Experimental archaeology and roundhouse excavated signatures: the investigation of two reconstructed Iron Age buildings at Castell Henllys, Wales

Abstract

AbstractCastell Henllys, a partially reconstructed Iron Age settlement in south-west Wales, has been the site of long-term experiments in building reconstruction for 35 years. The first roundhouse to be excavated and then reconstructed on the site was due to be replaced in 2017, and another reconstructed 30 years ago was examined in 2018. The results indicate how timber structures with wattle walls decay over a period of decades, and the evidence can be compared to that retrieved from the original excavated late prehistoric structures on the site and those found elsewhere. The pattern of wear of floors and surfaces, and the effects of decades of fires within the roundhouses, also produced archaeological signatures that can be compared with prehistoric remains. These investigations reveal for the first time how long-term processes of experimental house use, maintenance and decay in a temperate environment create archaeological signatures very similar to those found from prehistory, indicating how ancient deposits could have been formed. It also demonstrates how even roundhouses with relatively ephemeral below-ground elements can stand for at least a human generation.