De Egyptische Predynastieke periode wordt in het aardewerkrepertoire onder andere gekenmerkt door versieringen, waarvan onderzoekers altijd hebben verondersteld dat het schepen betrof. Deze...Show moreDe Egyptische Predynastieke periode wordt in het aardewerkrepertoire onder andere gekenmerkt door versieringen, waarvan onderzoekers altijd hebben verondersteld dat het schepen betrof. Deze versieringen liggen ten grondslag aan veel theorieën betreft de vroeg Dynastieke religie en ideologie, en buitenlandse contacten met onder andere Mesopotamië, ondanks dat het materiaal nooit eerder kritisch onder de loep is genomen. In deze scriptie is het Predynastiek materiaal aan de hand van een door de auteur samengestelde catalogus aan de tand gevoeld om de variabiliteit van de iconografische componenten (units) vast te stellen. Hieruit blijkt dat een aantal onderzoekers er een levendige fantasie op nahoudt, de iconografie wezenlijk evolueert en ons begrip van deze decoraties momenteel nog steeds slechts van zeer oppervlakkige aard is.Show less
Refuse layers are often rich in plant remains, which give them the potential to provide valuable information to archaeobotanics. However, the plant remains within these layers could have entered...Show moreRefuse layers are often rich in plant remains, which give them the potential to provide valuable information to archaeobotanics. However, the plant remains within these layers could have entered the layers via a considerable number of combinations of pathways and additionally these layers are exposed to processes such as contamination and reduction, which affect the botanical composition. Due to this complex nature, it remains difficult to fully interpret the botanical information from such refuse layers. Therefore, a new approach is presented, to optimise the interpretation of plant remains from refuse layers based on the analysis and characterisation of botanical samples from refuse layers within a street, some houses and a granary in Karanis, a Graeco-Roman village in Egypt. By analysing the botanical composition of the samples and the degree of fragmentation of the plant remains together with the reduction through consumption by humans, livestock, rodents and/or insects, it was possible to distinguish certain clusters of plant remains. In combination with the additional analysis of the photographs of the large sieve fractions of the samples, these clusters could be assigned to possible pathways, such as crumbled building materials, crumbled dung and kitchen waste. Moreover, it appeared that all samples showed some similarity in botanical composition, which could probably be attributed to crumbled architecture, in combination with the influence of the wind. Furthermore, it appeared that reduction of the plant material by rodent gnawing has occurred in almost all contexts. As a result of these analyses it became possible to improve the characterisation and hence the interpretation of botanical remains from various refuse layers, based on which in the future the sampling strategy can be adjusted in relation to specific research questions. Fruits of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) were identified in the majority of the samples and, because of the rich occurrence of oil presses in Karanis, it was investigated whether the safflower remains were the result of oil production or of other processes, such as animal activity. In order to do so, a small literature study was combined with the proxy data of the safflower remains. Based on the written evidence, it could not be determined exactly how safflower oil was produced and what kind of remains this created. However, the degree of fragmentation and the considerable number of safflower remains that showed traces of consumption by livestock and/or gnawing marks of rodents, suggest that the remains were probably the result of animal activity rather than oil production.Show less
De afgelopen jaren is door Rijkswaterstaat in Son en Breugel, bij het industrieterrein Ekkersrijt een verkeersknooppunt aangelegd. Dit knooppunt moet de doorstroming van het verkeer op de snelwegen...Show moreDe afgelopen jaren is door Rijkswaterstaat in Son en Breugel, bij het industrieterrein Ekkersrijt een verkeersknooppunt aangelegd. Dit knooppunt moet de doorstroming van het verkeer op de snelwegen A58 (naar Tilburg-Breda) en A50 (naar Veghel-Oss-Nijmegen) verbeteren. Dat er sporen uit het verleden te vinden waren op het braakliggende terrein was bekend geworden dankzij vondsten, die onder andere vrijetijd-archeoloog R. (Geit) Emmery uit Son en Breugel had verzameld. Daarnaast was door het archeologisch onderzoeksbureau BAAC een archeologisch booronderzoek uitgevoerd.1 De oppervlaktevondsten en de boringen maakten aannemelijk dat de bodem nog oorspronkelijk en ongeroerd was, en dat archeologische sporen in de bodem nog in takt zouden zijn. Het grootschalige grondverzet dat voor de aanleg van het knooppunt noodzakelijk is, zou de bodem verstoren en daarmee de oudheidkundige sporen uitwissen. De éénmalige gelegenheid om de archeologische informatie veilig te stellen werd door provinciaal archeoloog dr. M. Meffert aanbevolen. Voor de uitvoering van het project benaderden de gemeente Son en Breugel en Rijkswaterstaat het Archeologisch Centrum Eindhoven en Helmond. De opgravingen vonden plaats in het voorjaar van 2006, het najaar van 2007 en de eerste helft van 2008. Daarbij is de volgorde van de werkzaamheden nauwkeurig afgestemd met Rijkswaterstaat en de aannemerscombinatie Mourik-Besix zodat de aanleg van het verkeersknooppunt geen vertraging zou oplopen. Gaandeweg bleek dat in de bodem de resten van nederzettingen uit de midden- en late bronstijd en vroege ijzertijd bewaard waren gebleven. Nog niet eerder werd zo’n groot aantal huizen en erven uit deze periode uit de prehistorie opgegraven in Zuid Nederland en België. Daarmee krijgt het archeologisch onderzoek in Ekkersrijt een bijzondere plaats in het nederzettingsonderzoek naar de bronstijd en ijzertijd in Zuid-Nederland. Deze synthese is een samenvatting en interpretatie van de belangrijkste resultaten. Eerst wordt in het kort ingegaan op de landschappelijke en geologische context van het gebied (hoofdstuk 2), vervolgens op de historische achtergronden (hoofdstuk 3) en eerdere archeologische waarnemingen in de omgeving van het onderzoeksgebied (hoofdstuk 4). Daarna volgt een beschrijving van de belangrijkste onderzoeksvragen en methoden (hoofdstuk 5). De resultaten van de opgraving zijn verdeeld over de aangetroffen structuren (hoofdstuk 6), vondsten (hoofdstuk 7) en ecologische resten (hoofdstuk 8) Tenslotte wordt de verkregen informatie in een aantal conclusies samengevat (hoofdstuk 9).Show less
Besides a probably important audible role the visual aspect of inscriptions shouldn’t be underestimated. In the Archaic Period the effect of visual text was explored and applied in different ways....Show moreBesides a probably important audible role the visual aspect of inscriptions shouldn’t be underestimated. In the Archaic Period the effect of visual text was explored and applied in different ways. In many cases the purpose was to be seen and maybe even more important than to be read. Public and semi-public showing off with writing is visible on dedications, law inscriptions and vases. Texts function to impress. By writing something down a certain statement is made. The importance (e.g. laws) and value of the object increase. Especially for pottery this has become art typical for the ancient Greeks.Show less
The aim of this thesis was to investigate the „otherness‟ of Archaic and (Early) Classical Sparta, and the existence of a shift between both periods. Sparta has always been considered to be...Show moreThe aim of this thesis was to investigate the „otherness‟ of Archaic and (Early) Classical Sparta, and the existence of a shift between both periods. Sparta has always been considered to be different. To enquire whether it really was different or not, I investigated the history of the research on Sparta and Laconia (chapter 1), the history of Sparta and Laconia in the broader perspective of Greek developments (chapter 2), the possibility of Sparta being a polis and its connections with other Greek centres (chapter 3), the supposed Spartan conquest of (first) the whole of Laconia, and further Messenia and reducing its people to Perioeci and Helots (chapter 4) and finally the Spartan mirage and the problem of the multiple villages Sparta existed of (chapter 5). To reach this goal, I favoured the „integrated approach‟: I used all possible sources, both textual and archaeological. The archaeological sources are, unfortunately not really abundant. In Sparta mainly rescue excavations have been carried out apart from the excavation of the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia and the Roman theatre, and only one thorough surface survey was carried out – just outside Sparta, to the east of the ancient city. Messenia has had one extensive and one intensive survey, but they are mainly limited to the western part of the province. Textual sources are more numerous, but they were mostly written by outsiders who looked at Sparta from an Athenocentric or otherwise biased viewpoint. They together created the mirage that Sparta was conservative, backwards, warlike, „other‟. Therefore we have to be careful to uncritically accept their statements.Show less
The comparative study of colonial phenomenas brings scholars from specific fields together in an attempt to analyse the processes at work in a local context and to make significant evaluations...Show moreThe comparative study of colonial phenomenas brings scholars from specific fields together in an attempt to analyse the processes at work in a local context and to make significant evaluations about local responses to colonial interactions, cultural assimilation, issues of power and trade, as well as the impact of the colonial experience on the hypothetical centre from which the “colonial appendix” stems. The comparative study of the Greek and Viking colonial movements allows for the discovery of many common aspects; archaeologists can compare the two phenomenas and to answer specific questions about how these came to be. In this paper, I have analysed the evidence for the Greek settlement of the Southern Ukrainian coast in the Archaic and Classical periods, specifically the sites of Olbia and Berezan, and the Viking expansion into present-day Russia and Ukraine. By bringing together the historical tradition of both, as well as the most recent archaeological research in this area, I have discovered that the comparative study of these two processes allows us to understand colonial settings in a clearer fashion, especially if the geographical setting is shared and the politico-economic situations bear several resemblances. This is the case for the Milesian colonies and the Viking hillforts and trade-posts along the Russian and Ukrainian rivers.Show less
The Vlaardingen (VL) period poses many interpretational challenges. That does not result from a poor array of data. On the contrary, good preservation conditions in many sites offer a wealth of...Show moreThe Vlaardingen (VL) period poses many interpretational challenges. That does not result from a poor array of data. On the contrary, good preservation conditions in many sites offer a wealth of information. That information, (artefacts, settlement configurations etc) can be subject to divergent interpretations though, and a clear picture of subsistence and habitation mode or inter-site relations is lacking. Even more obscure is the relationship between the VL group and other groups or ‘cultures’ of the upland area, in what is nowadays the Netherlands and other neighboring regions. Consequently every new excavation, such as the one of Hellevoetsluis-Ossenhoek (hereafter Hellevoetsluis), can provide invaluable information. Use-wear analysis has been shown to possess considerable potential in contributing to discussion on the aforementioned issues in the Dutch Delta (cf. Van Gijn 1998, 2008a). This thesis has a dual aim: the first is to analyze the position of the VL group within the process of ‘neolithization’. In that way a series of questions (habitation mode, subsistence strategies and cultural aspects) can take a more refined shape or addressed to some degree if possible. The second is to use the use-wear results from the site of Hellevoetsluis, in order to evaluate the results of the preceding discussion in a constructive manner. In addition, some new assumptions or questions might become part of the discussion in this second data-laden part. The structure of this thesis is as follows: a comprehensive discussion of the state and potential of use-wear studies will precede, in order to outline the main interpretative tool. After a brief description of the general characteristics of the VL group, a detailed discussion of the neolithization process in the Lower Rhine Basin. This discussion will subsequently be narrowed down on a presentation of the chipped stone industries of the VL group and the use-wear analyses conducted so far, so that a framework for the discussion of more refined questions can be set up. The presentation of the use wear results will occupy the final part, along with a discussion of the inferences in comparison to the theoretical problematic presented in the previous chapters.Show less
In 2004 the remains of at least twenty individuals have been found in a medieval family grave in the St. Willibrordus church in Deurne. The grave was thought to belong to members of the van Doerne...Show moreIn 2004 the remains of at least twenty individuals have been found in a medieval family grave in the St. Willibrordus church in Deurne. The grave was thought to belong to members of the van Doerne family (15th and 16th century AD). Physical anthropological, genealogical, and DNA analysis was performed in order to obtain information that would allow us to identify these individuals. For this thesis additional DNA analysis was performed on seven individuals. By means of autosomal and Y-chromosomal Short Tandem Repeat (STR) analysis and Hyper Variable Region 1 (HVR1) mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequencing, we attempted to reconstruct possible family relationships among these seven individuals. The probabilities of the reconstructed family relationships were estimated using specific statistical analysis. This allowed us to reconstruct a possible family tree. We also explored the possibilities of linking the reconstructed family tree to the existing genealogy.Show less
