In archaeology, and prehistory in particular, experimental practice is based primarily on the reconstruction of skills and techniques. It enables hypotheses to be put forward about the processes used to make and/or use the tools analysed, and thus provides an insight into the socio-economic organisation of the human groups studied. The experimental approach is heuristic: the aim is to understand the links and the meaning of the stages that lead to the choices made. It is a systemic approach that enables rules to be identified.
Through an analysis of different technical processes related to leatherwork, experiments and examples taken from Eastern Siberia, Northern Canada and Ethiopia, we will show how, firstly, we can break down the gestures involved in the technical act by isolating the relevant parameters, and then, once this stage has been completed, how, by calling on related disciplines, it is possible to establish models that can be adapted to different situations.
Sylvie Beyries is Director of Emeritus Research at the CNRS. As a prehistoricist, she works on the use of crafts in the Palaeolithic period, taking a combined approach to the technology and function of tools. She has developed ethnoarchaeological programmes in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Canada and Siberia.