This thesis explores the relationship between Zeeland’s circular fortifications, known as ringwalburgen, and the extensive trade network of the early medieval North Sea region. These fortifications...Show moreThis thesis explores the relationship between Zeeland’s circular fortifications, known as ringwalburgen, and the extensive trade network of the early medieval North Sea region. These fortifications have long fascinated historians and archaeologists due to their size and strategic placement in the landscape. Archaeological evidence supports their involvement in long-distance trade. However, the limited archaeological data poses a significant challenge to fully understanding their role in the region. Using network theory, this study investigates the potential connections between ringwalburgen and other relevant archaeological sites across the North Sea area. The methodology utilizes similarity networks, which suggest that sites sharing similar artifact assemblages are likely linked. Specifically, an ‘artifact-type co-occurrence similarity network’ is employed to explore these relationships, adapting measures to include ringwalburgen despite the fragmented archaeological record. The study uses the limited data in a diverse way in order to reach its conclusions and further understanding on early medieval trade relations. This study investigates the relationship between ringwalburgen and trade through network methodology, addressing four sub-questions using generated networks: the absence of a central trade hub among ringwalburgen, insights into their role within the North Sea trade network, alignment with historical narratives, and the methodology's effectiveness despite data limitations. While confirming trade significance for ringwalburgen, the study finds insufficient data to define their specific trade roles, suggesting future research focus on expanding datasets and refining methodologies for broader applicability. In conclusion, the methodology used proved fairly effective in addressing questions regarding the ringwalburgen. At worst, it provided preliminary answers to these questions while demonstrating significant strengths. These include the inclusion of ringwalburgen and their fragmented archaeology in the dataset, the utilization of additional networks to validate results or support hypotheses, and the application of artifact-type attributes to construct coherent similarity networks. However, the methodology was hindered by the limited datasets available, which restricted the number of nodes that could be included. This limitation affected the ability to create a sequential network or compare relevant nodes with proxies effectively. Improved consideration of node selection early in the methodology's application would greatly enhance its effectiveness, albeit at the cost of increased time and effort, making it feasible only within specific project scopes.Show less
In this thesis, the trade activities of two port sites, Berenike in Egypt and Thessaloniki in Greece, from their respective founding (275 BCE for Berenike and 316 BCE for Thessaloniki) until the...Show moreIn this thesis, the trade activities of two port sites, Berenike in Egypt and Thessaloniki in Greece, from their respective founding (275 BCE for Berenike and 316 BCE for Thessaloniki) until the early Byzantine era (~C.E. 700) have been researched through a comparative analysis. Both sites were important nodes in the trade networks of the ancient world, Berenike serving as a transit port between the areas of the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, and Thessaloniki focusing more on the creation, export, and import of luxury goods. While research into these networks has been growing in popularity in recent years, there has been a distinct lack of variables that can be used to identify nodes and hubs. The development of a set of variables is an important step in identifying these key features of ancient trade networks and will contribute towards a more complete understanding of complex systems like this. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to investigate, identify, and codify a set of variables that can be used for this express purpose. The variables were identified through a comparative analysis using the aforementioned port sites as case studies, taking an interdisciplinary approach, using sources like excavation reports, relevant literature, and museum exhibitions to create a clear picture. The theoretical framework applied to this research is Network theory, initially I intended to use Globalization theory but found that the latter did not fit the research as well as the former. This process resulted in the identification of five variables – diversity in religion, local material, non-local material, production centers, and warehouses – highlighting the importance of both ports, while at the same time not shying away from their differences. While most of the results were expected like Berenike having the transit of goods as its main objective, an unexpected result is that it seems likely that Thessaloniki took part in extra-Mediterranean trade before the Byzantine era, and thus earlier than previously assumed.Show less
Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
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The focus of this paper is the security cooperation between FIU-NL and Europol, organizations that annually process transaction data on millions of EU-citizens. The author makes the case that...Show moreThe focus of this paper is the security cooperation between FIU-NL and Europol, organizations that annually process transaction data on millions of EU-citizens. The author makes the case that Function Creep, “the expansion of the use of a system or token to include other functions not originally envisioned by their promotors” undermines trust and therefore hinders security cooperations. Through the application of Whelans network theory and the concept of Function Creep in a case study design. The case study is of the implementation of the integration of FIU.net, a decentralized system, into SIENA, Europols centralized database. The author argues that a clear negative impact on trust is found, even when the Function Creep is only ‘intended’ and aims to expand upon the commonly understood conceptualization of Function Creep.Show less
This research aimed to analyze the effectiveness of the National Cyber Security Centre of The Netherlands (NCSC-NL) as a security network. In the analysis of this qualitative document analysis,...Show moreThis research aimed to analyze the effectiveness of the National Cyber Security Centre of The Netherlands (NCSC-NL) as a security network. In the analysis of this qualitative document analysis, five contingencies were applied to the NCSC-NL security network; the range of provided services, strengths of relationships, network structure, trust, and consensus in goals. Furthermore, literature on the typologies of security networks was applied to the NCSC-NL network. The main findings conclude that the NCSC-NL network aligns with both a knowledge-generating and an informational network. Furthermore, the contingency of network structure was critical to its effectiveness, reducing complexity and allowing for expansion of participants. A third conclusion is that while centralized networks generally experience low consensus on goals, the NCSC-NL network boosts its effectiveness by achieving a unanimous consensus on goals. Finally, while the range of provided services is assessed by the new services that participants add (Provan & Milward, 2001), the NCSC-NL network reinforces the quality of its existing service with each new participant.Show less
