In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of experimentalapproaches to the study of media histories and their cultures.1An increasingnumber of scholars researching at the intersection of media history and theoryare breaking new ground by working with archival sources and historical arte-facts in experimental ways. Examples of work in this field are given throughoutthis book, ranging from re-enactments of early cinema screenings, to the simula-tion of analogue television production practices, to reconstructions of and per-formances with past media artefacts. Doing media archaeological experiments,such as historical re-enactments and hands-on simulations with media histori-cal objects, helps us to explore and better understand the workings of pastmedia technologies and their practices of use. Knowledge and skills that usedto be part of daily life not so long ago have been rapidly disappearing in today’sdigital cultures, characterised by an increased black-boxing and (planned) ob-solescence of media technologies.