Plague waters were herbal recipes used in medieval Europe with supposed efficacy against the plague.5 Most recipes rarely included less than twenty-two herbal leaves and roots, and recipes were most commonly steeped in white wine and/or brandy. Multiple variations of these plague water recipes circulated throughout medieval Europe; the main differences often stemmed not from […]
SeminarProjectBlogPost Here is the link to the PDF version of my project as well. Seminar Project
The focus of my history seminar with Dr. Sherman was experimental, and experiential archaeology. Historians use archaeology to learn about past events, cultures, and people through the exhumation and exploration of artifacts. Artifacts are physical objects that which provide information through a different methodology than written text. Archeological artifacts and historical primary text sources both […]
If you are bored, why not play a board game? Games we play today can have ancient roots with modern twists. The best part is you can recreate these games from home using household goods. This led to my semester project, where I set forth looking for a creative way to combine fun with learning. […]
Since ancient times, mankind has had a need to create footwear to protect ones bare feet from exposure to the ground. Ancient peoples have been making socks, shoes, boots, and sandals to combat the damage that one can take from treading on unbeaten paths or uneven surfaces. The type of footwear that is most commonly […]
Armor. Since the dawn of warfare, armor has played a crucial part in battle, whether it be the difference between and glancing blow and a severed artery, or a hindrance for soldiers marching for days on end in it. Oftentimes, armor must strike a balance between offering enough protection and being light enough to actually […]
Welcome to the Digital Age! From smartphones to social media, digital technologies are apart of our daily lives. Museums need to utilize the endless stream of knowledge that accompanies our technological advancements. Traditionally, museums would exhibit artifacts accompanied by a label. These labels would inform the reader about the object’s origins, cultural significance, and any […]
For the final project of the history seminar for this semester, I decided to re-create a beer. During the middle ages, brewers in Holland and the Low Countries were beginning to experiment with the use of hops in beer. Hopped beer was an import from Hamburg and areas to the east. Before the use of […]
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW Roman theatre masks were an extremely important part of Roman theatre. This is because the masks that the actors wore helped carry the voice of the actor so that members of the audience were able to hear what the actors were saying. It has been suggested that because of the shape and […]
Weaving, in all forms, has been a craft, trade, art form, etc. for 1000s of years. Brought to its height of popularity[1], Sprang is one of the oldest forms of woven textiles that we know of, as of today. In technical terms, Sprang is a technique that involves the “intricate form of [braiding] which is […]
In our History Seminar class we were asked to make something related to everyday life in the pre-modern world. I wanted to do my project on something that we still have around today, and so I did my project on tree bark. There is a lot that tree bark can tell us about history. One […]
The final project I chose was to carve hieroglyphics into stone. I chose Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple as the basis for my research because Hatshepsut was a main figure in Egypt’s history and her mortuary temple was a prominent surviving feature of her reign. In order to understand the importance of her mortuary temple, a brief summary of […]
Clay Ovens in Pre-Modern Times Having a meal and having a warm home are all necessary especially when examining the pre-modern civilizations that would have utilized a clay oven in their homes. Upon further research the exact functions of a clay ovens are not clear based on archeological finds but it is agreed that the […]
Wood carving is one of the key fields of artistic expression and craftsmanship from the Viking Age. The work could add an eye-catching visual story to any surface, from the sides of a chest to a church door to a bed furniture, and beyond simple artistic value and demonstration of wealth these carved works […]
Growing up on a dairy farm in Northeast Wisconsin was quite an experience. I learned how to do many things, such as feed animals, drive tractor, fix machinery, and most of all, milk a cow. Cows milk was the primary income for my family when I was growing up. We would milk the cows once […]
The blacksmith is a long standing profession that is often the center of a community. Historically, the blacksmith was one of the only people in a town that could read and write as well as make and maintain all that is necessary for others in the community. With the smith having to fix or make […]
Historical Importance of Both Types of Ornamentation Ornamentation of objects and textiles is not something that many would deem to be historically important in the overall scheme of human existence, but I completely disagree, as do many historians. Typically, ornamentation of clothing and textiles is essential in learning about a particular culture in which the […]
For my research project I looked at the manufacture of papyrus paper, specifically the effect of incorporating clay into the soaking process as Pliny the Elder discussed in his account of the manufacturing of paper in Egypt during the Roman period, which is estimated to have had an effect on the absorptive qualities […]
Having to drive two hours from campus in order to spend the night with your class at some longhouse may seem like a task that many would pass on. For future History Seminar students, I would advise against skipping this experience. Not only did our class bond; we experienced history in a new light. It […]
Experiential archaeology has been, by far, the most interesting way I have learned history. Our history seminar, with Professor Heidi Sherman, took a field trip to a Viking longhouse in Stratford, WI. The long drive was worth our while. We arrived to the home of Owen and Elspeth Christianson, the Viking enthusiast couple welcomed us […]
What does it mean to live like a Viking for a day? It means self-sufficiency, it means independence, and it means having pride in what you do. Over this last weekend, I had the opportunity to live like a Viking for a day. During this experience, I had to help prepare all the food […]
As a Humanistic Studies student, understanding history and being able to put yourself into that time period, is a huge part of the learning. Hands on experiences are ultimately one of the best ways a person can gain knowledge about a specific time period and the people of that time. Taking a trip to the […]
The Viking Longhouse has been around for centuries. Recreations have been built not only across Europe but transversely throughout the world. The History Seminar class was fortunate enough to be able to spend part of the weekend at a Viking Longhouse recreation near Marshfield, Wisconsin. During my stay at the Viking Longhouse I learned […]
For the fall semester of 2015, we the students of History 480 embarked on our Viking longhouse trip to gain a first hand experience in experimental archeology, which happens to be the main focus of our seminar this year. Now instead of taking a more formal approach of sitting in a classroom and lecturing about […]
Our class trip to the Viking Camp was very interesting. I appreciated the hands on approach and it was nice to get out of the classroom and away from the textbooks and videos we are often shown and experience some of the things that Vikings had during the Iron Age. Being able to see and […]
When we arrived at the Christianson’s home, our group was immediately welcomed with open arms and shown to the site on the property where we’d be camping for the night. We walked through the wild flowers and tall grass, and when we came out on the other side, our eyes gazed upon the magnificent recreation […]
When I heard we were going on an overnight trip with our class so see how the Vikings lived I was a little hesitant. Vikings aren’t the type of people I have ever taken an interest in and I’ve never really studied them. When arriving at Christiansons my hesitation started to lessen. Owen was dressed […]
During the class trip we took to the viking longhouse in Marshfield for the Seminar in History class, I was better able to understand different aspects of medieval life. Throughout the trip we participated in several hands on activities and were able to learn from experiences that I may not have without doing so. We learned […]
Our weekend of “Viking Camp” at the longhouse in Marshfield had great appeal to me, both as a student of ancient and medieval history as well as someone who spent six weeks in Iceland this past summer and was eager for more opportunities to connect with Viking heritage. Thankfully, my expectations for our time with […]
On Friday and Saturday, September 25th and 26th, the History Seminar class had the amazing opportunity to spend time in a reconstructed Viking Longhouse. This Longhouse was near the Big Eau Pine Flowage northeast of Marshfield, WI. As a class, we were able to participate in many different activities throughout the day and night we […]
After visiting the recreation Viking longhouse built by Owen and Elspeth Christianson in central Wisconsin this past weekend, the effectiveness of hands-on learning and experience really sticks out. We were at the longhouse a day and a half which was filled with events and activities that were to show some of the daily activities of […]
In all honesty, I did have some reservations about the Viking Longhouse fieldtrip because this period of history is most definitely not my specialty or specific area of history that I study. But I knew I had to go into this with an open mind because this was an experience that would be once in […]
My experience at the Longhouse was amazing. The experience made me feel very involved in the Viking lifestyle. I really enjoyed seeing all of the things the Christianson’s had. They taught us how to weave on a warp weighted loom, how to cook in a bronze pot, how to make watertight buckets by learning how […]