Experimental Days Committee

What Does the Committee Do?

The Experimental Days Committee is in charge of hosting the annual Terra Experimental Days. The committee is formed every year from enthusiastic students interested in the topic of Experimental Archaeology; this year it is chaired by Frank Wiersema.

Experimental Archaeology is to recreate ancient tools and techniques to better understand the craftsmanship, ingenuity, and innovations of the past. Experimental Archaeology can help us understand how tools and other items were made, and it can be employed when doing things like use-wear analysis. Also, knapping flint, shaping a bone needle, or creating your own cave painting gives you an appreciation of how people in the past worked with their resources.

The Experimental Days are two days in the year when the faculty turns into a Stone Age encampment. A symposium is hosted with different speakers on how they use Experimental Archaeology in their research and how it has helped them to understand the past better. On the second day, a series of workshops is hosted by both experts and students for you to participate in. From tanning deer skins and knapping flint to dyeing fabric with prehistoric dyes, the Experimental Days are a great opportunity to learn new skills and to engage with prehistory beyond the lecture hall.

Are you passionate about Experimental Archaeology and want to be part of the committee? Send us an email and apply!

Frank Wiersema

Committee Chair

Before Frank became an archaeology student, he was already involved in various open-air museums in Europe. He is passionate about bringing the past to life, either through his photography and videography or by trying things out himself and showcasing this to visitors of museums. He is the main organizer of the European Stone Age Gathering, an annual event bringing people with ancient crafts and (experimental) archaeologists together to share skills and knowledge. All of this got him well acquainted with the world of experimental archaeology. He will tap into this network to make the upcoming edition of the Experimental Days a memorable one.