Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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The Neumark-Nord 2 site is a shallow sedimentary basin securely dated to the Eemian interglacial and located near Leipzig (Sachsen-Anhalt), Germany. Neumark-Nord 2 is a complex site with an...Show moreThe Neumark-Nord 2 site is a shallow sedimentary basin securely dated to the Eemian interglacial and located near Leipzig (Sachsen-Anhalt), Germany. Neumark-Nord 2 is a complex site with an extensive, continuous stratigraphy and multiple find horizons comprising a wealth in faunal remains and lithic artefacts. It is an important archaeological site that provides solid evidence for the presence of Neanderthals during the Eemian interglacial in this area. The spatial analyses conducted for this Research Master’s thesis shows that the lithic artefacts dating to the Eemian interglacial appear within four distinct ‘bands’ across the geological layers and layer groups NN 2/1 B, NN 2/1 C, NN 2/2 B and NN 2/2 C. All artefact typology classes are present throughout these lithic artefact horizons and there is no strong pattern to their distribution across or within these geological layers. Only tentative evidence was found that the lithic artefacts may be associated with the more friable, in the field designated as ‘sandier’, geological layers, which themselves may be the result of the transgression-regression cycles of the sedimentary basin’s growing and receding shores. However, more in depth research into the exact dimensions and potential post-depositional displacement of the lithic artefacts is necessary to allow a definitive conclusion. The lithic artefact horizons comprise the first 3.000 years of the Eemian interglacial which largely constitutes the early temperate Corylus phase (Zone IV). Neanderthals were thus present well into the interglacial, possibly at separate occasions, at this locality.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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This thesis reports on the excavation Oldeboorn, where traces of activity from the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age were recoverd. Due to the good preservation of organic material, especially...Show moreThis thesis reports on the excavation Oldeboorn, where traces of activity from the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age were recoverd. Due to the good preservation of organic material, especially fish bone, and the presence of Veluvian bell beakers, very rare in the northern Netherlands, this site deserves scientific attention. After the excavation by Jan Lanting and Harry Fokkens in 1980 various material categories were subjected to separate analyses. The results of these analyses are collected and contextualized in this thesis. The find material was located at a depth of about 40 cm below the surface, on a Pleistocene sand dune beneath peat deposits. The location of the finds shows no clear separation between the periods. Yet pottery from the Bronze Age is mainly concentrated in the culture layer on the top of the dune. This also suggests that the bulk of the fish bone stems from this period. The high proportion of catadrome fish species and the absence of anadrome fish species indicate that we are dealing here with an extraction camp in the Bronze Age, mainly for catching pike. The presence of Elp-pottery indicates that the site was more connected to sandy Drenthe than to the rest of Holocene Netherlands, especially Holland. 14C dating of charcoal from the cultural layer gives an absolute dating of 1675 ± 43 BC. The pottery from the Neolithic is more evenly distributed across the site. The pottery consists solely of Veluwe bell beakers and pot beakers. Oldeboorn is the most northern location of this type of pottery, while from the nearby Pleistocene Drenthe only beakers of the Epi-Maritime type are known from this period. An unknown proportion of the recovered flint also stems from this period. The find spectrum reflects a full range of activities conducted at this site, and would warrant an interpretation as a normal Bell Beaker settlement. During the Mesolithic the location is also in use. Hearth pits from this period are the only anthropogenic features on the site. The typology of points and the 14C dating of charcoal from the hearth pits places the occupation in the Middle Mesolithic. Whether we are dealing with multiple phases or a single event is impossible to say.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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The aim of this thesis is to provide a better understanding of the characteristics and context of the transition from the Early Stone Age/Lower Palaeolithic to the Middle Stone Age/Middle...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to provide a better understanding of the characteristics and context of the transition from the Early Stone Age/Lower Palaeolithic to the Middle Stone Age/Middle Palaeolithic in Africa and Europe. This boundary is defined by a crucial change in lithic industries, more exactly by the emergence of the so-called ‘Mode 3 industries’, which is characterized by manufacturing standardized flakes. The production of such products can be done if the core is prepared in a specific way, a concept which is generally known as the Levallois technique. This form of prepared core technology is connected to the appearance of Neanderthals in Europe and early modern humans in Africa. The apparent 'sudden' occurence of Levallois products can therefore provide more information on these evolutionary events in terms of possible contact, migration and/or acculturation.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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This thesis presents an iconographic study of Classic Maya ceramics. Pictorial polychrome pottery is the primary source of Classic Maya painting that is left to us. In the sixth century we find the...Show moreThis thesis presents an iconographic study of Classic Maya ceramics. Pictorial polychrome pottery is the primary source of Classic Maya painting that is left to us. In the sixth century we find the appearance of unique painting styles, the establishment of elite workshops and works that were so exceptional that they could be linked to specific painters. The painters of these vessels were among the most highly educated people in Maya society. They were educated in Maya history, science, ideology and cosmology and they also learned how to read and write. The elite painted pottery is therefore a fine source to get more information about Maya mythology. By an iconographical study of the Maya ceramic vessels it is determined which scenes from the mythological tale of the Popol Vuh are displayed on the images of the vessels. The Popol Vuh is the creation story of the Maya. The document was written down sometime between 1554 and 1558, by authors that stayed anonymous. It is commonly believed that the story of the Popol Vuh was actually much older and might once have been written in codex form. The Popol Vuh is the most significant source on ancient Maya mythology that survives today. The iconographical research is restricted to the heroic deeds of the Hero Twins, Junajpu and Xb’alanq’e. With the help of the previously identified characteristics of the Hero Twins, these characters are searched on all the available ceramics in the online Maya Vase Database, created by Justin Kerr. By an intense study into the ways that the Hero Twins are displayed on Maya ceramics many stories from the Popol Vuh have been identified. Some represented scenes proved to have been displayed on numerous vessels. Other scenes proved the be less important and were only portrayed sporadically. Multiple scene from the Popol Vuh were not portrayed at all suggesting that these stories were altered or added at a later time.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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Olmec feline imagery has been a subject of interest among scholars for many years. Several sites in the Gulf Coast area and Guerrero contain examples of these well-debated images, as well as the...Show moreOlmec feline imagery has been a subject of interest among scholars for many years. Several sites in the Gulf Coast area and Guerrero contain examples of these well-debated images, as well as the Formative Olmec site of Chalcatzingo, where a number of reliefs and monuments show the depiction of composite feline animals with clear avian characteristics. This research aims to investigate how these images are related to the worldview of the inhabitants of the site by comparison with similar material from the Olmec area. Herewith the concepts of ‘nahualism’ and ‘corporate art’ will be applied to the interpretation of the carvings and their significance to the society. The first concept refers to the ability to transform oneself into an animal alter ego, while the latter term indicates the use of architecture and monuments to ascertain a strong political power within a given community. Building on research previously conducted by Mesoamerican scholars, individual fieldwork at the site of Chalcatzingo, and a final iconographical analysis, the conclusions of this research have shed light on the social organization, exchange, and belief system of the Olmec region. As opposed to the mother-culture theory, it has become evident that the Olmec societies were part of a large network of interactions, where a dominant ideology was spread over an area extending from Guerrero, Mexico to as far as Honduras. The Olmec style art that is present in these settlements strongly reflects the worldview of the people, where the leader is regarded as being of divine descent, as is shown by his ability to transform into a nahual. With the capacity to communicate with the spirit world the Olmec ruler was placed in the absolute centre of the universe. These aspects are also visualized within the feline carvings of Chalcatzingo, which depict several generations of leaders in their nahualistic transformations. In most occasions these feline rulers are seated upon human individuals to indicate their power and dominance to the society, while the iconographical elements of the carvings clearly show the symbolic relation to the celestial realm. The latter aspect is also visible in other reliefs at the site, representing the important task of the leader to ask the spirits for fertile rains that would allow crops to grow in the relatively dry area of the settlement. Herewith the concept of ‘corporate art’ becomes clear, where the leader’s status was reflected and reinforced with the use of the present artworks. In the site of Chalcatzingo, the feline carvings located on the highest of the mountains thus reflect the dominant ideology that exists within Formative Olmec societies, symbolizing the eminent link that is present between the ruler and the sky.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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In this thesis, the data on households from the archaeological sites of Chalcatzingo, Dzibilchaltún, El Remolino, Kaminaljuyú, and San José Mogote are analyzed and compared to each other. In this...Show moreIn this thesis, the data on households from the archaeological sites of Chalcatzingo, Dzibilchaltún, El Remolino, Kaminaljuyú, and San José Mogote are analyzed and compared to each other. In this way, an overview of Formative Mesoamerican households is reached. The aim of this research is to explore what we can interpret about the people living within these households with regards to materiality, social organization, and behavior. Furthermore, the data from the different case studies are compared with each other, in order to reveal general trends and significant differences between Mesoamerican regions. The results show that households from each of the case studies presented general similarities. Houses were primarily made out of clay construction materials, i.e. adobe and/or wattle and daub, which would have been part of the identity of the people living in them. These houses were usually arranged in patio groups with closely knit connections. Ancestors remained very much present within life and had important roles to play in the household. Decorations seem to have been used as a kind of language providing information about identity and delineating contexts. Structures and burials had very consistent orientations throughout the case studies, suggesting an overlying, Mesoamerican worldview. Each household provided for its own basic needs in terms of food preparation, tool production, and household rituals. They were also involved in partial specializations, permitting each household to exchange products for other necessary goods in an extensive local and regional market system. The elite played an important role in long distance exchange, and they had important ties to the ceremonial centers of each site. However, the exact ways these general similarities were expressed differed from site to site. Each case study retained its particular characteristics and, with that, its proper identity. It seems that each of these sites was part of a wider, Mesoamerican network and identity bridging geographical and historical distances, but at the same time the particular identities of individual settlements or regions were maintained.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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This thesis focuses on the interpretation of pages 29 to 46 of the Codex Borgia. This sequence of pages is unique in the corpus of Mexican manuscripts, and it contain very complex imagery. Because...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the interpretation of pages 29 to 46 of the Codex Borgia. This sequence of pages is unique in the corpus of Mexican manuscripts, and it contain very complex imagery. Because of this, these pages have been the centre of many interpretation efforts for already more than a decade. To this day no consensus has been reached about the meaning of the pages. To aid in this matter, this thesis contains three aims: (1) to give an overview of the interpretations made thus far, (2) to identify the specific problems in the interpretation process in order to recommend future lines of research, and (3) to expand upon the knowledge of the imagery through a structural analysis of them from the perspective of narratology. First, an overview of eight interpretations has been created. Secondly, these interpretations have been evaluated on the basis of the analogies that have been drawn in order to identify the problems in the interpretation process. Third and lastly, the narratological aspects time, space, events, actors, and focalization have been selected to analyse the structure (and thereby function) of the pages. It is concluded that that the pages represent various separate rituals in a ceremonial centre, and that the pages are of some kind of descriptive or prescriptive nature. It is very likely that the pages were used as a sort of guide for a variety rituals performed by a group of priests that was closely related to a Temple of Dark Wind, and in which hallucinations play a role.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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Threepointers are amongst the most enigmatic artefacts of the pre-Columbian insular Caribbean (ca. 200 BC – AD 1492). According to the ethnohistoric chronicles they possessed a largely ritual...Show moreThreepointers are amongst the most enigmatic artefacts of the pre-Columbian insular Caribbean (ca. 200 BC – AD 1492). According to the ethnohistoric chronicles they possessed a largely ritual function and were designated as zemies, Amerindian spirit-objects. Nevertheless, what threepointers actually signified and how they were used is not known, nor have previous studies been able to verify the existing hypotheses. This pilot study explores a biographical way of visualising the threepointer artefact group, addressing the question of how they operated in Amerindian society. Microscopic trace analysis has been carried out on a sample of 59 threepointers, describing the microwear patterns that developed due to manufacture and use. Supplemented with data on the material proveniences and archaeological contexts, the research presents a broad range of evidence. These data are inserted in a biographical framework aimed at reconstruction of the cultural expectations behind the biographical trajectories of threepointers. As threepointers moved through five distinct phases in their biographies, being cause, conception, birth, life, and death, they were continuously recontextualised in the eyes of society. The thesis investigates how this process reflects on the cultural and societal values of the Amerindians. A reinterpretation of the ethnohistoric chronicles using ethnographic observations circumscribes this biographical framework in the context of Amerindian ontologies. Intersubjectivity between people and threepointers was the mechanism that allowed threepointers to interact with human sociality as autonomous actors. Through this mechanism, threepointers could be drawn to the human habitus, acculturated, and made to act on their own subjectivity. This study finds that threepointers were enormously variable in ‘conception’ and ‘birth’, knew active uses during ‘life’, but had no common significance in ‘death’. It argues that their unique existence is the direct result of their potential for intersubjectivity. Threepointers effectively functioned as devices capable of influencing the natural flow of the world.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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Mobility and exchange have been important concepts in Caribbean archaeology, but their potential to address the role of the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) in ancient Amerindian societies has been...Show moreMobility and exchange have been important concepts in Caribbean archaeology, but their potential to address the role of the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) in ancient Amerindian societies has been overlooked. This pilot study investigates the possibility of exploring the mobility and/or exchange of the dog by employing strontium isotope analysis (87Sr/86Sr) on archaeological dog dental elements (n=10). Here, strontium isotope analysis was successfully applied to dog teeth from two Ceramic Age sites on Grande-Terre in Guadeloupe: Anse á la Gourde (AD 900-1350) and Morel (300 BC – AD 1400). Three out of ten (30%) dog elements were determined to be non-local (one from Anse à la Gourde and two from Morel). Potential origins of these dogs are consistent with multiple localities throughout the circum-Caribbean. These mobility patterns of dogs can be caused by complex processes involving their movement and/or exchange. In this study the concepts of migration, spheres of exchange, social valuable and inalienability, have been employed to address dog mobility. Using strontium isotopic analysis it is possible to investigate these processes in ways that can complement the information derived from archaeological, ethnohistoric and ethnographic contexts. This multi-disciplinary approach allows for a comparison of the various interactions of humans with dogs across time and space in Amerindian societies of the circum-Caribbean. The obtained information on this interaction and the strontium isotopic results of the dog teeth can be compared with available (bio)archaeological evidence on patterns of human mobility and artefact exchange. This comparison leads to a more conclusive interpretation of dog mobility patterns and contributes to a better understanding of the networks of mobility and exchange present during the Ceramic Age in the Antilles. This research has highlighted the potentials of the study of human-animal interaction and the contributions that strontium isotope analysis can offer to the understanding of the complex processes of mobility and exchange at work in the circum-Caribbean.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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The archaeological bone assemblage of Hardinxveld-Giessendam Polderweg (5500-5000 BC) and De Bruin (5500-4450 BC), includes remains which allow investigating the importance of plant working and the...Show moreThe archaeological bone assemblage of Hardinxveld-Giessendam Polderweg (5500-5000 BC) and De Bruin (5500-4450 BC), includes remains which allow investigating the importance of plant working and the fishing technologies for Late Mesolithic wetland communities of the Rhine Meuse region. The main emphasis of this thesis is on the microwear analysis of the worked bones in comparison with experimental and archaeological data. The sample selected displays different kinds of evidences of contact with soft plant on the bone tools, such as Urtica dioica and Salix: therefore it has been organized through a functional classification according to the variability of contact materials and the distribution and polish of the wear. The tool-type identified are Spatula-spacers to weave or make fishing nets; De-scaling tools, to de-scale the skin of the fish; awls and Projectile-awls, to pierce bark; Ad hoc elongated tools in bird bone, to work Urtica dioica; Harpoons and Decorated objects. This evidence for different plantbased crafts has been heavily challenged by problems of conservation and taphonomy, which influenced the readability of the sample. Post-excavation processes have been investigated from a microscopic point of view, allowing the identification of cleaning paper and plastic sieve wear traces that are evident on the bone surface. The state of the bone assemblage opened a window on more theoretical issues; concerning the interpretation of hidden crafts in archaeology.The research has been directed towards a reasonable (sensu Putnam) system of data comparison, involving contextual, ethnographic and anthropological data, with the aim to propose a theoretical toolkit for better understand the Forma mentis of the inhabitants of Hardinxveld-Giessendam.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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Perception of time is a constituting pillar in the Maya worldview. The Maya calendar system, which has been in use for thousands of years, however, is currently under threat by a variety of...Show morePerception of time is a constituting pillar in the Maya worldview. The Maya calendar system, which has been in use for thousands of years, however, is currently under threat by a variety of developments. This research master thesis focuses on the contemporary practices and beliefs related to the Maya calendar in Mexican and Guatemalan Maya communities by analyzing ethnographies published between 1889 and 1982. The aims are firstly to analyze the forms in which the traditional time perception has continued over time, and secondly to examine how changes in the field of Maya research have affected the specific ethnographic investigations on the Maya calendar. The main part of this thesis includes a literature study on three entangled topics which all have influenced how scholars currently look at the Maya calendar. Firstly, a synthesis of the different ethnographic works is provided, in which the different forms of Maya calendar systems in Mexico and Guatemala are discussed. The Maya calendar has played an important role in Maya archaeology and anthropology. This thesis provides the first overview of ethnographic research since a doubtful publication dating from 1952. The goal of synthesizing the ethnographies is to provide new insights in the variety of contemporary practices and beliefs related to time among the Maya. Secondly, based on this inventory, this thesis examines the changing ethnographic approaches towards this topic. By examining the assumptions, interpretations and approaches in the light of their time, it becomes clear how we have come to our current view on the Maya calendar system. Thirdly, this thesis looks into cultural continuity and how rituals contribute to the continuation of calendar systems and their related worldviews. Due to the decreasingly traditional way of life, more research into this topic is very much needed. Additional to the literature research and a small-scale ethnographic fieldwork has been performed among the Yucatec Maya of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, focusing on the perception of time based on environmental observations and related rituals. The empirical data that were collected during this fieldwork are presented in the final part of this thesis.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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The focal point of this thesis is the relationship between women and jewellery in the Roman Empire. This relationship is surrounded by positive and negative values, e.g. the responses of ancient...Show moreThe focal point of this thesis is the relationship between women and jewellery in the Roman Empire. This relationship is surrounded by positive and negative values, e.g. the responses of ancient authors range from more positive comments to extreme criticism. The central research question was: What social norms, relations and values does jewellery signify regarding women in the Roman Empire? The central aim is to differentiate and investigate the social norms, relations and values that were associated with the relationship between women and jewellery. In order to do this, jewellery finds and sculptural representations of jewellery from Rome (defined as core) and Palmyra (defined as periphery) in the first two centuries AD were studied. These two categories of evidence were analysed separately per region and then compared. Comparative investigation of the material in both regions increases understanding of the signifying function of jewellery with regard to the prevailing social norms. In visual culture other values, social norms and relations come forward than in the jewellery finds. Four central aspects regarding the finds and representations were focused on: types of jewellery, context, social position of the owner/portrayed, and the expression of gender. These aspects followed from the framework that was developed to study the relationship between women and jewellery, which included the concepts gender, sculptural representations and core-periphery. The research problem this study intended to solve was that archaeological evidence has been rather neglected in the study of women and jewellery. The systematic quantitative and qualitative analyses of the jewellery finds and sculptural representations of jewellery from Rome and Palmyra, attempted here for the first time on exemplary sample sets, as well as the comparison between them, have brought new insights to this field of study.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
2015-01-19T00:00:00Z
Until recently ‘The archaeology of Judaism’ actually meant the archaeology of Judaism for no later than Late Antiquity. Recently, only the archaeology of Judaism for the medieval period in Europe...Show moreUntil recently ‘The archaeology of Judaism’ actually meant the archaeology of Judaism for no later than Late Antiquity. Recently, only the archaeology of Judaism for the medieval period in Europe has been developing, but almost no attention has been paid yet to the archaeology of Judaism in the Islamic World. Although much seems to be known about Judaism in the Islamic World, when taking a closer look, actually all this knowledge is based on textual sources such as the rabbinic literature and the documents from the Cairo Genizah. Apart from that, there have been specialist studies, focussing on specific objects, or architectural features from more recent times, mainly from an art historical approach. This thesis for the first time aims to give a general overview of all the available material and architectural features that could be associated with Judaism in the Islamic World and the wider diaspora and reconsiders the grounds on which the association of this material with Judaism has been made. It examines what contribution archaeology could make to the knowledge of Judaism, thereby paying attention to some issues related to the social responsibility archaeologists have towards society and presenting the most promising fields for future research.Show less
