This thesis analysed the extent to which physically impaired individuals are given deviant burial treatment in death in the late Roman and early medieval periods in central and southern Britain....Show moreThis thesis analysed the extent to which physically impaired individuals are given deviant burial treatment in death in the late Roman and early medieval periods in central and southern Britain. Until recently, disability has been overlooked in archaeological research, and modern biases have been unfairly projected on the past. This thesis made use of a literature review of excavation reports as well as osteological analyses to gain an understanding of the different ways individuals with physical impairments were treated after death, using five criteria by which to measure normative and non-normative practices: the treatment of the body, the type of internment, the funerary goods, the grave location and alignment, and the position of the body. Twelve graves containing impaired people were analysed specifically, allowing a comparison to be made between normative and deviant customs, and between these practices and those applied to these specific burials. This analysis revealed variability in treatment, and while deviancy was observed, this was not explicitly linked to negative attitudes towards disability. Furthermore, while there were differences between the two periods, considerable continuity in traditions could also be observed.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
under embargo until 2025-08-31
2025-08-31T00:00:00Z
Northern Gaul in Merovingian times (450-650 CE) is well known for its characteristic pottery assemblages in settlement- and burial sites consisting of wheel-thrown ceramics. Rooted in Roman...Show moreNorthern Gaul in Merovingian times (450-650 CE) is well known for its characteristic pottery assemblages in settlement- and burial sites consisting of wheel-thrown ceramics. Rooted in Roman traditions, these ceramics were produced in specialized potters workshops of which the majority was located along the rivers Rhine and Meuse. Another group of pottery, the handmade ceramics, however, are often given less attention. These handmade pots have often been perceived and described by archaeologists as rudimentary, poorly made and of low quality. In addition, they have been associated with Germanic culture. This is often followed by the assumption that this type of pottery is, in stark contrast to the wheel-thrown ceramics, made by unskilled potters, and therefore made locally on an occasional level in a household setting by woman and children. These claims are however based on modern assumptions only, since the production aspects of these handmade ceramics have hardly been studied. Furthermore, they show a strong bias that is rooted in our history with the industrial revolution and capitalism, and in value-associations and preconceptions regarding Roman and Germanic culture. The way archaeologists perceive and value these handmade ceramics should therefore not be mistaken for the perception and valuation of these ceramics by the early medieval societies that created and used them. By using an integrated chaîne opératoire approach that considers the technological, social and symbolic dimension of the production of ceramic vessels, this thesis attempts to gain insights on the production, perception and value of these handmade ceramics in the early medieval societies of Northern-Gaul. The ceramic assemblage of the recently excavated Merovingian cemetery of Nijmegen-Lentseveld (The Netherlands) was chosen as a case-study. At this site, roughly dating to the 6th century, an notably high concentration of handmade ceramics was found, together with well-known wheel-thrown vessels. This provided the unique opportunity to study both handmade and wheel-thrown ceramics together. A technological analysis, using a combination of macroscopic-, petrographic- and chemical techniques, was performed on the Lentseveld assemblage as well as on several local reference ceramics and clay samples. The results show that the production of the handmade ceramics found at the cemetery of Nijmegen-Lentseveld, was more complex than the assumed local household production. It is demonstrated that a large majority of the handmade ceramics from the site were made with a clay with very similar properties, that does not match with the clay samples collected in the vicinity of the site, nor with the known local ceramic productions. Although it was not possible to conclude with certainty whether the exact same clay source was used to create all ceramics and determine the location of such clay source, it can be concluded that the clay most likely was collected further away from the site and should be sought at a more regional level. The fact that there appears to be a consensus on the type of clay deemed suitable to create these ceramics and a similar or the same clay source was used for a large group of handmade ceramics, suggest the clay collection was rather well organized. This contradicts the previous assumptions of local household production whereby each household collects their own clay at a source near their house. The integrated chaîne opératoire approach used in this thesis has furthermore shown that production entails more than just technological actions, and also has a strong social and symbolic dimension. It uncovered the many material-, social – and imagined values that could have been associated with (the production of) handmade ceramics, such as the act of crafting itself, the transformation by fire and the value of materials. This shows that the perception and values attributed handmade ceramics by the early medieval societies of Northern Gaul who created and used them were mostly likely very different from negative perception and values projected onto these ceramics by archaeologists. This thesis therefore shows that there is a strong need for a re-evaluation and foremost a re-valuation of these handmade ceramics, and has taken the first step in doing so by taking a different approach to analysing them with the help of a case-study.Show less
This thesis analyses ‘odd deposits’ from the early medieval Low Lands coastal area (modern Netherlands and Belgium) and Anglo-Saxon England. ‘Odd deposits’ are deliberately placed in settlement...Show moreThis thesis analyses ‘odd deposits’ from the early medieval Low Lands coastal area (modern Netherlands and Belgium) and Anglo-Saxon England. ‘Odd deposits’ are deliberately placed in settlement context. They can be ritual or religious, but mundane as well. The deposits played a role in the several processes that sustained the early medieval settlement. The data for this thesis originates from official published archaeological reports and grey literature. This is ordered by material, date and context feature, to create a comparable overview. A variety of materials were used for ‘odd deposits’. Material categories include animal burials, animal skulls, human inhumations, pottery, stone artefacts, building material and plants/ wooden material. ‘Odd de-posits’ were placed at several settlement features. They are found within or in close association with earthfast buildings, enclosure ditches, sunken-featured buildings, wells and water pools. The data show us the great variety of objects and contexts used for ‘odd deposits’ in the early medieval Low Lands coastal area. There was a high local preference. Anglo-Saxon England was more homogenous when it concerns the deposition practice. Deposition took place in single or multiple events. Single event deposits were often associated with the construction or demolishing of features. ‘Odd deposits’ associated with the renewal phases of features often happened in multiple episodes. ‘Odd deposits’ could also have been part of a reciprocity system, where the deposition was used as a gift to ask the gods or ancestors for favours. The deposits can be analysed by object in combination with their context of deposition. Animal deposits of cattle, horse and dog had a high domestic value and are mostly found close or on the domestic area of the farmyard. This also counts for infant burials. Deviant burials, on the other hand, are mostly deposited at the edges of the settlements.Show less
In the municipality of Oegstgeest (NL), an early medieval settlement was excavated spanning an area of circa eight hectares. The excavation revealed both the core habitation areas and the periphery...Show moreIn the municipality of Oegstgeest (NL), an early medieval settlement was excavated spanning an area of circa eight hectares. The excavation revealed both the core habitation areas and the periphery of the settlement. Among the thousands of features and finds related to the daily activities of the inhabitants, 27 contexts were excavated that contained human remains, of which nine contained (partially) complete individuals, and 18 secondary deposited remains. The human remains and their associated contexts are the focus of this research. The human remains were subjected to various analyzes, which provided different views on the lives and deaths of the inhabitants of early medieval Oegstgeest. Based on the analysis of the geographical location of the remains, it was argued that the choice for burial location was influenced by the presence of landmarks with a liminal character, such as boundary ditches. The analysis of the burial features, and the position of the corpse therein, revealed a variety of body positions and sepulchers. The osteological analysis of the bones indicated that a minimum of thirteen individuals was represented in the assemblage. The primary inhumations consisted of both male and female individuals with a varying age-at-death. The demographic composition of the deviant burials and secondary deposits was highly homogenous, consisting almost exclusively of adult male individuals. Few pathological conditions were identified, but a relatively large number of bones (from secondary deposits) exhibited perimortem sharp force trauma and scavenging marks. From five individuals strontium and/or stable oxygen isotopes were analyzed to determine the area in which they were born. The results indicated that four individuals were not born in the coastal region of the Netherlands. It was possible to state that the five individuals were born in four different areas. Based on the isotope results, it was argued that early medieval migration flows were more diverse than previously thought. The final part of the thesis discussed cultural explanations for the phenomena that were observed in the assemblage of human remains. For the secondary deposits it was proposed that they were the product of an excarnation ritual. Possibly the wolf, raven and eagle - important animals in early medieval mythology- fulfilled a role in the excarnation process. Alternatively, the secondary deposits and deviant primary deposits might be the product of ritual offerings to specific Celtic deities. Sun or wheel symbols found in the settlement (such as in a deposit of human bones and on a silver bowl), were possibly also linked to a Celtic religious cult. The cremated remains of one individual, found in the fill of disused well, were interpreted as a foundation- or closure deposit. For the primary inhumations, which were exclusively found near the boundaries of habitation areas, it was proposed that they possibly served as territorial markers. Depositing deceased relatives at the periphery of the household estate might have strengthened the ancestral affiliation, and thereby the claim on the territory.Show less
The Merovingian period is between the Imperium Romanum lasting until the fourth century on one side and the Carolingian Empire from the middle of the eight century on the other side. In the debate...Show moreThe Merovingian period is between the Imperium Romanum lasting until the fourth century on one side and the Carolingian Empire from the middle of the eight century on the other side. In the debate on the economy of the Early Middle Ages, there is a contradictive understanding between the “ruralisation” implying “radical simplification” (Wickham 2005) and the continuation of long-distance trade with high peasant mobility (Theuws 2012; Theuws in press). The argument for putting long-distance trade back on the research agenda to challenge the dominance of the town-hinterland model (Theuws 2012, 30) is picked up in the MA thesis by dating and provenancing the barrels and timbers found in the linings of wells and revetments at the Oegstgeest-Rijnfront site, an early medieval riverine settlement on the bank of the Old Rhine in the Western Netherlands. The construction of Leiden’s BioScience Park demanded extensive excavations to document the archaeological record of the settlement ex-situ. Post-excavation analyses are still in process. The main aim of the present study was to compare the chronology and the socio-economic relations of the Oegstgeest-Rijnfront site with other riverine settlements along the Old-Rhine during the early medieval period and the rise of the emporia. Since precise dating can at present not be established by pottery, the current study focused on the archaeological timber finds. The aim was to determine (i) the felling dates and (ii) the geographical origin of the timber elements from the settlement by means of tree ring research. The results from the present tree-ring study and previous ones were synthesized. The data-set consists of 527 documented wooden elements recovered during the two campaigns of 2009 and 2014 and excavated from wells and revetments. The dendro-chronological study includes the measurement of 152 timber samples from 16 archaeological contexts, which reflect 96 TS. The TS were grouped into 6 TGs. In total 13 features of the present study could be dated. The results were compared with previous dendrochronological studies in order to synthesize all present data. Estimated felling dates (i.e. presence of sapwood) and exact felling dates (i.e. presence of a bark edge) have been taken as indicative for establishing absolute dated construction activity in the riverine settlement. The activity can be plotted most securely between AD 644 ± 1 to tpq AD 684 ± 8, but an earlier starting date of tpq AD 561 ± 5 needs to be taken in consideration. The provenance of the timbers of greenwood from the plank-lined wells compare best with the reference chronology that represent timbers that are excavated along the Dutch lower Rhine and Meuse rivers. The four Oak barrels from the barrel-lined wells and seven reused planks from a plank-lined water well have their geographical origin in the German Rhineland, predating the heyday of Dorestad, implying that long-distance trade can be detected in the Rhine estuary already before the rise of Dorestat as an emporium.Show less
Early Medieval exchange and surplus production of animals and animal products has received little attention in the archaeological literature. In order to create a picture of exchange and surplus...Show moreEarly Medieval exchange and surplus production of animals and animal products has received little attention in the archaeological literature. In order to create a picture of exchange and surplus production of animals and animal products in the Early Medieval period, the animal remains from the Merovingian settlement of Oegstgeest were analysed to determine whether exchange and surplus production took place at this settlement. A theoretical framework was set up in order to determine how exchange and surplus production can be recognised in the archaeozoological record. A number of aspects were deemed important in establishing whether exchange and surplus production took place in the past, including age and sex distributions, metrical- and non-metrical variation, skeletal element abundance and also stable isotope and aDNA analysis. Several of these aspects of the Oegstgeest faunal assemblage were researched. Results show that there was no large scale exchange and surplus production of animals and animal products at Oegstgeest. Results do, however, indicate that pork, beef and sea fish may have been brought into the settlement from elsewhere.Show less
