SC - "Period" is not the enemy of "fun" (long, it's a slow day)

[maddie teller-kook]

Jeanne Stapleton wrote:
> 

> On a tangent about sources:  something that has absolutely fried me
> has been judges who won't accept *archeological data* as a primary
> source (only manuscripts written by period authors).  Hello!  Does
> the fundamental flaw in logic hit anyone else squarely between the
> eyes?
> 

I don't understand it either!  Sometimes, archeological data is all we
have. Granted, it does not give us a recipe, but it does tell us what
foods a specific group of people ate. This is extremely important if one
wants to research foods within a culture that has nothing written down.
The early Irish come to mind. I'd love to find extant recipes but none
exist(as far as i know)...so...how can I do a documented feast?  I could
try and look at what foods are available, then....all recipes would be
extrapolated from that information.....Not 'period' in the sense of
redacting an existing recipe.....So...all my documentation would be
based on the 'archeological data'.  Would this be considered acceptable? 
I would hope so...
any comments?

meadhbh
> Countess Berengaria de Montfort de Carcassonne, OP
> Barony of Caerthe
> Kingdom of the Outlands