I remember seeing an article somewhere about a group of anthropologist/archaeologist types setting up a re-enactment of whatever time period they were researching in an attempt to answer some questions they had. It lasted a month or two if I remember correctly. The only thing I can remember about it is that they discovered that holes in the doorways of people were actually where the chickens would clean themselves, and had no religious significance, as had previously been suspected.
Can anyone help find the article? I’ve had no luck.
I don’t know of a specific cite, but the story is well known. From memory, I believe it derives from the Butser project in Hampshire. And possibly from the filming of the 1978 BBC series “Living in the Past”, which followed a group living for a year in authentic conditions (and which, according to this site devoted to reconstructions of roundhouses, used Butser). I think the observation was made by Barry Cunliffe, though there’s an offchance it was the late Peter Reynolds. I’ve certainly seen old film footage of one of them explaining the business of chickens in the doorway.
You might try Reynolds’ 1979 book on the project.