In 2004, an excavation of a tumulus in Rembeç, Albania, uncovered several small metal finds. The finds mainly consist of earrings, rings, buckles, beads and knives, which are generally dated...Show moreIn 2004, an excavation of a tumulus in Rembeç, Albania, uncovered several small metal finds. The finds mainly consist of earrings, rings, buckles, beads and knives, which are generally dated between the 7th and 9th century based on the ceramic goods from the same archaeological context. By comparing these metal items to other similar finds from the southern Balkan and Greece, I have determined that the finds likely hold a Slavic connection. The earrings are similar to earrings found in Croatia, Bulgaria and along the Pindus mountains, reaching into southern Albania and Greece. One ring type found at Rembeç is similar to a set of rings from a female grave from the Slavic cemetery in Argolis, Greece, but the ring type was also found in Central European female Slavic graves. What makes the locations of the items similar to Rembeç’s metal finds so interesting, is that they all in some manner relate to the movement of Slavic groups. The Slavs had close connections with the Avars who moved into Croatia, and the Bulgars. These connections may have led to the development of a similar jewellery style which the Slavs then spread during their migration into Albania and Greece. Specifically the finds along the Pinuds mountains and in Argolis illustrate how Slavic groups may have moved along the mountain range, reaching locations like Rembeç, Rehova and Përmet in Albania, but also Evrytania, Phtiotis and Argolis in Greece. Here, they may have either settled, or traded the Slavic earrings with local populations. My research concerns itself with the concept of “identity creation”, which can be illustrated by the spread of these finds. Slavic influence at Rembeç is highly likely, but this does not have to include a permanent Slavic presence. It can also illustrate how those who used these items placed a certain value on these items, using them to communicate their sense of “self” to those around them. These people buried at Rembeç used these “Slavic” items to construct their identity, and in doing so they became an intrinsic part of their outward presentation that they were included as grave goods after their deaths.Show less
Roughly from the beginning of the common era and the late fourth century, the area that now makes up the Netherlands functioned as a frontier zone of the Roman Empire. Its border was the Rhine,...Show moreRoughly from the beginning of the common era and the late fourth century, the area that now makes up the Netherlands functioned as a frontier zone of the Roman Empire. Its border was the Rhine, with the South of the river the territories under Roman rule, while the area to the North was part of an area called Germania by the Romans. The current North-Western Netherlands, consisting of the provinces of Noord-Holland, Friesland and partly Groningen, was the living area of a Germanic people or tribe named the Frisii. For a long time, local peoples at the borders of the Roman Empire have been regarded as a matter of secondary importance in not only the archaeology of the Roman Period but also in the museum context. While various reasoning lay at the basis of this, a crucial factor is the early 19th century concept of romanisation, which disregarded autonomy, authority, and self-identification of those who have been ascribed to the Germanic peoples over ‘being Roman’. In this thesis, as a focused case in the context of the previously mentioned, an exploration is made of the representation of the Frisii. Two questions stand central in this: ▪ How are the Frisii represented in museums in the North-Western Netherlands? ▪ Why are the Frisii (not) represented? These main research questions are subsequently divided into a set of sub-questions, focussing on various aspects of the representations. The study was conducted by analysing three different museums: The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (RMO) in Leiden, Huis van Hilde museum (HvH) in Castricum, and Archeologisch Museum Baduhenna (AMB) in Heiloo. As the living area of the Frisii has been ascribed to both the western and northern Netherlands and the study focuses on the western area, the Fries Museum (FM) in Leeuwarden was chosen as a comparative case study location. These locations were subjected to a thorough investigation, consisting of exhibition and (online) content analyses. Literature research on the background contexts and interviews with professionals from some of the organisations were conducted additionally. The reasoning for the latter was to better understand the motives behind (not)representing the Frisii and the here for chosen methods. As the study indicated, the representation of the Frisii at these locations varied in presentation methods and communicated narratives, underlining different approaches to Roman history, including Roman-centred, presented perspectives versus more autonomous ones. Various motives to represent the Frisii were identified, including the formation of regional identity and the substantiation of national history frames. In this, various forms of archaeological representations, didactic and non-didactic, are used to bring forth the presented narratives. In addition to these (re)presentations, a disarray of terminology was identified and discussed. This study explores all the issues previously mentioned and hopes to create a starting point for critically analysing the representation of local or ‘Germanic’ peoples in the Dutch Museum context, working towards the (re)presentation of a more inclusive Roman history of the Netherlands to the museum public.Show less
