The site of Mai Adrasha is an important settlement in the northern highlands of Ethiopia. It has a relatively abundant plant resources, especially crop resources. Many archaeological researches...Show moreThe site of Mai Adrasha is an important settlement in the northern highlands of Ethiopia. It has a relatively abundant plant resources, especially crop resources. Many archaeological researches have been undertaken in this region. There are a large number of grinding tool excavated from this site. Grinding tools have played an important role in local people’s daily life for many years. In order to analyze the function these grinding tools, use wear analysis is needed now. This technique was started and developed from the 1930s and it is now relatively mature. In this thesis, I try to use this technique to analyze some grinding tools excavated from the Mai Adrasha. Based on the reference collection in the laboratory at Leiden University, I find that these grinding tools might be used for food preparation. People at that time might use these tools to grind cereals like finger millet and tef into flour. Although if we want to know the details of these plant species, a further study is necessary and residue analysis is also important.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
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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Aguas Buenas is a site containing mounds and rock carvings in central Nicaragua. There are 371 mounds situated over a 28-hectare area with a complicated topography in a semi-geometrical pattern....Show moreAguas Buenas is a site containing mounds and rock carvings in central Nicaragua. There are 371 mounds situated over a 28-hectare area with a complicated topography in a semi-geometrical pattern. Thus far, the use, precise dating and the means of the site’s construction are known. However, in this thesis it is argued that it is a monumental site. This thesis presents the result of six months of fieldwork in Aguas Buenas, methodology, and results of the site survey and advanced mapping process, leading to the development of a Digital Elevation Model of the site and site feature databases. By applying a GIS-based methodology and the principles of phenomenology, and analysing the results in the context of the contemporary discussion on monumentality, several questions related to the building processes at Aguas Buenas and the experiences at the site are addressed. Areas that present a different spatial logic are offered, suggesting the site’s development and use in phases.Show less
Skeletmateriaal in Nederland wordt standaard onderzocht. De resultaten van dit soort onderzoek kunnen informatie geven over de gezondheid van de vroegere Nederlandse samenlevingen. In Amerika wordt...Show moreSkeletmateriaal in Nederland wordt standaard onderzocht. De resultaten van dit soort onderzoek kunnen informatie geven over de gezondheid van de vroegere Nederlandse samenlevingen. In Amerika wordt een database opgezet om makkelijker resultaten te zoeken en te vergelijken, The Global History of Health Project. De resultaten van het onderzoek naar het Nederlandse skeletarchief staan niet in zo’n database. Hierdoor is het moeilijk om collecties te zoeken en vergelijken. Bovenstaand onderzoek is gebaseerd op een geselecteerde dataset van 17 sites die onderverdeeld zijn in 23 begravingsperioden tussen de Late Middeleeuwen en de Nieuwe Tijd. Deze sites zijn verder verdeeld onder 4 contexten; civiele context van de Late Middeleeuwen en Nieuwe Tijd, religieuze context (LME) en militaire context (NT). Door het gebruik van deze sites en onderverdelingen is getracht een begin te maken aan een systeem zoals The Global History of Health Project en te kijken of de gesteldheid van de gezondheid van het Nederlands skeletarchief uit deze resultaten te halen is. Er kan worden geconcludeerd dat de religieuze context (LME) de hoogste percentages aan volwassenen en vrouwen hebben en dat de militaire context (NT) het hoogste percentage niet-volwassenen en mannen bevat. De lengten zijn het langste van de mannen en vrouwen, indien met de methoden van Trotter gemeten, in de civiele context van de Late Middeleeuwen. De mannen zijn het langste, indien met de methode van Breitinger gemeten, in de religieuze context van de Late Middeleeuwen. Betreffende het ziektebeeld van de vroegere samenlevingen zijn, indien men kijkt naar beide perioden, de ziekte aantallen gelijk. Wanneer er echter gekeken wordt naar de verschillende contexten, hebben de contexten van de Late Middeleeuwen de meeste hoogste percentages. Aangezien niet alle skeletassemblages in dit onderzoek zijn meegenomen zou een uitbreiding van de geselecteerde dataset met meerdere sites bevorderlijk zijn voor dit onderzoek. Verder zou het onderzoek uitgebreid kunnen worden met de toevoeging van onderzoek naar DNA en Isotopen en onderzoek naar het gebit.Show less
From the beginning of the 13th century, the Duke of Brabant started his conquest in Northern-Brabant (Netherlands). He was very successful in getting noble lords and church properties under his...Show moreFrom the beginning of the 13th century, the Duke of Brabant started his conquest in Northern-Brabant (Netherlands). He was very successful in getting noble lords and church properties under his authority. Nevertheless, some ‘heerlijkheden’, such as Geldrop, Boxtel, Bakel and Sterksel, remained in the possession of another ruler or religious institution and the Duke didn’t manage to exercise his authority here. You may wonder if these different political structures really had impact on the daily life and material culture of ‘ordinary’ people. This can be examined in various ways. In this thesis I compared the development of the farmhouse-plans in the Duchy of Brabant with the farmhouse-plans of the ‘heerlijkheden’ that were not under his authority. The farmhouse-plans found in Geldrop, Boxtel, Bakel and Sterksel were compared with the MDS-typology and the Hallehuisgroup. The MDS-typology is a typology of farmhouse-plans in the high Middle Ages, containing the types H0 up to H4, used as a standard for farmhouse-types in Brabant. Each type has its own characteristics and date. The Hallehuisgroup is a type of house which appears in Brabant from 1250, after the last type of the MDS-typology, H4, has disappeared. Barely no difference was found between de farmhouse-plans from the case-studies and the MDS-typology and Hallehuisgroup. Two farms were found in Geldrop which can be attributed type H2 from MDS-typology in terms of shape and date. In Boxtel three farms were found, two of the H2 type and one of the H4 type, which also can be placed in the MDS-typology in terms of shape and date. Some exceptions were found in Bakel. Two of the ten farmhouse-plans in Bakel didn’t fit in the MDS-typology. In addition, type H4 of the MDS-typology occurred here earlier than usual. Two historical farms were examined in Sterksel. The oldest, complete, plan dates from the earliest 13th century and fits in the Hallhuisgroup. Although more research is needed, it can be stated that the political structures in de Duchy of Brabant did not have impact on the daily life and the material culture of the ‘ordinary’ people, reflected in de farmhouse-plans.Show less
For the last couple of decades, Iraq is known as a country of war, danger, fear, hunger and terror. Three wars have occupied this period, bringing along terrible consequences. The chaos and poverty...Show moreFor the last couple of decades, Iraq is known as a country of war, danger, fear, hunger and terror. Three wars have occupied this period, bringing along terrible consequences. The chaos and poverty of the country, in combination with an destabilised authority, has made people to start large-scale looting of archaeological sites in the desert of Southern Iraq, as an alternative way of income. the antiquities they dig up from the ground are sold to smugglers, which again sell them on to collectors, museums and institutions all over the world through the illegal trade market. Unfortunately, the looting and selling of these ancient objects does not happen occasionally, but it happens on a gigantic scale and gets worse and worse. Entire villages, clans and tribes are involved in the trade and profit from it. Furthermore, powerful elites mingle in the trade, which is why it is completely intertwined with the country’s political situation. Starting in 1990 with the first Gulf war, the problem has never had such a magnitude as with the start of the Second Gulf War in 2003, and it is still increasing today. Not only is this process destructive for the archaeological objects, monuments, and science, it also further destabilizes the country as looting groups are armed, merciless, dangerous and powerful. Furthermore, especially during the 2003 war but also before, sites have been damaged by military forces and bombs, and museums have been robbed. This bachelor thesis explains what kind of archaeology destruction has occurred in the past of Iraq, how looting has developed and why, why it is so hard to stop and most importantly, how we can counteract it.Show less
This thesis describes the economical situation in the 11th-15th Century during the Crusades. It researches how the rise and reign of the Mamluks influences the Mediterranean trade networks in place.
In deze scriptie wordt er gekeken naar de verschillen in de aardewerkassemblages in de Romeinse periode aan de hand van drie sites. In Pompeii en Abdera wordt er specifiek naar twee huizen gekeken...Show moreIn deze scriptie wordt er gekeken naar de verschillen in de aardewerkassemblages in de Romeinse periode aan de hand van drie sites. In Pompeii en Abdera wordt er specifiek naar twee huizen gekeken en bij Colchester naar al het aardewerk gevonden op de site. Door het analyseren van het aardewerk kunnen er conclusies worden getrokken over de aardewerkassemblages van de drie sites en over de manier waarop deze sites zijn onderzocht.Show less
Het onderzoek van deze bachelor scriptie richt zich op de iconografische voorstelling die te vinden is op de ‘Tello Obelisk’ en de verandering in interpretatie van de iconografische voorstelling...Show moreHet onderzoek van deze bachelor scriptie richt zich op de iconografische voorstelling die te vinden is op de ‘Tello Obelisk’ en de verandering in interpretatie van de iconografische voorstelling door de tijd heen. Deze Obelisk behoort tot de Chavin cultuur die rond 900-200 B.C. in Peru bestaan heeft. De interpretaties die uitgekozen zijn voor dit onderzoek zijn door Rowe (1962) en Urton (1996) geschreven. De iconografische elementen van de obelisk worden eerst op een zo objectief mogelijke manier onderverdeeld om daarna te kijken hoe Rowe en Urton dit gedaan hebben en wat voor een interpretaties ze er aan gegeven hebben. Hierna wordt in een archeologische- historische kader naar de interpretaties gekeken waarbij de paradigma’s van de leidende archeologische stromingen van belang zijn. Als laatste wordt gekeken in hoeverre Rowe en Urton beïnvloed zijn door de paradigma’s die horen bij de stromingen waar ze toe behoren.Show less
This research deals with discovering how Herod the Great put the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple Complex to use within the political situation of the Roman Empire and the relation of the Empire...Show moreThis research deals with discovering how Herod the Great put the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple Complex to use within the political situation of the Roman Empire and the relation of the Empire with the Jewish People. As client king for the Roman Empire in Judea it was his job to prepare the Judean people for future incorporation in the Roman Empire, for which he used the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple. To prove this was indeed the case I will investigate how Herod used the Hellenistic architectural style – favoured by the Romans – within the Temple Mount Complex while still adhering to the Jewish rules and regulations concerning their Temple. To be able to do so I will be looking at a number of different case studies from various time periods and from approximately the same region as the Jewish Temple and comparing them to Herod’s Temple. These case studies are the Ba’al Temple in Palmyra, Herod’s Caesarea Maritima, Gerasa and the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. Each of these shall be discussed in some detail, as well as giving a detailed description of the Temple Complex itself. At this point the main similarities to the Temple Mount Complex shall be chosen from the case studies and put next to the information already gleaned from the Complex itself. This will show how Herod managed to maintain balance between the position of Judea and the future position it would hold within the Roman Empire.Show less
On the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts artifacts have been found at Pakefield and Happisburgh 3, indicating the presence of hominid activity. These artifacts were assigned to the organic layers of the...Show moreOn the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts artifacts have been found at Pakefield and Happisburgh 3, indicating the presence of hominid activity. These artifacts were assigned to the organic layers of the Cromer Forest-bed Formation. Pakefield is dated to 700 ka and resembled a Mediterranean climate, while the Happisburgh 3 artifacts are associated with a temperate boreal climate with an age of 780 ka. Research in understanding the Palaeolandscape and climate needs to be conducted on the organic layers at the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts. In this paper the lower organic layer at Beeston has been investigated. The research in this paper identified the macrofossils of 200 cubic centimeters from the first ten centimeters of the top of the lower organic layer. The local vegetation is consistent with a Potometea community, the local environment is a flooded basin or back-swamp in a River delta with some marine influences, and the climate represents a temperate climate. Other research of the layer as a quickscan of macrofossils through the entire layer shows no significant change of vegetation in the layer. Therefore we can assume that the layer represents one distinguished type of vegetation. Pollen data in the 10-11 centimeters of the layer shows an abundance of boreal mixed forests with wetland conditions. The identified local environment, vegetation, and climate is also found in the West Runton Freshwater Bed (MIS 15-17) and Happisburgh 3 (MIS 21,25). The West Runton Freshwater Bed is part of the hypothetical “Ancaster River”. The resemblance in vegetation and climate of Happisburgh 3 and Beeston indicates a possible presence of hominid activity within the lower organic layer of Beeston. However, the presenceof hominids and age of the lower organic layer cannot yet be determined.Show less
A few years ago a well-preserved Early Medieval (Merovingian) settlement was discovered near the banks of the river the Old Rhine that will play a vital part in the understanding of the...Show moreA few years ago a well-preserved Early Medieval (Merovingian) settlement was discovered near the banks of the river the Old Rhine that will play a vital part in the understanding of the habitational history in the coastal area in this period. These remains are threathened by development plans, which is why a large-scale excavation is taking place and will continue untill circa 2014. The central question in this thesis is wheter metallurgy was practiced in this settlement and if so, which metals were used. A majority of the metallic and metallurgy related finds have been examined. Besides (iron)slagmaterial a couple of crucibles and fragments thereof have been found, that point to the casting of unnoble metals. For this end they recycled material from existing objects. The motivation for the use of brass could be its gold colour. Concerning the slagmaterial the evidence seems to point more at the smithing of iron than iron production.Show less
