Craft as a key to understanding the past

Historical crafts offer valuable insight into the everyday life, economy, and social structures of past societies. At Lucilinburhuc, craftsmanship is not only a form of presentation, but also a method of research and learning.

Through the reconstruction of tools, materials, and techniques, we explore how objects were produced and used, and what role they played in historical contexts. Our work is grounded in written sources, archaeological findings, and experimental archaeology.

Craft-based work allows us to test historical hypotheses through practical application. Experimental archaeology plays a central role in understanding limitations, possibilities, and variations of historical techniques.

Equally important is the transmission of knowledge. During demonstrations and workshops, we encourage dialogue and questions, creating a space for exchange between practitioners and the public.

Textiles and Clothing

Textile production was a fundamental part of everyday life across all historical periods. Our work covers the full range of textile practices, including fibre preparation, spinning, weaving, embroidery, and garment construction. Through these activities, we gain insight into the time, skill, and resources required to produce textiles and clothing, from domestic household work to specialised craftsmanship.

By reconstructing techniques, patterns, and garments based on historical sources and archaeological finds, we explore how clothing was made, worn, and understood in its historical context. Embroidery, in particular, illustrates how textiles could carry functional, symbolic, and decorative meaning, communicating status, identity, and social belonging.

The study and making of historical garments allow us to examine cut, construction, and fit, as well as the social conventions surrounding dress. In this way, textiles and clothing become a key to understanding everyday life, social structures, and cultural values of past societies.

Historical cooking and food preparation

Cooking offers an immediate and familiar connection to everyday life in the past. At Lucilinburhuc, historical cooking is both a practical activity and a way of exploring how people lived, ate, and organised their daily routines. Using historical sources, archaeological evidence, and experimental archaeology, we recreate cooking techniques, ingredients, and recipes from different periods.

Working with period-appropriate tools and vessels, we show how food was prepared, preserved, and shared. These activities help illustrate how diet depended on season, availability, and social background. Presented as live demonstrations, historical cooking engages multiple senses and invites conversation, making it especially accessible for families and younger audiences.

Domestic and everyday crafts

Many of the skills that shaped daily life in the past took place in domestic settings. These everyday crafts formed the basis of household organisation and community life, yet they are often overlooked in traditional historical narratives.

Domestic and everyday crafts include activities such as simple textile work, household maintenance, tool care, food-related preparation tasks, and other practical skills that were essential to daily routines. By reconstructing these activities, we explore how work was organised within the household, which tools and materials were used, and how knowledge was passed on from one generation to the next.

Live demonstrations allow visitors to observe familiar actions in a historical context, making it easier to connect past and present. Through these crafts, we aim to highlight the importance of ordinary tasks in shaping historical ways of life.

Woodworking

Wood was one of the most widely used materials in historical everyday life. Tools, furniture, containers, and countless other objects were made from wood using techniques that required skill, experience, and careful material knowledge.

At Lucilinburhuc, woodworking is presented through hands-on demonstrations using historically plausible tools and methods. By showing how objects were shaped, joined, and finished, we offer insight into both the craftsmanship involved and the practical needs these objects fulfilled.

Woodworking demonstrations are easy to follow and visually engaging, making them particularly suitable for family audiences while still conveying important aspects of historical production and material culture.

Fishnet making

Fishnet making provides a clear example of how people in the past relied on practical skills to secure food and resources. Fishing was an important part of everyday life in many regions, and nets had to be made, repaired, and adapted by hand.

Using reconstructed techniques and materials, we demonstrate how fishnets were produced and maintained. These demonstrations show the patience and precision required to create functional tools and highlight the close relationship between craft, environment, and daily survival.

Fishnet making is especially accessible for younger visitors, as the process is easy to observe and understand, while still offering insight into historical subsistence practices.

Metal crafts and swordsmithing

Metalworking was a highly specialised craft that played an important role in historical societies. Tools, household objects, and weapons required advanced knowledge of materials, heat, and technique.

At Lucilinburhuc, metal crafts and swordsmithing are presented through historically informed demonstrations that explain how metal objects were made and why they mattered. Swordsmithing, in particular, captures attention while opening discussions about craftsmanship, warfare, and social status.

By placing metalworking within its historical context, we help audiences of all ages understand both the technical processes involved and their broader cultural significance.