Toward the end of the Late Bronze Age, conflicts, widespread migrations and climate change culminated in the collapse of centers of political power across the Aegean and the Near East. The period...Show moreToward the end of the Late Bronze Age, conflicts, widespread migrations and climate change culminated in the collapse of centers of political power across the Aegean and the Near East. The period that followed, the Early Iron Age, was marked by a decrease in settlement size, population, and interregional contact. These large changes are associated with a change in diet, toward a subsistence strategy of diversification rather than intensification. During the Archaic Period, climate improved, poleis start to form and a period of regeneration begins. By the Hellenistic Period, centralized power in the form of large kingdoms and highly populated urban centers exist, and long distance contact with Egypt and the Near East reaches an unprecedented scale. The question arises therefore if these large societal changes once again are mirrored by a change in diet within Greece. In order to investigate this, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis is done on human skeletal remains from the Early Iron Age sites of Halos in Thessaly, and Makrigialos in Greek Macedonia. From those same locations, skeletal material dating to the Hellenistic Period in the case of Halos and the Classical Period in the case of Makrigialos is also investigated. Using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis, assessment and comparison of diet within and between the sites is done. Diet reconstruction based on skeletal isotopic data suggests that diet did indeed change from the Early Iron Age into later periods. All examined groups were agropastoral, with a diet based on C3 plant consumption and terrestrial animal products. At Halos, millet was consumed during the Early Iron Age, but not in the Hellenistic Period. As the climate became wetter, millet was no longer a necessary food source. Instead, there is evidence of marine food intake and increased consumption of processed secondary animal products, and possibly greater consumption of luxury goods. This could indicate import of food, as this would alleviate stress related to food production and allow for effort to go toward a more varied diet with luxury additions. At Makrigialos, millet remained a substantial dietary component from the Early Iron Age into the Classical Period, but animal protein intake increased.Show less
This Graduation Project revolves around the real caste study and co-creation project Berk&Hout which is situated on the boundary of the municipalities Tilburg and Udenhout (the Netherlands). An...Show moreThis Graduation Project revolves around the real caste study and co-creation project Berk&Hout which is situated on the boundary of the municipalities Tilburg and Udenhout (the Netherlands). An important element in the development of this new residential area was the excavation of a Late Bronze Age/ Early Iron Age urnfield together with settlement traces from the Bronze Age and Roman Period. The aim of this paper was to explore the possibilities of co-creation projects for archaeological research, especially for its public outreach including citizen participation. Co-creation is an upcoming concept in the field of public archaeology, a branch of archaeology that concerns itself with the interaction between the archaeological research and the public. The intention of co-creation is to create an environment in which all stakeholders of a project work together to define the goals of a project, create the plan and make joint decisions. In order for co-creation to become increasingly prevalent in the field of archaeology, the establishment of two treaties by the Council of Europe were necessary. It started with the implementation of the Malta convention (1992), which ensured conservation and protection of the archaeological heritage and with that the role of the archaeologists in society and within (development) projects. At the same time, with the Malta convention the importance of the accessibility of heritage and the role of public awareness was considered. In the Faro convention (2005) the focus on participation in cultural heritage was developed even further. The framework aided the shift in focus from how Europe’s heritage should be protected to why heritage should be accorded value. Its intention was to change the role of the public in assigning value to heritage and emphasizes that heritage should not just be defined by the heritage professionals: the democratization of heritage. It was an important step in order to facilitate co-creation projects because of a shift in the agency, the valorisation and inclusiveness of cultural heritage. The Faro convention also mentions the potential of heritage as resource for sustainable development and ability to enhance the quality of life through placemaking and creation of communities. Five case studies from Netherlands and its neighbouring countries demonstrated the potential that archaeology has in co-creation projects when designing with archaeology is used. Based on the master plan of Berk&Hout, the scientific results of the archaeological research and the stakeholder analysis, it was decided to physically implement the archaeological heritage in the landscape of Berk&Hout through designing with archaeology. Three designs were suggested that were themed around several steps from the ladder of citizen participation; information, concertation and co-creation. This research by design made apparent the possibilities and challenges that designing with archaeology offers for the field of archaeology and heritage within co-creation projects. It is a permanent and sustainable way to physically represent the heritage of a place. With active involvement of the stakeholders it can lead to community building and enhance the quality of life for an area. Co-creation and ‘designing with archaeology’ can transform the space of the development project Berk&Hout into a place again: from cremation to co-creation.Show less
Research on urn cremations from the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (c. 1350-500 BC) found in Northwestern continental Europe has been scarce over the last decades. Especially in terms of what...Show moreResearch on urn cremations from the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (c. 1350-500 BC) found in Northwestern continental Europe has been scarce over the last decades. Especially in terms of what urn cremations contain, and if these contents are positioned in a certain way. This has resulted in the notion that Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age burials are simple graves, with simple funerary practices. However, this research reveals a variety of choices was made throughout the funerary process, which makes these funerary practices increasingly more complex than assumed. To study these past funerary practices, this research examined the choices made in terms of what Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age urn cremations contain, and the position of these contents. This was achieved through a literature study of sites in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany, and by conducting a case study on a Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age urn cremation from Venlo-Zaarderheiken (Limburg, the Netherlands). The latter allowed the examination of the contents and their position inside this urn cremation in detail. As a result, a variety of choices and actions concerning the contents and their position inside these urn cremations became visible through this dataset. This indicated funerary practices were more elaborate than thought; cremated human remains were carefully collected from the pyre remains, after which they were occasionally positioned inside the urn. Pyre remains were generally not added, in contrast to grave goods which often accompanied the dead on the pyre during cremation as well. Before the final deposition, the cremated human remains were covered with ceramics or stone slabs to prevent contamination with soil or to protect them from (accidental) digging activities. Thus, this research yielded a lot of new information on Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age funerary practices in Northwestern continental Europe, which proves these practices were more elaborate than initially thought.Show less
In this thesis the added value of using μ-CT scans in the study of archaeological textiles is studied. To study the potential of this technique, two samples of the textiles from the sites of Oss...Show moreIn this thesis the added value of using μ-CT scans in the study of archaeological textiles is studied. To study the potential of this technique, two samples of the textiles from the sites of Oss-Vorstengraf and Uden-Slabroekse Heide were analysed. These Early Iron Age sites are among the few prehistoric sites that have brought forth preserved archaeological textiles. The sites were chosen because of their precise dating and their thoroughly documented context information. The textiles fragments of both sites have been mineralised through their contact with metal objects and thus have been mineralised. For this research the two samples were scanned with μ-CT at a synchrotron facility. The μ-CT data was used to create 3D representations of the scanned textiles. The potential of μ-CT in the study of archaeological textiles was assessed by comparing the 3D representations of the textiles, with the results of the analysis with SEM, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and the results of the technical analysis of the same samples. With the 3D representations of the textiles, it is possible to thoroughly study the structure of a textiles from all possible angles and it provides the ability to create cross-sections of the textile. To assess the preservation of the textile and the determine the source of the fibres, SEM is the most optimal technique to be used, since it provides the required view of the surface of the individual fibres, which is lost with the 3D representations. Still, when using μ-CT to study archaeological textiles, the costs and efforts to create the 3D representations should be taken into account. In the future, the combination of μ-CT and SEM might prove to be a valuable combination to study archaeological textiles.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
In the light of the current interests in hybridity in archaeology this thesis tries to find a transparent way to detect hybridity in grey-ware of Early Iron Age Iberia. This pottery type is...Show moreIn the light of the current interests in hybridity in archaeology this thesis tries to find a transparent way to detect hybridity in grey-ware of Early Iron Age Iberia. This pottery type is presumed to be a hybrid ware that has evolved from the influences of local preference for ceramics made with techniques introduced by the Phoenician ‘colonizers’. A case study investigates this issue in the grey-ware assemblage from the site of Cerro Manzanillo in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura. Clearly the analysis of this assemblage poses theoretical as well as practical problems. The obscurities around the parameters to classify grey-ware in the past together with a general lack of understanding about the boundaries and meaning of the stylistic evolution of material culture lead to the conclusion that hybridity is not a good concept to describe this type of material culture. Rather, hybridity can be used to describe the processes behind stylistic change although this is only a valuable classification when this term is defined more accurately.Show less
