Using Experimental Archaeology to Answer the Unanswerable: A case study using Roman Dyeing

This paper introduces a new approach to understanding the dying industry in Pompeii. This study began with the construction of a full-scale replica dyeing apparatus, copied from remains in Pompeii, to establish the operating parameters of an apparatus. A determination of cycle time, fuel type and requirement was made. The skeletal data of Herculaneum was matched to a modern population and an ergonomic assessment of each dyeing apparatus was made. The replica was amended to allow exploration of the eff ects of a change in design and ventilation. A computer simulation using Finite Element Analysis was undertaken. The design, cycle times and temperatures were taken from the excavated remains and experimental fi ndings. The FE Analysis allowed the determination of physical changes in materials during heating, the mode of failure of the apparatus and the time span within which this occurred. The approach and fi ndings of this study are both novel and new. The study took a theoretical problem through replicative experimental archaeology into Finite Element modelling. It allowed the problem to be understood and explored by those from diff ering disciplines. While this study answers specifi c questions about the size of the dyeing industry, it may be used to illustrate the application of a technique to answer ‘unanswerable’ questions.

[1]  Henry. Dreyfuss,et al.  The measure of man , 1960 .

[2]  P. Temin.  A Market Economy in the Early Roman Empire* , 2001, Journal of Roman Studies.

[3]  Peter J Reynolds,et al.  The nature of experiment in archaeology , 1999 .

[4]  R. Laurence.  Roman Pompeii: Space and Society , 1994 .

[5]  W. Bass.  Human osteology : a laboratory and field manual of the human skeleton , 1971 .

[6]  Robert F. G. Spier,et al.  Archaeology by Experiment , 1975 .

[7]  J. M. Frayn.  Sheep-rearing and the wool trade in Italy during the Roman period , 1984 .

[8]  Robert C. Janaway,et al.  Understanding the economic influence of the dyeing industry in Pompeii through the application of experimental archaeology and thermodynamics , 2005 .

[9]  G. Gleser,et al.  A re-evaluation of estimation of stature based on measurements of stature taken during life and of long bones after death. , 1958, American journal of physical anthropology.

[10]  The population of ancient Rome , 1997 .

[11]  Mikell P. Groover,et al.  Automation, Production Systems, and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing , 1987 .

[12]  Thomas Russell Hoffmann.  Production : management and manufacturing systems , 1967 .

[13]  Yasuhiro Monden,et al.  Toyota Production System: An Integrated Approach to Just-In-Time , 1993 .

[14]  Wallace J. Hopp,et al.  Factory physics : foundations of manufacturing management , 1996 .

[15]  Walter O. Moeller.  The wool trade of ancient Pompeii , 1976 .

[16]  Su Grierson.  The colour cauldron , 1986 .

[17]  Jonathan Edmondson,et al.  Mining in the Later Roman Empire and Beyond: Continuity or Disruption? , 1989, Journal of Roman Studies.

[18]  A. Trevor Hodge,et al.  Roman Aqueducts and Water Supply , 1989 .

[19]  W. Jongman,et al.  The Economy and Society of Pompeii. , 1990 .

[20]  M. J. Fagan.  Finite element analysis: theory and practice , 1992 .

[21]  K. C. Arora.  Production And Operations Management , 2004 .