This research tries to examine if, and how, the Byzantine and Sasanian culinary traditions and diet were influenced by one another. The Byzantine and Sasanian empires had a complicated relationship...Show moreThis research tries to examine if, and how, the Byzantine and Sasanian culinary traditions and diet were influenced by one another. The Byzantine and Sasanian empires had a complicated relationship, with continuing wars on one end, and dependence on trade on the other. The silk road was situated on Sasanian land, and Byzantium was forced to use the Sasanian empire as a middle man. The respective agricultures produced basic produce for the whole empires, but for exotic spices and herbs, the empires were dependent on the silk road. There is not much written on the Sasanian diet, but a few products are known to have been cultivated. Some sources give information on the extravagant diet of the nobility, which includes different vegetables, grains, fruits, spices, meats and sweets. In the last decades there has been more research on the Byzantine empire, which also included diet. Most information about the Byzantine diet comes from dietary handbooks and descriptions, most of which are written about Constantinople. It is possible that these sources are more about an ideal diet, than based on reality. The sources describe many different fruits, vegetables, spices, meats, fish and grains. This conveys the image of an extravagant and varied diet, but the results bone isotope analysis in Greece show dietary deficiencies. It seems that at least between the capitol and the province, there is a difference of availability of food. Comparing the two diets, there are some similarities, mostly when it comes to spices. Because there is not as much data on the Sasanian diet, there are more products that are known to have been present in Byzantium and not the Sasanian empire, than the other way around. When comparing both diets to the current Iranian diet, there seems to be a continuation of some of the Sasanian traditions. There also seem to be some similarities between the Byzantine diet and the current Iranian diet. To get a clear picture of the diet of the average citizen of the empires, not only the elite, more research is needed. For example, isotope analyses of different regions of the empire.Show less
In sommige publicaties betreffende Den Haag in de Late Middeleeuwen en Nieuwe Tijd wordt de tegenstelling van de rijkdom van de bewoners op zand en armoede van bewoners op veen vermeld. In deze...Show moreIn sommige publicaties betreffende Den Haag in de Late Middeleeuwen en Nieuwe Tijd wordt de tegenstelling van de rijkdom van de bewoners op zand en armoede van bewoners op veen vermeld. In deze scriptie wordt onderzocht in hoeverre deze ‘zandrijk’ en ‘veenarm’ tegenstelling gereflecteerd wordt door de spreiding en het materiaal van watervoorzieningen in het stadscentrum van Den Haag. Dit wordt gedaan door kwantitatief onderzoek en statistische tests op een database van 218 watervoorzieningen in Den Haag in de Late Middeleeuwen en de Nieuwe Tijd. Hierbij worden beschreven: de verdeling van het aantal watervoorzieningen tussen veen en zand, het verloop van het aantal watervoorzieningen door de tijd, mogelijke verklaringen daarvoor, het verloop van het aantal watervoorzieningen in veen en zand door de tijd, de verdeling van het aantal waterputten tussen de gebruikte materialen, de verdeling van het aantal waterputten tussen de gebruikte materialen per grondsoort door de tijd heen en de bezwaren tegen de betrouwbaarheid van het onderzoek. Als de historische verwachting dat minvermogenden in Den Haag op veengronden woonden en welgestelden op zand correct is, is te verwachten dat er in veen geen of minder en goedkopere (houten) putten en kelders aanwezig zijn en in zandgronden meer, duurdere ((bak)stenen) waterputten en -kelders. Dit is echter niet het geval. Alleen het relatief grote aantal kelders op zand, het relatief grote deel volsteenputten op zand en het relatief grotere deel (bak)stenen schachten in zand, stroken met de onderzoeksstelling. Het aanwezig zijn van watervoorzieningen op veen, én relatief meer watervoorzieningen op veen, de sterke invloed van tijdsperiode op het aantal watervoorzieningen, en het aanwezig zijn van relatief meer houten kragen op zand dan op veen stroken niet met de onderzoeksstelling. De onderzoeksstelling wordt dus slechts voor een deel ondersteund door de resultaten en voor een deel tegengesproken. Mogelijke verklaringen hiervoor zijn dat zijn dat het beeld is dat de data geeft verstoord is en dat de historische verwachting klopt, watervoorzieningen geen welvaart aangeven, dat de manier waarop watervoorzieningen status en welvaart aangeven genuanceerder is, of dat welgestelden moeten worden onderverdeeld in meer lagen. [English version] In some publications considering The Hague (Den Haag) in the late middle ages and the modern period there mention of an opinon of the opposite between the wealth of inhabitants of and the poverty of inhabitants of peat. To which extent this ‘sand rich’ and ‘peat poor’ opposition is reflected by the distribution and the material of water sources (cisterns and wells) in the city centre of The Hague is researched in this thesis. This has been done by quantitative research and statistical tests on a database of 218 water sources in The Hague in the late middle ages and the modern period. Here a description is given of distribution of the number of water sources between peat and sand, the distribution of the number of water sources through time, possible explanations for it, the distribution of the number of water sources in sand and peat through time, de distribution of the number of wells between the used materials, the distribution of the number of wells between the used materials and between sand and peat through time, and the objections against the reliability of the research. If the historical expectation that the unwealthy in The Hague lived on peat and the wealthy on sand is correct, it is to be expected that there are no or less and cheaper (wooden) wells and no or less cisterns in peat and more, more expensive (brick/stone) wells and more cisterns sand. This is not the case however, Only the relatively large number of cisterns on sand, the relatively large share of completely brick/stone wells on sand and the relatively large number of brick/stone shaft linings in sand are in accordance with the research hypothesis. The presence of water sources in peat, and the presence of relatively more water sources in peat, the strong influnce of time period on the number of water sources, and the presence of relatively more wooden above ground structures on sand than on peat are not in accordance with the research hypothesis. The research hypothesis is therefore only partly supported by the results and partly contradicted. Possible explanations are that the image the data give is distorted and the historical expectation is correct, water sources don’t indicate wealth, the way in which water sources indicate status is more nuanced, or that the wealthy should be divided into more layers.Show less
This BA thesis focusses on one aspect of the burial tradition of the late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age in the South of the Netherlands and adjacent Belgium (1100-500 B.C.). During this period...Show moreThis BA thesis focusses on one aspect of the burial tradition of the late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age in the South of the Netherlands and adjacent Belgium (1100-500 B.C.). During this period of time, the vast majority of the population of North-western Europe was buried in large collective cemeteries; urnfields. Therefore, this period was also known as the Urnfield Period. The deceased were cremated and buried in small burial pits, with or without urns, to which small burial mounds and ring ditches were added. Nevertheless, in different locations, there are examples of burials in which the deceased were buried in much older burial mounds (secondary burials) or changes have been made to these burial mounds (modifications). This concerns an aberrant burial practice with re-use of burial monuments from a distant past. Although this phenomenon has been named in several publications, it lacked further analysis hitherto. This research, which is based on literature review, accommodates such analysis with a further categorization, with the underlying purpose to recover patterns. To achieve the recovery of patterns several things have been researched, among which are the type of burial mounds re-used, the manner in which they were heightened, expanded and cut through, the locations within the burial mounds where the deceased were buried, the type of grave goods that were present, the type of individuals that were buried and the correlation between them. In addition, the potential motivations for this phenomenon have been discussed, to which degree this corresponds with common burials in urnfields and whether this could have been a collective tradition. This has revealed a high degree of diversity in re-use, yet there appears to be indication of specific choices, and in particular two specific patterns have been revealed. Firstly, several individuals were potentially purposefully buried eccentrically within older burial mounds, whereas others were buried in the centre, disturbing the original graves. Therefore, in some cases, one could have been aware that people from a near or distant past were buried in these burial mounds. Secondly, the practice of secondary burials almost exclusively concerned female individuals; at least in the cases with sex estimations. Because this research was focused on aberrant burial practices, the amount number of available samples was, in fact, too small for definitive conclusions. Further research could be directed at the expansion of the research area (e.g. to Germany) and, if possible, to research the (osteological) “raw data” of sites with cases of re-use.Show less
The main question of this research is about which of two models about urnfields and Late Prehistoric land division fits best with the data around the sites Baarlo de Bong and Venlo-Zaarderheiken....Show moreThe main question of this research is about which of two models about urnfields and Late Prehistoric land division fits best with the data around the sites Baarlo de Bong and Venlo-Zaarderheiken. In the first model from Roymans and Fokkens (1991), it is suggested that burials were moving together with the settlements during the Middle Bronze Age (new burials at new places), whereas later burials from the Late Bronze Age (urnfield period) were formed in central locations within the landscape together with one or two families. In the other model, burial landscapes are suggested; these are zones without connection to the settlements were burials are placed in large areas stretching up to several kilometres in length (Arnoldussen and Fontijn 2006, 301). To answer the question, information was gathered from the Dutch national archaeological database known as Archis, from which information was gathered regarding the locations of former urnfields, burial mounds, Roman burials etc. This information was combined with information from the AHN; a Dutch elevation map from which small round hills could be identified as potential burial mounds around sites. The combination of the locations of supposed former burial mounds/urnfields and the hills of the elevation map can be used to make special correlations between the observations and the two archaeological sites. From this research, it could be concluded that at the site of Venlo- Zaarderheiken, there are a lot of observations of Prehistoric and Roman burials in close vicinity of the site. At Baarlo de Bong however, there are only a few observations of burials in the vicinity of the site. Because of this, Venlo-Zaarderheiken seems to be a candidate for a burial landscape, because of the many observations in close vicinity of the site, which also stretch out over a much larger area. On the other hand, both models could fit for Baarlo de Bong, because of the relatively small size of the burial site. The model of Roymans and Fokkens could not be rejected, thus both models are possible.Show less
The patterns of LEH thus far recognized within the skeletal collection of Alkmaar have produced significant results regarding multiple topics: the differences in distribution of LEH patterns...Show moreThe patterns of LEH thus far recognized within the skeletal collection of Alkmaar have produced significant results regarding multiple topics: the differences in distribution of LEH patterns between men and women, the timing of LEH episodes and between the age-at-death and the prevalence of LEH. Within this dataset, there is no significant difference recognized between males and females regarding the prevalence of LEH, this stress-marker occur in the same frequency for both sexes. This however does not mean that there are no differences observed between men and women in the age distribution of LEH and the timing of the LEH episodes. The female individuals found in Alkmaar tend to suffer from malnutrition from a younger age then the males and the prevalence of LEH lasts longer, for some individuals into their early teens. Males however have a higher prevalence of LEH then females after the age of one, but there are no signs of LEH in males after six years old. Lastly, the patterns recognized when analyzing the correlation between LEH and longevity of life seems to indicate a connection between the presence of and an increase in risk of dying at a younger age. This risk seems to increase in individuals that have severe LEH where multiple markers of malnutrition episodes are present, this correlation between childhood health events and its impact on health at adulthood can be used when constructing the biological profile of individuals if investigated properly. LEH has proven to be a rich source of information that can provide a useful insight into the Alkmaar dataset, but more research into the dental records will be needed in order to properly understand and explain the significant patterns presented in this thesis.Show less
The goal of this thesis is to shed light on relationship between the beer brewers of the Dutch city of Delft and the management of water and sewage in the period of the 13th and 18th century A.D....Show moreThe goal of this thesis is to shed light on relationship between the beer brewers of the Dutch city of Delft and the management of water and sewage in the period of the 13th and 18th century A.D. Starting from around the 13th century we see Dutch cities employing new laws to keep the internal channels and waterways clean. This was done in name of health and prosperity. Cities started to enforce new building codes which required the access to a cesspit. These cesspits would contain the human excrement until the time came to have them emptied into a specialised barge, which would deposit its cargo outside of the city, keeping the waters clean. The hypothesis is that the local brewers would use the channels as their water supply and as such it would behove them to do whatever they could to keep the channels clean. Beer brewing turned into the dominant local industry of Delft, in such a way that they influenced the local council to ensure the cleanliness of the channels. The hypothesis of this thesis is that archaeological evidence should exist that shows a connection between the era of cesspits and the rise and fall of the brewers. This is claim is explored by cataloguing a sample (67) of cesspits within the historic boundaries of the city. These cesspits were classified and dated after which they were turned into a table and a set of graphs showing the relationship between the cesspits, the population, the city’s population density, the number of breweries and the amount of produced beer. The history of Delft, its relationship with the brewers and the history of its waterways are explored to provide historical context. Furthermore, the cesspit eras of the Dutch cities Haarlem and Leiden are discussed to provide a comparison to Delft. The results show a connection between the end of the cesspit era and the collapse of the brewing industry. There is a regrettable lack of information about the brewing industry during the 14th and 15th century. As such it is not possible to determine if the cesspits are also linked to rise of the brewing industry. In the end it seems plausible but not certain that the breweries and the cesspits shared a connection which led to their joined demise Further research is required to verify these final results.Show less
This thesis focusses on the craftsmen of late feudal Japan that were responsible for handling dead animals and making objects from them. This subject has received little attention because of the...Show moreThis thesis focusses on the craftsmen of late feudal Japan that were responsible for handling dead animals and making objects from them. This subject has received little attention because of the ritual pollution related to dead animals in Japan from early historic times. This ritual pollution caused these craftsmen to be treated as outcasts in the late feudal period and their contemporary offspring is unofficially also still regarded as polluted. This has discouraged research inside Japan on this subject and most of the knowledge regarding this topic comes from historical and anthropological research executed by foreign researchers. A better understanding of these craftsmen will not only help fill in knowledge of their techniques and society, but knowledge about their production techniques can also help with the development of better conservation methods for artefacts made of animal remains in museums. This thesis discusses what information can be gained about these craftsmen with archaeological research by looking at textual research, excavations and the analysis of artefacts made with animal remains. The part based on textual research shows that there is a limit to the information that can be gained about these craftsmen from historical texts. Furthermore no production site of these craftsmen has been identified in excavations so far. Both the humid climate of Japan, that causes animal remains to quickly decay, as well as the taboo concerning this topic are considerable hindrances in identifying such a site. The analyses of artefacts in this paper looks at a painting, an armour and a tobacco set from late feudal Japan. These provide information regarding the required materials, trade, production and cooperation with other craftsmen that was necessary to produce such objects. The analysis was limited to visual analysis only, so much more information is expected to be gained by future in depth analyses of similar artefacts.Show less
