Andreas Thiedmann, re-creating technologies of the past

Andreas Thiedmann is the initiator of the “Zeitensinsel – “Island of times” – project. This will be an open-air museum dedicated to re-creating the living conditions and the technologies of our ancestors, from pre-history to the Roman empire, following an approach known as “experimental archaeology”. It is planned to open in 2021 and is already well-advanced.

Experimental archaeology should not be considered as a hobby, only of worth for historians and people interested in the past. Its meaning is very contemporary. In a future, sustainable society, we will need “low tech” technologies that save material resources and energy – exactly what our ancestors have developed. If we can understand what they did, using the tools of modern science, and improve it, make it more reliable, in a process known as “frugal innovation”, we can use these ancient techniques for our future needs.