In the 1980s, archaeological studies near the village of Valkenburg, South-Holland, unearthed the skeletal remains of individuals buried at the Valkenburg-Marktveld cemetery during the Roman period...Show moreIn the 1980s, archaeological studies near the village of Valkenburg, South-Holland, unearthed the skeletal remains of individuals buried at the Valkenburg-Marktveld cemetery during the Roman period. Part of multiple Roman fortifications along the Limes dating from 40 A.D. onwards, the cemetery was likely used as a burial ground for inhabitants of the Valkenburg fort or nearby vicus, a civilian settlement. The cemetery comprised at least 250 cremated individuals as well as 47 inhumations, which is a striking find that contradicts the common Roman practice of cremation. Due to these inhumated skeletal remains, the site provides an unique opportunity to employ osteoarchaeological analysis to reconstruct the lives of individuals that lived in the Roman Frontier region. This thesis utilizes cross-sectional geometry and bilateral asymmetry analysis to infer activity patterns among individuals at the Valkenburg-Marktveld cemetery, as current research on the differences in bone geometry between different demographic groups within Roman communities in the Lower Rhine area is limited. The study further investigates the factors and potential activity patterns that might influence those variations, such as biological age and sex. To do so, it builds on the initial osteoarchaeological study conducted by Lonnée and Maat (1998), who reported the estimated sex and age-at-death of each individual. Following this, each relevant bone in the upper and lower limbs was measured on various points to generate the indices for each point of measurement, as well as calculate the percentage directional asymmetry (DA%) and absolute asymmetry (AA%). The resulting values were then compared statistically between the biological sexes and age-at-death categories. While statistical significance is limited, the interpretation of data highlights the potential of these analyses in inferring activity patterns. Results from the analysis indicate that males tend to display more robust and symmetric upper and lower limbs than females, which are likely attributable to biological factors or a wider range of activities in males. Age-at-death categories exhibited inconsistencies with patterns described in other study, which is possibly due to natural variation or the limited preservation and availability of the skeletal material. Despite the limited number of individuals that could be examined, this thesis contributes valuable insights into the application of cross-sectional geometry and bilateral asymmetry analysis in osteoarchaeological studies, complementing historical data and broadening our understanding of activities in Roman frontier regions.Show less
This research is the follow-up of a research previously carried out on the structures and traces of the Valkenburg Marktveld excavation. These have been in part re-examined in order to make the...Show moreThis research is the follow-up of a research previously carried out on the structures and traces of the Valkenburg Marktveld excavation. These have been in part re-examined in order to make the findings more up to date. For this research the original excavation documentary has been utilised. The publications by the original excavators and the books and article by Robert van Dierendonck have been used as the current standard. New research has been used and compared to the old data, such as the 2018 article of rural granaries by Javier Dominguez. A summary of Dutch Roman military granaries has been compiled. This list has been used to compare the different granaries and to test their capacity, using several methods. Three new methods are proposed and one of these methods is also tested. For the first time, the wells of the military area have been examined in some detail. The results show relative late dates, that indicate a use in the second century AD. Sadly, well 47 could not be dated more specific than between 75 and 260.Show less
Analyzing the spatial distribution of diagnostic ceramics, this study provides a more detailed insight into the development of the early to central medieval settlement located at Valkenburg De...Show moreAnalyzing the spatial distribution of diagnostic ceramics, this study provides a more detailed insight into the development of the early to central medieval settlement located at Valkenburg De Woerd. To doing so, both ceramics and features such as wells and ditches have been plotted using a Geographical Information System. This research concerning the analysis of pottery from De Woerd is the third in line and specifically focuses on ceramics found in the southern part of the settlement. In this thesis results of quantities of fabrics and vessel types are presented and discussed. All ceramics in a settlement context have been analyzed including those of two previous studies. The development of habitation is presented by both the spatial distribution of diagnostic ceramics as well as the topographical location of dated features. This discussion however also relates to the impact of site formation processes, since they will have had an impact on the spatial distribution of both ceramics and dated features. Especially a combination of ploughing and levelling has affected higher situated levees resulting in the disappearing of the original surface. Despite these site formation processes, both the assemblage of the northern and southern part of the settlement yielded similar ratios in fabrics and vessel types. This is also concluded when the assemblage from the settlement is compared to the overall collection of ceramics found in trench 510 located in a gulley. By combining all three collections and comparing this complete assemblage with other contemporaneous sites, it can be concluded that the ratios concerning fabric and vessel types, De Woerd fit well in the regional image of the use of pottery in the early medieval period. It is argued that habitation started at around AD 575/600 and continued into the Carolingian period. In the first half of the tenth century there may have been a short hiatus in habitation in the excavated part of the settlement. Habitation may have been present further east. The start of habitation linked to this later phase could be placed at around AD 950 and came to an end in the first half of the twelfth century. Based on the spatial distribution of diagnostic ceramics as well as the location of dated ditches and wells, it is concluded that all parcels on site were inhabited during the Merovingian and Carolingian period. During the Carolingian period, habitation shifted further in an eastward direction and the area became in use as agricultural land. In the central medieval period habitation in the excavated area consisted of a single farmstead, located at the southern part of the site.Show less
