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
Contemporary archaeological research often works under the assumption that towns in the Early Middle Ages were static features in the landscape. However, recent studies show that early medieval...Show moreContemporary archaeological research often works under the assumption that towns in the Early Middle Ages were static features in the landscape. However, recent studies show that early medieval town development was much more diverse and spatially mobile than previously thought. In this thesis, I aimed to distinguish different types of town development, and endeavoured to find out what events and characteristics may contribute to a town’s spatial development. I did this by researching eight towns and looking at characteristics which I believed would shed light on the question why some towns appear to display more mobility than others during their development in the Early Middle Ages. This included looking at the presence of ecclesiastical structures, trade, and profane power, as well as natural features in the landscape. I found that out of the eight towns that I researched, five displayed signs of spatial mobility, two seemed to remain static in the landscape, and one displayed a third, previously unconsidered option; the presence of multiple, independently functioning settlement cores that were present within a Roman fortification structure in the same time period. This motivated me to name these three development types mobile towns, static towns and polyfocal towns respectively. Furthermore, I concluded that while it is possible to distinguish different types of town development in the Early Middle Ages when looking at it in a broad sense, it is not possible to distinguish between the different types when looking at one specific characteristic. All towns were alike in the sense that they were all located along major waterways and had a Roman predecessor. I also found that ecclesiastical presence does not always necessarily coincide with civil habitation. This counters the commonly accepted assumption that churches and other religious structures functioned as ‘anchors’ in the landscape, around which habitation was always present. For further research I suggest that the control group be expanded to include more early medieval towns. Furthermore, I believe it would be beneficial to include a larger variety of towns, for example, towns that are not located along major waterways and towns that did not have a Roman predecessor. I am confident that if the scale of the research is widened, it is possible to come to a clearer conclusion concerning the spatial movement of early medieval towns.Show less
The earliest Middle Ages are known as the Merovingian period and start around 450 AD and last until 720 AD. This period is often described as “Dark Ages” because of the contrast with the Roman...Show moreThe earliest Middle Ages are known as the Merovingian period and start around 450 AD and last until 720 AD. This period is often described as “Dark Ages” because of the contrast with the Roman period. This distinction is colored but nevertheless is it true that the Netherlands were more scarcely habited in this period. The Dutch landscape and its influence on the quality of habitation are important factors. Merovingian people were aware of the landscape and tried to adjust their habitation to the landscape. This resulted in a distribution of settlements in areas were habitation was most favorable and easy. Another important factor in this period for them was trade, this is something they had in common with their predecessors. They maintained large networks of trade and exchange and were able to explore the world. This is important for the origin, production, distribution and traditions within luxury goods such as metal and glass objects. The Early Middle Ages are an underexplored period. This goes especially for the many find categories found in Merovingian cemeteries such as the glass vessels. Glass vessels are magnificent products of early medieval crafts. It needs a lot of skill to make them and raw materials came from afar. It is strange that they have not been the subject of intensive research yet, although new research is started in the countries surrounding the Netherlands. Research in the Netherlands lags behind. There are no typologies or studies for the complete glass vessel dataset for the Merovingian period. For this thesis it was chosen to limit the study to the finds known from cemeteries. Two topics are addressed: the role of glass vessels in the Merovingian burial ritual and what the distribution of glass vessels in Merovingian graves do tell us about exchange mechanisms in the Merovingian period. This second topic is a pilot to see if any interesting information and new research topic were to be found. This topic was limited due to the amount of time available for this master thesis. Many new insights were found in this thesis regarding the typological distribution of glass vessels; type, color and decorations. One of the most important results is the distinction between glasses from the Rhine and Maas valley. They seem to represent a difference in production for the Rhineland and eastern Belgium/northern France. This is important because this shows us the origin of glasses and is a start for the research on trade and exchange for the whole Merovingian period. This thesis shows that further research is important, interesting and will probably provide new insights for the whole Merovingian period. Therefore a list of suggestions for further research is added to provide some ideas.Show less
