From the beginning of the 13th century, the Duke of Brabant started his conquest in Northern-Brabant (Netherlands). He was very successful in getting noble lords and church properties under his...Show moreFrom the beginning of the 13th century, the Duke of Brabant started his conquest in Northern-Brabant (Netherlands). He was very successful in getting noble lords and church properties under his authority. Nevertheless, some ‘heerlijkheden’, such as Geldrop, Boxtel, Bakel and Sterksel, remained in the possession of another ruler or religious institution and the Duke didn’t manage to exercise his authority here. You may wonder if these different political structures really had impact on the daily life and material culture of ‘ordinary’ people. This can be examined in various ways. In this thesis I compared the development of the farmhouse-plans in the Duchy of Brabant with the farmhouse-plans of the ‘heerlijkheden’ that were not under his authority. The farmhouse-plans found in Geldrop, Boxtel, Bakel and Sterksel were compared with the MDS-typology and the Hallehuisgroup. The MDS-typology is a typology of farmhouse-plans in the high Middle Ages, containing the types H0 up to H4, used as a standard for farmhouse-types in Brabant. Each type has its own characteristics and date. The Hallehuisgroup is a type of house which appears in Brabant from 1250, after the last type of the MDS-typology, H4, has disappeared. Barely no difference was found between de farmhouse-plans from the case-studies and the MDS-typology and Hallehuisgroup. Two farms were found in Geldrop which can be attributed type H2 from MDS-typology in terms of shape and date. In Boxtel three farms were found, two of the H2 type and one of the H4 type, which also can be placed in the MDS-typology in terms of shape and date. Some exceptions were found in Bakel. Two of the ten farmhouse-plans in Bakel didn’t fit in the MDS-typology. In addition, type H4 of the MDS-typology occurred here earlier than usual. Two historical farms were examined in Sterksel. The oldest, complete, plan dates from the earliest 13th century and fits in the Hallhuisgroup. Although more research is needed, it can be stated that the political structures in de Duchy of Brabant did not have impact on the daily life and the material culture of the ‘ordinary’ people, reflected in de farmhouse-plans.Show less
This thesis focusses on the use and function of music and the so called Flower-flute in the Aztec culture, as well as the Toxcatl festival, in which this instrument played an important role. The...Show moreThis thesis focusses on the use and function of music and the so called Flower-flute in the Aztec culture, as well as the Toxcatl festival, in which this instrument played an important role. The Aztecs knew three different categories of music instruments; the aerophones, membranophones, and the idiophones. These instruments were mainly played by priests during public rituals. In the Aztec culture, music was seen as the voice of the gods through which the gods communicated with the world of humans. This was also the case with the Toxcatl festival, in which the Flower-flute played a central part. During this festival, one prisoner was chosen to impersonate the deity Tezcatlipoca for one year. During this year he would play the Flower-flute after which he would break it on the stairs of a temple. In this festival and instrument, a lot of symbolical meanings are embedded; like the fact that the breaking of the flutes stood symbol for the temporary break of relations between the gods and humans. In this thesis, the Flower-flute was mainly analysed as a sound artefact, leaving slightly aside its symbolical meanings. For instance, there is a possibility that this instrument was played in a major pentatonic scale. There is also a possibility that the flute had a more rhythmic function than a solely melodical function. The exterior of the flute does contain some decorations that possess a symbolical meaning; on some flutes the 4-tonalli sign is present, which refers to the four cardinal directions of the Aztec cosmovision. The flute also has a decoration in the form of two or three red stripes that resemble the fabrication of ancient reed flutes, therefore, suggesting a connection with ancestor veneration.Show less
In de Romeinse provincie Germania inferior worden regelmatig (onderdelen van) militaire ruiterhelmen gevonden, die in de tweede en derde eeuw na Christus kunnen worden gedateerd. Deze vondsten...Show moreIn de Romeinse provincie Germania inferior worden regelmatig (onderdelen van) militaire ruiterhelmen gevonden, die in de tweede en derde eeuw na Christus kunnen worden gedateerd. Deze vondsten komen vrijwel uitsluitend uit voormalige waterlopen, de zogenaamde natte contexten. Langs de West-Nederlandse limes zijn bij Woerden en Bodegraven en in het Kanaal van Corbulo bij Leiden twee helmen en een gezichtsmasker gevonden. Het gezichtsmasker is als enige tijdens een opgraving gevonden, zodat precies bekend is wat er bij is gevonden en waar het precies lag. Deze vondstcontext is nader onderzocht om aan de hand hiervan de betekenis van de deposities van de andere vondsten in de regio te kunnen achterhalen.Show less
Archaeology on television has been a widely debated subject amongst academic archaeologists. Perhaps the dilemma that archaeologists face is that archaeology – its practice, its interpretations and...Show moreArchaeology on television has been a widely debated subject amongst academic archaeologists. Perhaps the dilemma that archaeologists face is that archaeology – its practice, its interpretations and the archaeological record it studies – is much like television, in that they both require high degrees of involvement to give them meaning. Thus concerns arise over the validity and ambiguity of the television programme’s information, and the archaeologist’s authority in discerning the past. However, should archaeologists be concerned about portrayal of archaeology in television documentaries? To provide answers to this question, the presentation of archaeological research, sites, objects and researchers in nine documentaries on the National Geographic Channel in the Netherlands in 2013, that were produced in 2012 and 2013, were analysed through ethnographic content analysis. The documentaries mainly focused on the practice of research, including the scientist’s fascination with research. Sometimes research methods were repeated before the camera after it initially had taken place, or they were shown ‘live’ and its results were analysed first-hand. However, the appearance and discussion of the research processes varied per type, possibly due to the structure of the method. In particular, archaeological fieldwork is a difficult process to capture on film, but the process of archaeological interpretation was often embedded in the entire storyline. Amongst other researchers, archaeologists appeared few in number. However, the archaeologists had a specific authoritative role as guides in understanding the past, and they would appear several times in a documentary to provide context or to interpret research results. It was found that certain narrative styles enabled, or disabled, involvement in the research and interpretation processes. There were many cases in which archaeology was presented in an open, yet informative way, while regarding the archaeologists (and researchers in other fields) as authorities. However, research can also be faked or appear unauthentic and authority can be abused. Therefore in communicating archaeology to the public a high degree of transparency is key.Show less
Het doel van deze scriptie is om de geschiktheid te evalueren van datering- en faseringsmethoden met betrekking tot de bewoningsgeschiedenis van Westfriese bronstijd nederzettingen
Stylized depictions of animals with imposing horns, birds and various other animal species are often seen as characteristic for Halaf painted pottery. In fact they remain exceptional as Halaf Fine...Show moreStylized depictions of animals with imposing horns, birds and various other animal species are often seen as characteristic for Halaf painted pottery. In fact they remain exceptional as Halaf Fine Ware is generally dominated by geometric motifs. There is more about these figurative motifs than meets the eye. Apart from species identification, how can we interpret this figurative art? This study investigates the animal symbolism as painted on Halaf Fine Ware ceramic containers from Tell Sabi Abyad, located in the Balikh region of northern Syria. In order to interpret these animal motifs, the study contextualizes the motifs against the zoo-archaeological record, the depositional context, and the context of use. It appears that animals used in art were special, showing an inverse relationship with the faunal record. These animals probably represented seasonality and danger, and they may have been related to taboos and apotropaic magic. Moreover, some animals might have functioned within complex narratives, which were brought to life as the vessels upon which they were painted were discussed during Halaf commensality practices.Show less
Neanderthal behaviour has formed a popular and debated field of research over the past decades. Within this debate the extent to which Neanderthals show symbolic behaviour, comparable to that of...Show moreNeanderthal behaviour has formed a popular and debated field of research over the past decades. Within this debate the extent to which Neanderthals show symbolic behaviour, comparable to that of the Anatomically Modern Humans (AMH), has been an important subject. Artefacts associated with symbolic behaviour have been found within the Châtelperronian layer (authored by Neanderthals) at Grotte du Renne (France). However, the validity to interpret these as indicative of symbolic behaviour amongst Neanderthals is debated: post depositional processes are believed to have transported these artefacts from the superior Protoaurignacien layer (authored by AMH) into that of the Châtelperronian, and could also have transported Neanderthal skeletal remains from the underlying Mousterian layer. As the integrity of the Châtelperronian is generally challenged, and as at the site of Les Cottés, France, a Protoaurignacien, Châtelperronian and Mousterian layer are present, this thesis reconstructs what site formation processes might have taken place at Les Cottés, and how these site formation processes may have influenced the degree of integrity of the Châtelperronian layer. This is done by performing a fabric analysis on the Châtelperronian layer of Les Cottés. Within this analysis, the orientations of all elongated artefacts are used as indicators of the site formation processes that took place. Patterning within the orientations are used to distinguish between different types of site formation processes.Show less
The Late Ceramic Age (LCA) in the Caribbean is known for its’ great cultural diversity. However, Similarity in Variation focusses on illustrating cultural similarities between LCA settlements on...Show moreThe Late Ceramic Age (LCA) in the Caribbean is known for its’ great cultural diversity. However, Similarity in Variation focusses on illustrating cultural similarities between LCA settlements on the basis of grave assemblages. The goal is to mirror the cultural subseries defined on the basis of ceramic typology, and support them with cultural similarities encountered in grave assemblages. In order to demonstrate this similarity a range of variance is designed using grave assemblages from two LCA sites: Maisabel on Puerto Rico, and The Tutu Archaeological Village site on St. Thomas of the US Virgin Islands. The purpose of the range of variance is to show that, when a burial is different from what is generally encountered in the grave assemblage, the type of differentiated treatment corresponds to that encountered at other sites, thus illustrating cultural similarity. The range of variance thus encompasses elements which only rarely occurred in both assemblages of the above-mentioned sites, such as the presence of grave goods or the absence of certain skeletal elements. Next, the range of variance was applied to two contemporary sites on the Lesser Antilles: Kelbey’s Ridge on Saba, and Pointe de Caille on St. Lucia. All the elements in the range of variance found representatives at these two sites. A minority of the buried individuals were thus subject to a differentiated treatment after death. The occurrence of the same variations in treatment illustrates the cultural parallels between sites. Cultural diversity between sites was demonstrated by the presence of an element of variation in mortuary practice seen only at one of the four sites, such as the usage of fire in a funerary context at Kelbey’s Ridge.Show less
Aanleiding voor dit archeobotanische onderzoek naar het mysterie van middeleeuwse mestkuilen is de veronderstelling van Van Oosten dat mestkuilen, vooral kuilen met paardenmest, uit...Show moreAanleiding voor dit archeobotanische onderzoek naar het mysterie van middeleeuwse mestkuilen is de veronderstelling van Van Oosten dat mestkuilen, vooral kuilen met paardenmest, uit laatmiddeleeuwse opgravingen mogelijk broeibedden geweest zijn. Deze broeibedhypothese is een alternatieve verklaring voor de gangbare opvatting dat het opslagkuilen voor mest zijn. Broeibedden zijn kuilen waarin (paarden)mest onder een laag aarde zorgt voor warmte (broei), zodat gewassen als meloenen, komkommers, sla en radijs vroeg in het jaar gekweekt kunnen worden. Historische aanwijzingen geven aan dat broeibedden in de Late Middeleeuwen archeologisch aangetroffen kunnen worden. Kennis over deze methode was in Europa bekend, en voor Nederland bestaat een redelijk goed beeld over handel in groenten en zaden, waaronder groenten die goed in broeibedden gekweekt kunnen worden. Botanische voorwaarden, waaraan een broeibed moet voldoen zijn vastgelegd in een broeibedhypothese determinatieschema en toegepast op botanische determinaties van zaden in mestmonsters van de opgravingen Dordrecht-Statenplein en ‘s-Hertogenbosch-Postkantoor/Kerkstraat. Met behulp van deze interpretatiesystematiek zijn de onderzochte kuilen beide geïnterpreteerd als kuil met een tuinbouwfunctie. Uit dit onderzoek is nadrukkelijk naar voren gekomen dat het niet mogelijk is om met uitsluitend botanisch onderzoek aan te tonen dat een mestkuil in het verleden een broeibed geweest is. Gedetermineerde groentegewassen kunnen niet eenduidig aan een broeibed worden gerelateerd. Fysiologische en chemische processen maken dat de overblijfselen van broeimest in de vorm van een substantiële hoeveelheid stro zeer gering is waardoor broeibedden archeologisch slecht zichtbaar zijn. Stro geeft geen informatie over broeitemperaturen, waardoor niet vastgesteld kan worden of in een mestkuil sprake is geweest van een broeiproces. Om de mysterieuze middeleeuwse mestkuilen te ontrafelen en de broeibedhypothese verder te onderzoeken is een multidisciplinaire aanpak noodzakelijk.Show less
Voor deze scriptie zijn de leervondsten van de opgraving op het Blokkerterrein in Delft onderzocht. Op deze locatie stond van begin 14e eeuw tot 1596 het Ursulaklooster. Daarna zijn er woningen...Show moreVoor deze scriptie zijn de leervondsten van de opgraving op het Blokkerterrein in Delft onderzocht. Op deze locatie stond van begin 14e eeuw tot 1596 het Ursulaklooster. Daarna zijn er woningen gebouwd voor Vlaamse immigranten die vluchtten voor de Tachtigjarige oorlog. De vraag is wat de middeleeuwse leervondsten van de opgraving op het Blokkerterrein in Delft kunnen vertellen over de overgang van kloosterbewoning naar civiele bewoning. Na de selectie zijn er van de omvangrijke leervondst uiteindelijk maar 35 stuks onderzocht. Hiervan zijn alle voorkomende types beschreven aan de hand van Stepping through Time van Olaf Goubitz. Het blijkt dat de zusters van het Ursulaklooster waarschijnlijk luxer leefden dan hun kloosterorde doet vermoeden. Een belangrijke uitkomst van dit onderzoek is de aanwezigheid van kinderschoenen in het Ursulaklooster. Dit duidt erop dat een van de taken van de zusters de scholing van en zorg voor kinderen was. Eventuele verklaringen voor het kleine aantal mannenschoenen ten tijde van de Vlaamse bewoning kunnen zijn dat de mannelijke gezinsleden een positie in het leger hadden of op zee werkten en daarom niet thuis woonden.Show less
Since 1983 several rescue excavations have been performed in the lignite mine of the German town Schöningen. During one of those excavations the world famous, 300kyr old hunting spears were found....Show moreSince 1983 several rescue excavations have been performed in the lignite mine of the German town Schöningen. During one of those excavations the world famous, 300kyr old hunting spears were found. The site hosting these spears has been the subject of extensive research ever since and excavations still take place to this day. The other sites did not get much attention anymore and there are still many questions unanswered. In this bachelor thesis research has been carried out on the zoological assemblages of the Schöningen 12 sites and what they can tell us about the former climates and environments. Since not much research had been done yet on the faunal compositions many bones still had to be determined and entered into the database of Schöningen. After the completion of this task the climatic and environment preferences of all identified species were studied. Using the results points were divided over the preferred climates and environments. These were then used to create graphs to make the former climates and environments more visible. Not all sites yielded enough complete material to be used for further research. Comparisons of the faunal results of the resourceful sites with earlier research on the geology and botany of Schöningen show that during the sedimentation of layer II-1 the climate was on the warm side and the area was a mix of forest and open ground. Through time the area gradually cooled down and become more open, the latter was also visible in the faunal assemblages of the Schöningen 13 sites. Only the faunal composition of Schöningen 12 II-4 does not support this change, since only one individual of Bos primigenius has been encountered. Despite the fact that this zoological study did not add much new information to the knowledge about the former environments, it does confirm the conclusion drawn by geological and botanical research. At the same time this is the first time a complete overview of the zoological remains of Schöningen 12 that are stored in Leiden.Show less
Gedurende de Terminaal Klassieke Periode (800-1000 na Chr.) worden er in de zuidelijke laaglanden van het Mayagebied geen monumenten meer gebouwd en neemt de bevolking substantieel tot hevig af....Show moreGedurende de Terminaal Klassieke Periode (800-1000 na Chr.) worden er in de zuidelijke laaglanden van het Mayagebied geen monumenten meer gebouwd en neemt de bevolking substantieel tot hevig af. Deze gebeurtenis staat bekend als de "Classic Maya collapse". In deze scriptie wordt onderzoek gedaan naar wat de neergang van Copán in de Terminaal Klassieke Periode (800-1000 na Chr.) kenmerkt op het gebied van ecologie. Er wordt gekeken naar het klimaat, antropogene invloeden op het landschap van Copán en de gevolgen van deze invloeden ten tijde van de Terminaal Klassieke Periode en voor de eeuwen hiervoor om zo eventuele veranderingen vast te kunnen stellen. Het onderzoek heeft aangetoond dat het Terminaal Klassiek niet de eerste periode was waar hevige droogtes hebben opgetreden in de Mayaregio en er is bewijs aangetroffen tegen het plaatsvinden van grootschalige ontbossingen in Copán in 600-900 na Chr. wat het beeld van Copán als “typsite” voor ontbossing ontkracht. In 850 na Chr. was er hoogstwaarschijnlijk wel sprake van een overschrijding van de draagkracht van de Copán Vallei met als gevolg een mogelijk voedseltekort. De landbouwmethodes van de Maya’s hebben gezorgd voor hevige erosie en bodemuitputting in het Terminaal Klassiek. De Maya’s beschikten waarschijnlijk niet over middelen om deze processen en de overkoepelende droogte tegen te gaan. De neergang van Copán was waarschijnlijk het gevolg van een wisselwerking tussen ongunstige klimatologische omstandigheden en niet-toereikende landbouwtechnieken.Show less
The ancient Roman city of Ostia has captured the imagination of visitors and the interest of scholars for centuries. However, despite numerous past and current research projects many aspects of the...Show moreThe ancient Roman city of Ostia has captured the imagination of visitors and the interest of scholars for centuries. However, despite numerous past and current research projects many aspects of the site have remained unexplored. One of these areas concerns the role of mosaic floors found in Ostia’s commercial spaces. Although most have been described and some have been ascribed an advertising function in previous publications, no collective study into their role has been done before. This thesis focussed on exploring the role of mosaic floors in the commercial spaces of Ostia built and used in the first, second and third centuries AD. Thereby looking to identify any general trends which might explain the individual or collective decision taken to use mosaic floors in certain commercial spaces and not in others. But also aiming to bring to light which specific functions the mosaics fulfilled. Data has been collected for this research by performing a survey in Ostia as well as studying literature on Ostian mosaics, especially Becatti’s publication from 1961. Clarke’s ideas on non-elite Roman art (Clarke 2003) and the influence of the composition of black-and-white mosaics on the viewer (Clarke 1979) have been very important to interpret the data. This thesis argues that there are several reasons why mosaics would have been preferred over non-mosaics in several of Ostia’s commercial spaces. All mosaics were probably preferred over cheaper floor types as they gave the spaces a more luxurious look, which would attract (better paying) customers. Furthermore, the alternating periods of economic decline and improvement seen in the city could also have been of influence. In addition, a variety of more specific functions has been detected: advertisement, status display, expression of identity and ownership, pleasing the gods and providing a focal point for auctions. The knowledge gained through this study has given insight in the ways owners of commercial spaces in the Roman period used decorations to influence (potential) customers. But also how owners used these art forms to express personal ideas and values. Which is an interesting addition to our understanding of commerce in the Roman world.Show less
Recent archaeological research in Oegstgeest, led by the Faculty of Archaeology of Leiden University, has revealed that the Merovingian settlement was active in the trade of crafts and agricultural...Show moreRecent archaeological research in Oegstgeest, led by the Faculty of Archaeology of Leiden University, has revealed that the Merovingian settlement was active in the trade of crafts and agricultural products that was probably produced in or near the settlement. To meet the demands of trade the local environment had to sustain these activities An understanding of the area surrounding the settlement is therefore necessary to gain insight into the cultural world of the Merovingians in Oegstgeest. A reconstruction of this environment may possibly contribute to the understanding of the dynamics between culture and nature. Plant macrofossils in a sediment sample from an excavated well in 2009 is analysed to study this environment. It demonstrates that the settlement was situated in a landscape with woodlands, dry and damp grasslands, dunes, mudflats, and water sources such as swamps, channels and (side-)rivers.Show less
In deze scriptie zijn kralen uit drie verschillende Merovingische grafvelden (Lent, Bergeijk, Posterholt) met elkaar vergeleken. Hierbij is gekeken naar o.a. vorm, kleur, decoratie en ...Show moreIn deze scriptie zijn kralen uit drie verschillende Merovingische grafvelden (Lent, Bergeijk, Posterholt) met elkaar vergeleken. Hierbij is gekeken naar o.a. vorm, kleur, decoratie en (vermoedelijke) datering. Uit deze analyse is gebleken dat de kralenassemblages van Bergeijk en Posterholt verschillen van die van Lent. Vervolgens is er gekeken naar mogelijke oorzaken voor deze verschillen; hierbij kan gedacht worden aan o.a. sociale, rituele en economische redenen. Een belangrijk element is dat de kralen van Lent vooral uit de zesde eeuw dateren en die van Posterholt en Bergeijk vooral uit de late zesde en zevende eeuw. Ook levert de analyse informatie op die gebruikt kan worden bij het reconstrueren van de kralenproductie in de vroege middeleeuwen op lokaal, regionaal en supraregionaal niveau.Show less
In deze BA-scriptie wordt een onderzoek naar de pendants van het Jebel Qurma project gepresenteerd. Pendants zijn stenen structuren die bestaan uit een uit ‘hoofd’ (meestal een cairn) en een of...Show moreIn deze BA-scriptie wordt een onderzoek naar de pendants van het Jebel Qurma project gepresenteerd. Pendants zijn stenen structuren die bestaan uit een uit ‘hoofd’ (meestal een cairn) en een of meerdere dunnere ‘staarten’, meestal opgebouwd uit kleinere cairns. Deze structuren worden over het algemeen in de basaltwoestijnen (harra) van het Midden-Oosten gevonden. Onderzoek naar pendants is relevant omdat er weinig bekend is over dit wijdverspreide fenomeen. Dateringen ontbreken vrijwel volledig en ook over de functie bestaat veel onduidlijkheid. Het onderzoeken van deze structuren kan mogelijk meer licht werpen op deze zaken en informatie opleveren over de mensen die deze structuren bouwden en waarom ze dit deden. Dit zou bijdragen aan een completer beeld van de nog vrij jonge archeologie van de (basalt)woestijnen. In deze scriptie is de al bekende (gepubliceerde) informatie over deze structuren vergeleken met de vondsten in het Jebel Qurma gebied. Het belangrijkste doel van dit onderzoek was wat de functie van de pendants geweest is. Uit dit onderzoek is naar voren gekomen dat het merendeel van de hoofden naar alle waarschijnlijk gebruikt zijn als grafheuvels. Aan de staarten is nog geen duidelijke functie toe te schrijven. Er zijn een aantal aanwijzingen voor mogelijke functies, maar deze moeten archeologisch nog aangetoond worden.Show less
