addition to the lecture, there will be a table display of some of the tech tools used and also some artifacts reproduced for the purpose of Experimental Archaeology and Experiential Archaeology. These reproductions are examples that guests can pick up and discuss at the end of the presentation.
Biography:
Ken and Cynthia Koll of Nordik Kraft bring 50 years of experience as Heritage Crafters to their Experimental Archaeology Lecture, Crafting History. They recently completed a Graduate Certificate in Experimental Archaeology and Material Culture from University College Dublin. The Graduate Certificate course from UCD was a one year course with a tremendous amount of reading and presenting. They both graduated with honors in August 2025.
Ken has lectured on the Viking Age since the 1990s and Cynthia has researched, taught and displayed for sixteen plus years. As a couple for ten years, they have had the opportunity to travel abroad and visit Viking UNESCO sites and have had the opportunity to travel across the US displaying their kit and sharing the Viking Age at festivals and museums. Spring of 2025 they were part of the International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University and were invited back for 2026. They have had the opportunity the past couple of summers volunteering at the Maritime Museum in Yorktown, VA with their educational youth camps.
You may also like the following events from Fort Bedford Museum:
Also check out other
Festivals in Bedford,
Workshops in Bedford.
