The scientific approach

An introduction

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The team

The scientific approach

An educational site

Guided tour

The scientific approach

© Guédelon

Guédelon is a field of experimental archaeology - a kind of open-air laboratory.

The aim is to recreate the site organization and the construction processes that might have existed on an early 13^th century building site. Unlike traditional archaeology, which is concerned with cataloguing, excavating and analysing an existing structure, experimental archaeology puts this process into reverse. A structure is built from start to finish in order to obtain, following experiments and observations, a set of conclusive results.

Guédelon is a back-to-front archaeological dig.

© Guédelon

"My normal work consists of carrying out research on existing ruins...In fact we mentally deconstruct the wall that we are studying.  This can take us so far, but it remains an intellectual activity.  Today, Guédelon is helping us to put ideas and research to the test. " (Anne Baud - Archaeologist and Senior Lecturer at Lyon University)

Jacques Moulin, Chief Architect at Monuments Historiques, drew up the castle plans.

© Guédelon

Several leading archaeologists, historians and castle experts are associated with the building of Guédelon castle:

* Anne Baud, Archaeologist and Senior Lecturer at Lyon University

* Nicolas Reveyron, Art Historian and Professor at Lyon University

* Christian Corvisier, Architectural Historian

* Phillippe Durand, Castellologist and Senior Lecturer at Bordeaux University

* Frédéric Epaud, Archaeologist, specialising in medieval roof timbers