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A few years ago we were approached to make replica viking padlocks by the Jorvik Centre in York. These were for their hands-on experience, and the starting points were a couple of X-rays of nodules of clay containing the remains of 1000 year old originals.
To find out all the tricks of making the two different types of lock, we came up with the idea of replicating also the constraints experienced by the original smiths in terms of materials and workshop methods.
The resulting experiment worked wonderfully well and provided answers to questions we hadn't even thought of. In other words, by doing it, we now know all there is to know about how these things were made.
Since then, the technique has been of service on several occasions, most notably with the Mary Rose cannon, and the Roman Well pump. In both cases, all the questions posed were able to be answered.
There is a need for craftspeople to work alongside archaeologists, and to use their knowledge of techniques and materials to help solve the ancient mysteries. | 
