Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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Bodily ornaments are abundant in the circum-Caribbean region. Made of a variety of raw materials, most notably shell, stone and minerals, they have been recovered from the archipelago and...Show moreBodily ornaments are abundant in the circum-Caribbean region. Made of a variety of raw materials, most notably shell, stone and minerals, they have been recovered from the archipelago and surrounding mainlands. Most studies have focused on iconographic analysis of the motifs depicted on pendants and on the sourcing of exotic raw materials from which they were made. Technologies of production have also received attention, with emphasis on workshop contexts from the Early Ceramic Age (400 BC – AD 600/800) which present abundant debitage. For the later period (until AD 1492), considerably less is known. This research proposes a theoretical framework focused on the cultural biographies of ornaments. The main objective is to approach how pre-Colonial indigenous communities have dealt with ornaments, including the collection of raw material, production sequence, use, reuse and deposition. A chaîne opératoire approach is also put forward, in order to assess technological choices, gestures, techniques, toolkits and skill levels. Two case studies from the Late Ceramic Age are discussed: the Valencia Lake Basin in north-central Venezuela (AD 800 – 1200) and the northwest of the Dominican Republic, especially the site of El Flaco (AD 1200 – 1400). Microwear analysis was conducted on 161 beads and pendants using optical light microscopy, with magnifications of up to 200x. Experimental replications of specific techniques with local tools and contact materials were also made to serve as analogues to the microscopic evidence. An overview of the biographies of ornaments among lowland South American indigenous societies was made in order to shed light into the patterns observed in the archaeological material. Analysis has shown that in the Valencia Lake Basin the production of ornaments had an important role, involving high skill and the use of a specialized toolkit for shell working. The ornaments display different degrees of wear and indicate different systems of attachment with strings, regardless of type and depositional contexts. In El Flaco, bead making was only limitedly present and restricted to specific raw materials. Most beads, made of calcite and igneous rocks, probably entered the site through exchange networks. In general, the beads are intact and present limited use-wear, with different intensities and distribution regardless of the type. This combined approach (microscopic, experimental and ethnographical) permitted a new insight into the role of ornaments in these contexts and on how their biographies were connected to social relations at local and regional levels.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
This thesis utilizes geologic methods and techniques (optical mineralogy and electron microprobe analysis) to characterize certain stone ground-edge artifacts from the site of El Cabo. This has...Show moreThis thesis utilizes geologic methods and techniques (optical mineralogy and electron microprobe analysis) to characterize certain stone ground-edge artifacts from the site of El Cabo. This has been done to locate the provenance of these samples and to build a better understand of the materials used by the Amerindians of the Dominican Republic. This research will also delve into possible rituals that existed with lithic procurement in this region and others. The goals of the thesis are to build a better understand of archaeology and geology of the insular-Caribbean as a whole and to zoom in on the Dominican Republic and the site of El Cabo.Show less
In this thesis titled Burying Beliefs the mortuary practices of Ceramic Age groups from Colombia, Western-Venezuela, and the off-shore islands are studied in order to identify the various social...Show moreIn this thesis titled Burying Beliefs the mortuary practices of Ceramic Age groups from Colombia, Western-Venezuela, and the off-shore islands are studied in order to identify the various social aspects of these practices. This research is primarily based on a literature study including both archaeological- and ethnographic literature, combined with an in-depth analysis of the data gathered from this literature. It was important to be cautious in this research as in a literature study a research bias in inevitable. The main objective of this research was to determine to what extend ethnographic data can be used to complement the archaeological evidence in order to identify the various social aspects of mortuary practices. The ethnographic dataset consists of accounts of various indigenous communities inhabiting the South American mainland, each adopting their own sets of beliefs and practices. Additionally, in order to study the social aspects of mortuary practices in depth a solid theoretical framework was necessary. The theoretical framework applied in this study consisted of various theories on the sociality of a society such as, ritual, rites of passage, personhood, worldview, and materiality. Through the combination of these concepts it was possible to execute a solid in-depth analysis of the various social aspects of a mortuary practice as nearly every aspect of a society could be highlighted and studied through this theoretical framework. It became clear throughout this research that ethnographic data can be very valuable as a means of complementing the archaeological evidence if care is taken in doing so. Furthermore, this study shows that the study of mortuary practices goes beyond the study of the human remains and the burial assemblage as there are many factors involved which are determinant for the construction and performance of these practices, which are not necessarily retrievable archaeologically.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
One of the most defining moments in history is Europe’s discovery of the ‘New World’ in 1492. It is generally known how Columbus succeeded in crossing the Atlantic Ocean, while trying to reach Asia...Show moreOne of the most defining moments in history is Europe’s discovery of the ‘New World’ in 1492. It is generally known how Columbus succeeded in crossing the Atlantic Ocean, while trying to reach Asia via a westward route. It meant a sudden and unexpected encounter between two radically different cultures. According to popular belief, the Spaniards offered beads and mirrors to ‘ignorant’ Indians and took home all the gold they could find. The Taíno were passive bystanders in the process of Spanish imperialism and colonialism. This thesis aims to eliminate these misconceptions through a critical reassessment of the role of European material culture in intercultural contacts in Hispaniola during the first decades of the colonial period. The discussion centres on the Taíno attitude towards these new objects, while emphasising their active participation and creative responses to the impacts of Spanish domination. An understanding of the dynamics, interactions and exchanges of the colonial encounter cannot be achieved without knowing the cultural-historical backgrounds of both parties. Their descriptions constitute Part I of the thesis. In Part II it is investigated which objects the Taíno received from the Spaniards and what they gave in return. The main questions to be answered are why the Taíno accepted the seeming trinkets of the Europeans and how and to what extent these were integrated into native society. Archaeology offers an indispensable dataset that, however, hitherto has not reached its full potential, not least because of the many difficulties involved in the archaeology of postcontact Taíno settlements. This thesis provides a current state of affairs by listing a representative number of site descriptions that have not been published in a similar way before.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
In 'Mapping History' archaeological sites within a small region in the northwestern Dominican Republic are mapped, in order to distinguish patterns in site locations and to explore the social...Show moreIn 'Mapping History' archaeological sites within a small region in the northwestern Dominican Republic are mapped, in order to distinguish patterns in site locations and to explore the social landscape in the past. The landscape in the research area consists of beaches, swamps, mangroves, valleys, and hills up to 300 metres in height. It is known from research by Jorge Ulloa Hung, an archaeologist currently writing his dissertation on ceramics in the area, that there were different ceramic styles present contemporaneously in the north of the Dominican Republic. While Ulloa Hung focuses on the ceramics from the sites in the area, in this research the surrounding area (circa 80 km²) is mapped to provide a context for Ulloa Hung’s research. In this thesis the study on the social landscape is the central focus. Observations and results of the fieldwork conducted in the area were used for this study, and recorded into a map-related database or Geographical Information System (GIS). The relation between site locations and surroundings were analysed with the use of the created GIS. The focus of the analyses is mainly on differences between sites with Meillacoid style ceramics and sites with Chicoid style ceramics. The goal was to bring forth different patterns in the site locations of Meillacoid and Chicoid sites. The diverse landscape in the area combined with the diverse cultural landscape makes this area very suitable for such analyses. Although there are similarities between several aspects of the sites, the area also differences. Meillacoid sites tend to be located closer to the coast, while Chicoid sites are located further inland. Furthermore, Meillacoid sites have a better visibility range, and are therefore better visible themselves. There are evidently different patterns of site locations of both kinds of sites in the area, but there is one common denominator: diversity.Show less
