The term “Latin America” is used as the common denominator that encompasses a large region with several countries whose traditions, language, and colonial background share a set of common...Show moreThe term “Latin America” is used as the common denominator that encompasses a large region with several countries whose traditions, language, and colonial background share a set of common characteristics. The paper explores the meaning of Latin American archaeology through the examples of Peruvian and Argentinian national archaeologies—the historical development of both countries and their respective archaeologies from the Colonial period to the present. The countries are first analyzed separately with a focus on their socioeconomic status and the influx of foreign theoretical trends and their impact on the development of archaeology within the context of colonialism and post-colonialism. At the beginning of the twentieth century the focus shifts on onto the “functioning” of archaeology through its legislative frameworks, university training programmes, and public archaeology. These elements are used to compare the archaeologies of Peru and Argentina to reveal their characteristic, and potentially the way in which colonialism and subsequent historical events pushed the development of archaeology. Four cases are presented with the intention of providing insight into how the theory is applied in practice. It was concluded that the pre-colonial history of the countries and their subsequent treatment significantly impacted the development of two markedly different national archaeologies who appear similar in theory but diverge in practice—when the current situation of archaeological practice and the most rudimentary elements keeping “Latin America” together are put into perspective, the archaeologies of the two countries appear to have less in common than they do at first glance.Show less
The study of Indian Ocean archaeology has often focused on individual sites and has tended to focus primarily on connections between major port sites without the inclusion of smaller sites and the...Show moreThe study of Indian Ocean archaeology has often focused on individual sites and has tended to focus primarily on connections between major port sites without the inclusion of smaller sites and the spaces in between these major sites. Within this thesis I focus on the role of Sri Lanka within the broader context of the Indian Ocean trade networks. Sri Lanka has long been thought to have been a central point within these aforementioned trade networks due to its geographical location at the “center” of the Indian Ocean, coupled with its natural topography that made it an ideal safe port of call for ancient merchants. However, most of Sri Lanka’s prominence in this context is based off historical texts and sporadic archaeological evidence from major sites such as Mantai and Anuradhapura. This research will focus on a wider range of sites and archaeological evidence in order to see what exactly was Sri Lanka’s role within the broader Indian Ocean trade networks. In order to accomplish this I will create an overview of all the available evidence such as archaeological reports, scientific articles and publications related to this topic. Following this I will also provide suggestions for the continuation of this research so that it may benefit the wider academic community. These suggestions will include the application of digital techniques in the field such as LiDAR, in order to properly understand the spaces in between the major sites so that a more complete picture is gained rather than one that focuses mainly on famous urban sites. Alongside this I will also discuss methods to properly store and disseminate the data related to this research in a way that makes it more accessible to the wider academic community. Through the creation of an overview of all the available material as well as the aforementioned suggestions, I will provide a framework for the next steps to be taken in terms of research into Sri Lanka’s role in the Indian Ocean trade networks.Show less
In the period from 1590 to 1600, changes took place in the State army. Prince Maurits carried out reforms together with Willem Lodewijk. They studied sources from Classical Antiquity on, amongst...Show moreIn the period from 1590 to 1600, changes took place in the State army. Prince Maurits carried out reforms together with Willem Lodewijk. They studied sources from Classical Antiquity on, amongst others, Roman military strategies and the construction of Roman army camps. They used this knowledge as a source of inspiration and they applied many elements from the Roman army to the State army. For example, think of the introduction of command language. The most important introduction was the drill of soldiers, which required a lot of training and discipline. The introduction of training and discipline ensured that the State soldiers were well trained and that they knew better what do to during a combat. The result was that the State army won more regularly and that they could win in smaller units. Discipline therefore was very important in the reformed State army and that is why this research is also referred to as a discipline revolution. It is to be expected that these organizational reforms can also be recognized in State siege camps. Before the reforms were introduced, the State army camps had no fixed form, organized structure or fixed elements. Due to the introduction of discipline and changes in war strategy, it may be expected that changes have occurred within the camps of the State army. Many studies have been carried out in recent decades about the State army and the changes in their strategy, for example. However about the life of a State soldier (such as the food supply within the army) and how the structure of State siege camps changed after the introduction of the organizational reforms has hardly been researched. In this research, State army camps (before the organizational reforms) and State and Spanish siege camps (after the organizational reforms) are examined and compared with each other. The period after the Twelve Years' Truce (1621-1648) was chosen to study the State and Spanish siege camps. As already mentioned, it may be expected that State army camps differ from the later State siege camps in the implementation of organizational reforms. In addition, Spanish siege camps will not have a fixed structure or fixed elements, because during the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648) no organizational reforms took place within the Spanish army. To compare this, historical (siege) maps have been analysed and in addition the archaeology of the (so far) only two archaeologically excavated State siege camps has been analysed. Additionally, the changes in the logistics of food supplies in the State army as a result of the organizational reforms are studied as well.Show less
The museum is an aspiring place of learning and education for all and it is substantially different from other learning environments. Greek museums started implementing educational programs for...Show moreThe museum is an aspiring place of learning and education for all and it is substantially different from other learning environments. Greek museums started implementing educational programs for school groups during the 20th century, but it is only recently that the largest museums began trying to stand by museum pedagogy with focusing their educational programs on school groups, while at the same time they are aiming at diverse audiences as well. The research of this thesis focuses on the methodologies that 15 selected Greek museums have used for the last three years (2017-2020) in their educational programs for preschool and primary school children. These 15 museums are divided into 3 categories (archaeological, byzantine/historical and folk art, art museums and galleries) and each of the categories consists of 5 relevant museums. The gathered data show that, when it comes to young children, all three museum categories use the same methodologies to keep their excitement, namely storytelling, guided discussion, discovery and creative activities. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the subject, the role of the teachers that accompany the school groups was found to be essential, due to the fact that they are informed about the special needs of their group and can help them settle in the museum space. The question of effectiveness of the aforementioned educational programs is also posed, but since the researched museums in their vast majority do not make formal evaluations, it was not possible to gather information on the matter. Moreover, with the outbreak of the pandemic of Covid-19, it is only natural to continue the research on a more digital level, and with this is mind, the digital activities offered for children during the pandemic are explored. As it is noticed, the museums offer online games and many craft suggestions to keep children occupied and happy in the house.Show less
Norias have been among the most important water lifters in the pre-industrialised Mediterranean basin. From their early appearance during the Hellenistic Age (3rd -1st century BC) until the 20th...Show moreNorias have been among the most important water lifters in the pre-industrialised Mediterranean basin. From their early appearance during the Hellenistic Age (3rd -1st century BC) until the 20th century, norias have played a crucial role in granting a more effective exploitation of water resources. The relevance of these devices is well reflected in the academic literature. Nevertheless, the fragmentation of the research in different regions and the lack of the device definitions still prevent a clear noria terminology to be available. Starting from these premises, this research will propose a new approach to describe noria devices. A new noria classification will be applied to the medieval site of Ta’as (Northern Syria). The noria vase fragments from the Syrian site will be studied and compared with similar artifacts. Climatic studies and archaeozoological evaluations will highlight how chain norias were probably used in the area of study.Show less
Burial mounds and flat graves are the most visible aspects of burial rituals in Bronze Age West-Frisia. The burial rituals for the barrow graves and the few flat graves that are found in the region...Show moreBurial mounds and flat graves are the most visible aspects of burial rituals in Bronze Age West-Frisia. The burial rituals for the barrow graves and the few flat graves that are found in the region are furthermore to a certain extent understandable for the archaeologists. After all, many inhabitants of Western Countries also bury their dead. A third element of the West-Frisian death rituals however, includes the distribution of separate human bones through the settlement. In this thesis, research is done according to the question of how the death rituals in eastern West-Frisia looked like during the Middle and Late Bronze Age. Thereby the focus will lie on this third element of human bones in the settlement contexts. For the answering of this question, a database was made which contains all Bronze Age human remains of West-Frisia that are found so far. Of these human remains several aspects were added to the database, including sex, age, dating, etc. Then with the help of these aspects, significant patterns were looked after. Remarkable was that the majority of the human remains from this database seemed to come from the settlements more often than from the barrows and flat graves. These human bones from the settlements almost always consisted of only skull fragments or long bones. Considering this, one could ask oneself whether this should not also be considered a regular death ritual in West-Frisia.Show less
