Excavations at the Early Medieval site of Oegstgeest, located in the Dutch Rhine estuary, have yielded the burials of three horses and three dogs. In order to understand why these animals were...Show moreExcavations at the Early Medieval site of Oegstgeest, located in the Dutch Rhine estuary, have yielded the burials of three horses and three dogs. In order to understand why these animals were buried and how their burials relate to the roles these animals fulfilled for the inhabitants of the settlement, a zooarchaeological study of their articulated remains has been combined with a critical analysis of existing literature and previous notions about the nature of Early Medieval dog and horse burials. It is argued that at the buried horses were first used as riding animals and then sacrificed to display wealth and status. The buried dogs on the other hand were considered social companions and buried accordingly after they died. Both the burying of dogs and sacrifice of horses fits a burial pattern specific for the North Sea coast, and could indicate the presence of a local elite at the settlement of Oegstgeest, with the means to keep large dogs and kill valuable riding steeds.Show less
The rescue-excavation at the open-cast mine in Schöningen started in 1982. Circa 25.000 faunal remains have been excavated since that moment. These remains have been identified as large mammal...Show moreThe rescue-excavation at the open-cast mine in Schöningen started in 1982. Circa 25.000 faunal remains have been excavated since that moment. These remains have been identified as large mammal remains, small mammals, fish, mollusks, amphibians and reptiles. However the category birds is missing. Circa 167 bird bones and several egg shells were present in the layers Schöningen 13 II-2, 13 II-3 and 13 II-4. Besides the identification of the bird remains, the bones are also checked for modification marks made by the hominins who occupied Schöningen. Also the bones are compared to other archaeological sites to compare the data from Schönignen withShow less
Research on ecosystem resilience and climate-ecosystem interactions is extremely complex due to the large variety of factors that play a role. This research aimed at determining which factors are...Show moreResearch on ecosystem resilience and climate-ecosystem interactions is extremely complex due to the large variety of factors that play a role. This research aimed at determining which factors are involved in ecosystem resilience, which methods are needed to research this, and how archaeology can contribute to such research. The influence of the 8.2 ka climate event on the natural environment of Tell Sabi Abyad served as a case study for larger-scale research on ecosystem resilience. This study presents critical notes to the assumption that the changes which took place in Tell Sabi Abyad at the timing of the 8.2 event were a consequence of climate change. First, the timing of the changes in Tell Sabi Abyad is earlier than the timing of the expected impact of the 8.2 event. In addition, the botanical records of Tell Sabi Abyad do not indicate a climate deterioration. As no direct influences of the 8.2 event have been observed, it is likely that the natural environment of Tell Sabi Abyad had a level of resilience that was high enough to cope with the sudden effects of the 8.2 climate perturbation. Possibly other factors, like anthropogenic influences or cultural development, account for the changes observed in the archaeological material of Tell Sabi Abyad. Furthermore, this study shows that archaeology can form a valuable contribution to research on ecosystem resilience if future research would focus on wild plant and animal species and long term ecosystem changes. This would enable research on the direct effects of climate change. By combining the archaeological results found in such research, a dataset can be made with information on the characteristics of ecosystems with different levels of resilience and different levels of environmental impact.Show less
