Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
closed access
The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in Western Eurasia took place between 50,000 and 35,000 years ago. At the start of the transition, the region was inhabited by Neanderthals, and perhaps...Show moreThe Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in Western Eurasia took place between 50,000 and 35,000 years ago. At the start of the transition, the region was inhabited by Neanderthals, and perhaps by a few scattered groups of Anatomically Modern Humans. However, by the end of the transition, only Anatomically Modern Humans remained. Our understanding of how this came to be is fragmentary, as sites without preserved organic remains cannot be dated with high-precision methods. However, around 41,000 years ago there was a profound temporary change in the Earth’s magnetic field, named the Laschamps event. This event can be identified through using paleomagnetism and can potentially help in greatly constraining the chronologies of archaeological sites by offering a margin of error of less than 1,000 years. This thesis assesses the potential benefits and pitfalls of using the Laschamps event as a geochronological marker in archaeology. This is done by combining a literature study with a paleomagnetic case study. The literature study focuses on assessing the quality of the previous identifications of the Laschamps event at archaeological sites. This literature study is the first ever on the Laschamps event at archaeological sites and found that most of the previous claims were not well supported by the available evidence. In particular, the methods used for demagnetising the paleomagnetic samples and recognising the potential effects of post-depositional processes was found to be important for interpreting the paleomagnetic signal. The paleomagnetic study uncovered reversed directions in several of the lower units at the cave site at Quinçay, France. This thesis shows the first record of the Laschamps event ever found at an archaeological site in Western Europe. The likely position of the Laschamps event in the site stratigraphy straddled the final Mousterian and Châtelperronian layers, which could indicate that the cultural succession at the site happened rapidly. But this interpretation is made with several caveats, particularly the need for better age control of the lower levels at the site.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
closed access
Lithics are often one of the few materials from the Paleolithic that withstood the passage of time. Archeologists rely on them when they try to understand what happened in the past. Over the past...Show moreLithics are often one of the few materials from the Paleolithic that withstood the passage of time. Archeologists rely on them when they try to understand what happened in the past. Over the past centuries, lithic research has changed and in the last decennia the use of Machine Learning and 3D geometric morphometric (3DGM) analysis has been explored. In 2021, Archer et al. published a paper in which they explored the possibility of 3DGM analysis. With the help of Machine Learning, their model was trained with an experimental reference collection consisting of Levallois, discoidal and laminar debitage. As a result, the model could classify the technology of 73 – 77 % of the remaining experimental collection correctly. With a traditional analysis, around 20 – 30 % of the flake assemblage is identified. This would indicate that a much larger percentage of the assemblage could be classified with 3DGM analysis. However, this had never been tested on an archeological collection. In this thesis, the late Middle Paleolithic lithics of sublayers EGB and EGC of Quinçay are studied with a focus on flaking technologies. This is done through a traditional analysis consisting of an attribute analysis and a chaîne opératoire analysis and a 3DGM analysis. This is important for two main reasons: 1. Since 3DGM analysis of flaking technologies has never been applied on an archeological collection before, this research might provide valuable insights on how 3DGM analysis can be useful for understanding flaking technologies of archeological lithic collections, 2. The sublayers EGB and EGC of Quinçay have never been studied in detail before, and might provide more insights into the nature of the archeological sequence at Quinçay. Interestingly, the results of the traditional analysis and the 3DGM analysis revealed quite some differences. In the traditional analysis, discoid seemed to be the most common reduction method in the assemblage, this was followed by laminar reduction. However, in the 3DGM analysis, most of the flakes were classified as Levallois flakes. The model seemed to have the most difficulties with recognizing discoid products. The reason for the differences in classification between the traditional analysis and 3DGM analysis, could possibly be result of how the experimental collection was set up and the model was trained. In this thesis, multiple suggestions are proposed that could potentially help with improving the model in such a way that it could be more beneficial when using it on an archeological collection. The advantages and disadvantages that come with 3DGM analysis are also touched upon. By incorporating this innovative approach when studying the late Middle Paleolithic lithics from Quinçay, it is explored how 3DGM analysis can potentially help researchers with the analysis of lithics. As Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence become more intensively used in the future, it is not unlikely that it will start to play an important role in lithic analysis as well.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
The human hand is a complex structure that is heavily involved in many everyday activities. As such, it can serve as a useful area for activity reconstruction in the past. Though its function and...Show moreThe human hand is a complex structure that is heavily involved in many everyday activities. As such, it can serve as a useful area for activity reconstruction in the past. Though its function and evolution have long been studied, parts of it still need to be better understood. There is evidence to suggest that the fifth ray of the hand contributes significantly to grip strength and stability in a way that has so far gone largely ignored. The aim of this study is two-fold. First, it seeks to gain a better understanding of the function and use of the fifth digit in habitual activity on the basis of three postmedieval Dutch populations. Second, it investigates habitual activity and occupation among the individuals that belonged to these communities to gain a better understanding of the lives led by people in the post-medieval Netherlands. In order to achieve those goals, the study analyses activity patterns among hand entheses through the “Validated Entheses-based Reconstruction of Activity” (VERA) method. The method is applied to 3D scans of the hand bones of 43 adult individuals. Multivariate statistics, including principal component analysis, are used for the analysis of the entheseal attachment sizes. The analysis showed that the muscles of the fifth ray are recruited in both precision and power grips in different capacities. It suggests that the fifth ray is an important supporting structure that aids in the execution of power and precision grips through its opposing position to the thumb. It is also used to provide stability by pulling it towards the other fingers. The results of this study support the assumption that the fifth ray of the hand plays a crucial role in everyday manual activity. They also suggest that a deeper understanding of its role could provide additional insights into different kinds of grasping activities in the past. The analysis further showed that the three different groups exhibit different activity patterns. The lower-class urban individuals or Arnhem exhibit a trend towards more intense power grasping, while the higher-class urban individuals from Zwolle showed a tendency for precision grasping activity. This is consistent with historical records that suggest the Zwolle individuals had worked as merchants, investors, and in similar professions, while the working poor in the city of Arnhem were probably working in factories and in the local tobacco production. The individuals from the rural community of Middenbeemster fell somewhat surprisingly in the middle of the other two groups, with a sizeable number of individuals exhibiting precision gripping patterns. This suggests that, despite this community having mainly revolved around dairy farming, individual life experiences were likely quite varied. Future analyses of the fifth ray should expand on the groundwork laid in this study by increasing the sample size, looking into individuals from different contexts and time periods, and looking into potential connections between the fifth ray and the fourth ray, wrist, and forearm.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
2024-01-31T00:00:00Z
Urbanization and urban living not only reshaped the social, cultural, political, and economical aspects of European societies, but also had a great impact on people’s health. These effects can be...Show moreUrbanization and urban living not only reshaped the social, cultural, political, and economical aspects of European societies, but also had a great impact on people’s health. These effects can be observed in the archaeological record through the analysis of skeletal remains from urban sites by comparing them to their rural counterparts. Although multiple studies have focused on investigating the effects of urbanization and urban living, few have researched the impact of urban living on infants, children, and maternal health. Therefore, this research focuses on assessing the effects of urban living in infant and maternal health during post medieval times in the Netherlands through the comparison of oral stress indicators from a rural (Middenbeemster) and an urban (Arnhem) collection of post-medieval Dutch non-adults and adults. To do so, frequencies and age-at-formation of linear enamel hypoplasia, as well as frequency of dental caries were recorded and analyzed for permanent and deciduous teeth, using age-categorical data to compare them between rural and urban individuals. The results from this research demonstrate that urban living had a negative impact on infant and maternal health, as found from the dental markers associated to the prenatal period. In addition, this research has shown that analyzing dental caries in deciduous teeth can demonstrate the maternal-infant relationship after birth, and that dental caries can be used as a proxy to determine frailty and resiliency of non-adult individuals.Show less
The consequences for the Neanderthal population in Western Europe upon the arrival of anatomically modern humans in the Upper Palaeolithic, is a matter of intense debate within the field of...Show moreThe consequences for the Neanderthal population in Western Europe upon the arrival of anatomically modern humans in the Upper Palaeolithic, is a matter of intense debate within the field of prehistoric archaeology. The fact that our species is the only one to survive, has traditionally been explained by a supposed cognitive superiority inherent to anatomically modern humans. However, recent studies have refuted most of the proclaimed differences between the species, leaving the reason behind the Neanderthal disappearance even more peculiar. One way to address this issue, is through the study of behavioural differences between the species. By mapping differences and compare the results, we may potentially discern behavioural patterns or cognitive abilities indicating a difference great enough to explain the notable success of our species. In this study, a micro-wear analysis of three multi-functional flint tools, distinct for Upper Palaeolithic assemblages (hence anatomically modern humans) was performed. The tools originate from the final stage of the Early Aurignacian occupation of Les Cottés, France, a site that has been occupied by both Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans. The continuous stratigraphical sequence of the site makes it suitable for behavioural comparisons between the two populations within the same context. By understanding the function/s of the tools, tasks performed at the site can be inferred. As a consequence, information about behavioural and cognitive aspects of the manufacturers of the artefacts can be indicated. The results can later be used for behavioural comparisons between anatomically modern humans and Neanderthals, in an attempt to define eventual cognitive or behavioural differences. In order to strengthen any claims of performed tasks, the results from the micro-wear analysis were compared with results derived from the faunal and lithic assemblages of the same context. The results corroborated each other, consequently contributing to our knowledge about certain behavioural aspects of anatomically modern humans from this period.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 Early Aurignacian is essentially characterised by the manufacture of Aurignacian retouched blades, strangled blades, carinated and nosed scrapers and/or end-scrapers and split-based points,...Show moreThe Early Aurignacian is essentially characterised by the manufacture of Aurignacian retouched blades, strangled blades, carinated and nosed scrapers and/or end-scrapers and split-based points, amongst other materials. Both the last artefact and strangled blades are well-established type fossils for this Upper Palaeolithic industry. An apparent absence of strangled blades from the archaeological record in Eurasia is shown by the lack of research into this particular topic. In this sense, the main discussion of this thesis centres on possible explanations for this phenomenon. For instance, were strangled blades less fabricated than other types of Aurignacian blades, or have they simply been less studied by researchers? Perhaps their small numbers makes it appear that they are absent when in reality they are not. Additionally, could it be that their production is restricted to certain geographical areas in Eurasia? This thesis consists of a comparative study of 39 Eurasian Early Aurignacian sites, complemented by a case study that focuses on the Early Aurignacian blade assemblage of Les Cottés, a Middle and Upper Palaeolithic site located in France. This last study represents a physical examination of such industry in order to better help the analysis of those 39 sites. This comparative approach highlights a clear low number of sites with strangled blades, since only ten of them have yielded such artefacts. It also highlights a clear concentration of sites in the French region of Aquitaine, along with other sites within the country and the adjacent Spanish Cantabrian region. This phenomenon is verified both in the group with and the group without strangled blades. However, this may be due to an increased interest in this particular area of Europe, since it appears that the east has been less studied. Moreover, the fact that strangled blades are included in large lithic assemblages, and the fact that there is a lack of studies on them may have quickly induced this picture of absence. It seems that these artefacts only appear to be absence from these archaeological records.Show less
