Overview

Moving the Past explores the challenges of studying discontinued movement cultures—practices and embodied skills that have lost their continuity and are no longer ‘living’ traditions. Comprising seven chapters, the volume combines detailed case studies with theoretical insights to address a core question: What kind of knowledge about the past can be gained when researchers use their own bodies to relearn skills preserved solely in historical and archaeological sources? Case studies examine topics ranging from ancient Greek hoplite warfare to Victorian-era Irish wrestling, medieval military drills and physical exercise regimens, and early-modern fencing. These focused analyses are complemented by a theoretical chapter and a Coda, investigating the methods, promises, and limitations of experiential research on discontinued movement cultures. The book arises from a 2021 conference panel, “Experimental and Experiential Research in Archaeology,” organised by the Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw (Poland). Its contributors include archaeologists, historians, anthropologists, and independent researchers with a shared interest in historical embodied practices. This interdisciplinary mix ensures a diverse perspective, appealing to academics and practitioners of re-enactment, living history, and public archaeology alike.

Full Product Details

Author:   Maciej Talaga
Publisher:   Archaeopress
Imprint:   Archaeopress Access Archaeology
ISBN:  

9781805831921

ISBN 10:   1805831925
Pages:   110
Publication Date:   18 December 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Author Biographies Introduction – Maciej Talaga Chapter 1. Triangle of Diverging Incentives. Methods for Reconstruction of Personal Combat Techniques – Bartłomiej Walczak Chapter 2. Leveraging Reenactment and Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) for the Understanding of Ancient Combat – Paul M. Bardunias and Benjamin R. Truska Chapter 3. Crooks, Hooks, Trips, and Taps. Reconstructing Irish Collar and Elbow Wrestling – Ruadhán MacFadden Chapter 4. Gripping Affordances of Select Post-Medieval European Sidearms – Jerzy Miklaszewski Chapter 5. Boots on the Ground: Late-Medieval Infantry Marches and Infrastructure – Charles Lin Chapter 6. Going Medieval on the Body. An Autoethnographic Study on a Late-Medieval Fighter’s Physical Conditioning Regimen – Maciej Talaga and Krzysztof Kozak Coda: Why Moving the Past? – Maciej Talaga References 

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Author Information

Maciej Talaga, PhD, is an archaeologist and anthropologist specialised in the Central-European Late Middle Ages. His main research interests revolve around pre-modern body and movement cultures, especially late-medieval German martial arts, as well as embodied and self-reflective methodologies in the study of the past. Currently working as Assistant Professor at the University of Warsaw, he conducts parallel research projects on medieval martial culture and contemporary folk wrestling as part of intangible cultural heritage.

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