Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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Skeletal remains of the European sabre-toothed cat have been discovered at the Lower Paleolithic sites of Schöningen (Germany). With an approximate age of 300.000 years BP, they are among the...Show moreSkeletal remains of the European sabre-toothed cat have been discovered at the Lower Paleolithic sites of Schöningen (Germany). With an approximate age of 300.000 years BP, they are among the youngest finds of this species in Eurasia. Remains of at least three individuals have been identified, implying that sabre-toothed cats were not a rare encounter, in contrast to the earlier assumption of its extinction 500.000 years ago in Eurasia. The presence of this large -sized animal in the Middle Pleistocene carnivore guild has implications for hominin subsistence as well: Homo heidelbergensis has entered the Pleistocene carnivore guild at this time, but its carnivore niche is still under debate. Although hunting at this time is currently widely accepted as the mode of protein procurement by hominins, the presence of large carnivore species as Homotherium might again spark of the hunting-gathering debate. Passive scavenging from felid kills has been refuted due to the marginal yields, but active, or power scavenging should be reassessed. The famous wooden spears, encountered at the site, can therefore have had a different purpose, chasing of large carnivores from their kills. This thesis contains detailed descriptions of the Homotherium remains from Schöningen. Features that are indicative of their behavior are highlighted, compared with other findings from the Plio-Pleistocene and discussed. The total assemblage provides a unique insight into the skeletal morphology of the latest occurrences of Homotherium latidens. It is clearly smaller in size in comparison to Early Pleistocene finds, and demonstrates a mosaic of ancestral and more derived features. The cranial fragments show great potential for future research on the brains shape and the auditory structures, possibly yielding taxonomic and behavioural insights. A large humerus contains hominin modifications, demonstrating its previous use as a percussor tool of working flint. It emphasizes the co-occurrence of hominins and Homotherium at the site. The outcomes of this thesis demand a further revision of the Schöningen carnivore guild and their taphonomic imprint on the Schöningen assemblages, reassessing the role of early hominins within this carnivore guild.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
closed access
The production of bifacial tools is one of the main technological strategies practiced throughout both the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic of northwestern Europe (MIS 15 – 3; ca. 600-35 ka BP)....Show moreThe production of bifacial tools is one of the main technological strategies practiced throughout both the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic of northwestern Europe (MIS 15 – 3; ca. 600-35 ka BP). Within the broad definition of this tool category, there exist wide variation in morphological and technological properties. Additionally, the occurrence of particular biface types seems to vary, both chronologically, as well as geographically. Nowadays, many archaeologists focus on the steering mechanisms behind the observed variations and in doing so apply different methodologies. The bifacial objects used in this thesis to address these broader theoretical questions come from the southern Netherlands, a thus far marginally explored area when it comes to Palaeolithic archaeology. Published data on bifaces is combined with object registrations in the national database (ARCHIS) and primary descriptions of bifacial objects by the author to form a comprehensive dataset of 122 bifacial objects in total. Primarily, these objects are typologically classified with the help of a synthesized methodological framework that combines the main northwestern European typological traditions. The outcome of this analysis shows that the overall typological variation in bifacial objects from the southern Netherlands is more diverse than currently envisaged, which has direct consequences for the conceptualization of Lower and Middle Palaeolithic occupation of the research area. Consecutively, hypotheses for the observed variations in bifacial tool morphology are explored. Despite the limited chronostratigraphic information available for basically all objects, the combined analysis of associated geological formations, their age implications, and the distribution of particular tool types throughout norhtwestern Europe suggests that chronological differentiation in bifacial tool morphology occurs in the research area. At the same time, this explanation does not seem to fully explain the overall variation. Therefore, the technological aspects of morphological variation are explored as well. Scar pattern analysis is performed on four bifaces and shows that these all display long and extended artefact biographies during which likely different phases of use, re-use and recycling occurred. Based on the technological properties of the overall dataset it is proposed that economizing behaviours, in combination with different functional desires, have strongly affected biface morphology in the research area. The final hypothesis explaining variation is that of socio-cultural interactions. A re-analysis of bifacial tools from Sint Geertruid, previously used in such models by other researchers, in combination with their depositional context shows that the current dataset is unsuited for contributing to supra-regional contemporaneous cultural interactions between Neanderthal groups. This examination of the bifacial record of the southern Netherlands has shown that this material has higher potential for understanding hominin occupation and behaviour in this particular region than is currently being exploited. Finally, some suggestions for how to come to such understandings are proposed.Show less
