https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/dr-theresa-emmerich-kamper-ancient-skills-stone-age-living National Geographic Logo - Home Skip to content * * * Newsletters * Subscribe * Menu A woman with short dark hair Dr Theresa Emmerich Kamper teaches ancestral skills around the world. Photograph by Matthew Horwood Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. * Travel Meet the experimental archaeologist who tested out Stone-Age living on the Thames The American experimental archaeologist and ancestral skills instructor paddled the Thames River in cowskin canoes to gain insight into Stone Age-style living. Published September 3, 2023 * 6 min read ShareTweetEmail This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). You teach ancestral skills, from basketry to stone tool construction and more. What sparked your interest? It evolved from being outdoors a lot as a child. My earliest memory of wanting to do this was when I was six. My dad was a scout leader, and he mentioned that cattails were edible. I went to a cow pond, dug up cattail roots and came back chewing one. He told me I was going to get salmonella, then boiled them up for me. As long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by finding ways to use the resources around me. You make leather clothing and gear for your adventures. How did that passion begin? When I was 11, I wanted a pretty leather dress. Leather was expensive, but I realised people used to tan skins to make it. And bless my parents, they're very tolerant. I rotted a lot of deer skins before I was successful, but I fell in love with it. The problem-solving aspect of it really appealed to me. That led to a PhD in ancient hide-tanning techniques. I did my undergraduate degree in anthropology, then badgered my way into an internship at the Smithsonian. The team there told me the experimental archaeology programme at the University of Exeter was basically custom-made for me. During the course, I realised the academic information on tanning was few and far between. I decided it was a niche I could fill. What motivated you and ancestral skills instructor Sarah Day to paddle the Thames in Stone Age-style canoes? From an experimental archaeology perspective, the Thames has been a trading thoroughfare for millennia. This journey was the perfect chance to put the skills we always work on into context. We were interested to see just how low-tech the boats could be, how this kind of canoe would perform on long expeditions, how best to maintain the skins, seams, frame. Also, Sarah and I have made lots of gear. We wanted to test it, to see what works well and what's not meant for river life. It's playtime; it's arts and crafts, but on an expedition like this, it's also daily living skills. What were the canoes and equipment you made for the journey like? There aren't any archaeological examples of skin boats, really. So, we made something fit to purpose with what would have been available to prehistoric peoples. The canoes are wickerwork of willow and hazel, covered with rawhide cowskin and coated with rendered fat, beeswax and birch tar. Most of the equipment were things that would have been used during those early time periods: fur blankets, a reindeer leather tent, buckskin clothing. We brought dried berries, dried meat; we foraged for greens and cooked in clay pots. You paddled 136 miles in 12 days. Any challenges? The wind was our foe. Also, we couldn't legally have a fire every night to dry the boats out, as Stone Age people would have, which would have improved the performance. But even sopping wet, our boats performed brilliantly, and the maintenance needs were minimal. You starred on the survival shows Alone and Surviving the Stone Age. How did that change your perspective? Being able to spend long periods of time putting into practice the skills I teach and have spent a lifetime learning is a privilege. Even more so now, I can speak from personal experience when people query me about various skills. When I'm undertaking research, I can better extrapolate back to how past peoples possibly interacted with their landscapes. After coming back from filming both shows, I had a bit of weight to regain, but I felt healthier and more alive. There's a host of benefits to learning ancestral skills and spending time outdoors. It's given me confidence. There are not many situations where I don't feel like I would have a really good shot at figuring my way out of them. It's taught me a lot of patience, and it's given me a lot of joy over the years. What about Stone Age-style living appeals to you? The simplicity, the idea that if I need to do something, I have the tools with which to do it. No one's saying you need to go back to living in the woods. What we want to do is better understand these skills to better understand our journey as a species. Then, we can translate the best parts of that into modern life. What's next for you? Sarah and I are planning to make our next rawhide boat and paddle the Dordogne River in France in 2024, visiting prehistoric cave sites along the way. My most exciting project, though, is starting a Centre for Ancient Technologies. I'll be looking for land in Sweden this fall. I envisage it as a teaching venue for ancestral skills and bushcraft, as well as a support venue for experiments and research within experimental archaeology. Published in the September 2023 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK) To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only). ShareTweetEmail --------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- Read This Next How can tourists help Maui recover? Here's what locals say. [yH5BAEAAAA] * Travel How can tourists help Maui recover? Here's what locals say. In the face of devastating economic losses, residents are asking visitors to return--but respectfully. Death cap mushrooms are deadly--and spreading [yH5BAEAAAA] * Environment Death cap mushrooms are deadly--and spreading The invasive death cap mushroom is thriving in North America. While it can be difficult to distinguish from an edible one, make no mistake: It can do a number on you. These shoes are nearly 2 feet tall, and women really wore them [yH5BAEAAAA] * History & Culture These shoes are nearly 2 feet tall, and women really wore them The chopine, a type of platform shoe worn in Renaissance Italy, signaled wealth, status, and a good sense of balance. Why protecting mangroves is key to mitigating climate change [yH5BAEAAAA] * Environment * Perpetual Planet Why protecting mangroves is key to mitigating climate change Cutting them down releases four times as much carbon as the same amount of upland trees. Brazilian scientist and Nat Geo Explorer Angelo Bernardino is working to save them. Go Further Animals * Noticing more cicadas this year in the U.S.? There's a reason + Animals Noticing more cicadas this year in the U.S.? There's a reason * Can great white sharks be friends? + Animals Can great white sharks be friends? * These 2,000 rhinos couldn't find a buyer. What happened next? + Animals These 2,000 rhinos couldn't find a buyer. What happened next? * Extremely rare sperm whale birth caught on camera + Animals Extremely rare sperm whale birth caught on camera * The race to stop lanternflies--before they get to a town near you + Animals The race to stop lanternflies--before they get to a town near you * This bird survived Maui's fires--but it could soon vanish + Animals This bird survived Maui's fires--but it could soon vanish Environment * There's only one offshore fish farm in the U.S. Why? + Environment There's only one offshore fish farm in the U.S. Why? * How to store fruits and veggies for maximum freshness + Environment How to store fruits and veggies for maximum freshness * Why protecting mangroves is key to mitigating climate change + Environment + Perpetual Planet Why protecting mangroves is key to mitigating climate change * Death cap mushrooms are deadly--and spreading + Environment Death cap mushrooms are deadly--and spreading * What should you do with your old tennis balls? + Environment What should you do with your old tennis balls? * Japan releases nuclear wastewater into the Pacific + Environment Japan releases nuclear wastewater into the Pacific History & Culture * 'Pristine' Roman swords found hidden away in Dead Sea cave + History & Culture 'Pristine' Roman swords found hidden away in Dead Sea cave * We still don't know why humans started drinking cow's milk + History & Culture We still don't know why humans started drinking cow's milk * The shifting lives of the Luchazi people + Paid Content for Advertiser The shifting lives of the Luchazi people * Meet 5 of the fiercest queens from medieval times + History Magazine Meet 5 of the fiercest queens from medieval times * These shoes are nearly 2 feet tall, and women really wore them + History & Culture These shoes are nearly 2 feet tall, and women really wore them * How do we warn future generations to avoid buried nuclear waste? + History & Culture How do we warn future generations to avoid buried nuclear waste? Science * Should you use natural deodorant? Here's what you should know. + Science Should you use natural deodorant? Here's what you should know. * She shined a light on the disease no one wants to see + Science She shined a light on the disease no one wants to see * The 5 'Blue Zones' where the world's healthiest people live + Science The 5 'Blue Zones' where the world's healthiest people live * Why don't more people go vegan? It could be the label. + Science Why don't more people go vegan? It could be the label. * Will the supermoon affect flooding during Hurricane Idalia? + Science Will the supermoon affect flooding during Hurricane Idalia? * Why the Mediterranean diet really is the healthiest + Science Why the Mediterranean diet really is the healthiest Travel * Why you should try Indian Ocean rum + Travel Why you should try Indian Ocean rum * How can tourists help Maui recover? Here's what locals say. + Travel How can tourists help Maui recover? Here's what locals say. * Our guide to Kilkenny, the modern Irish city in a medieval skin + Travel Our guide to Kilkenny, the modern Irish city in a medieval skin * 6 new travel books for a destination deep-dive + Travel 6 new travel books for a destination deep-dive * Follow the sweet trail in York, England's chocolate capital + Travel Follow the sweet trail in York, England's chocolate capital * How the ocean shaped a surf town + Paid Content for Advertiser How the ocean shaped a surf town Subscriber Exclusive Content previous * Magazine Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars? Read * Magazine How viruses shape our world Read * Animals The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end Read * Magazine See how people have imagined life on Mars through history Read * Magazine See how NASA's new Mars rover will explore the red planet Explore * Magazine Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars? Read * Magazine How viruses shape our world Read * Animals The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end Read * Magazine See how people have imagined life on Mars through history Read * Magazine See how NASA's new Mars rover will explore the red planet Explore * Magazine Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars? Read * Magazine How viruses shape our world Read * Animals The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end Read * Magazine See how people have imagined life on Mars through history Read * Magazine See how NASA's new Mars rover will explore the red planet Explore next See More Legal * Terms of Use * Privacy Policy * Your US State Privacy Rights * Children's Online Privacy Policy * Interest-Based Ads * About Nielsen Measurement * Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information Our Sites * Nat Geo Home * Attend a Live Event * Book a Trip * Buy Maps * Inspire Your Kids * Shop Nat Geo * Visit the D.C. Museum * Watch TV * Learn About Our Impact * Support Our Mission * Masthead * Press Room * Advertise With Us Join Us * Subscribe * Customer Service * Renew Subscription * Manage Your Subscription * Work at Nat Geo * Sign Up for Our Newsletters * Contribute to Protect the Planet Follow us National Geographic FacebookNational Geographic TwitterNational Geographic Instagram United States (Change) --------------------------------------------------------------------- National Geographic Logo - Home Copyright (c) 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright (c) 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved