This research delves into the preservation of wooden furniture excavated from Hercu- laneum, employing experimental archaeol- ogy. The primary goal is to comprehend the sequence of events leading...Show moreThis research delves into the preservation of wooden furniture excavated from Hercu- laneum, employing experimental archaeol- ogy. The primary goal is to comprehend the sequence of events leading to the survival of these artefacts. Central to this study is the research question of how experimen- tal archaeology can elucidate the lifespan and events surrounding archaeological ar- tefacts, particularly the wooden Roman furniture unearthed from Herculaneum. To address this question, the study delves into sub-questions related to the impact of the Vesuvius eruption on Herculaneum, the rep- lication of charring conditions, and the ef- fects of charring on wooden materials. Herculaneum faced pyroclastic surges and flows during the eruption, resulting in a 20-metre layer of ash and debris that pre- served wooden artefacts by rapidly sub- merging and preventing burning through oxygen deprivation. Samples were made in accordance with the wood and toolmarks found on the original artefacts, using ancient woodworking tools and two types of wood, oak and silver fir. Two charring methods, hot-ash and kiln charring, were designed and tested on the samples. Results indicate that hot-ash charring yields less blackening and carbonization com- pared to kiln charring with variations in vol- ume and weight loss between oak and silver fir samples. Notably, the combined process of hot-ash and kiln charring showed com- parable or reduced volume and weight loss compared to the sole kiln process, sug- gesting effective preservation. However, in terms of the traceability of tool marks ap- plied to the samples, no notable differences were found. All tested methods preserved the details of the samples after charring when performed correctly. Emphasising the need for improved meth- ods and tools to refine experiments, the research concludes that, despite challeng- es in method control in hot-ash firing, the combined charring method may result in the best preservation of the artefacts. With minor improvements, this method could be used to produce samples for experimental trials and in extent to gain a better under- standing of the Herculaneum furniture and how Roman carpenters made them.Show less
During an excavation in West Frisia, around the Westfrisiawg, many Bronze Age sites were found, containing a wealth of information about this region in the period. Among the finds were pound...Show moreDuring an excavation in West Frisia, around the Westfrisiawg, many Bronze Age sites were found, containing a wealth of information about this region in the period. Among the finds were pound/polishing ground stones showing use-wear traces of hide processing, likely done during leather making. In which step of the process these stones were used was still unclear however. Firstly the landscape, vegetation and fauna are discussed to get an idea of the region. Subsequently the sites where the finds were made are elaborated upon, showing life in the period. Both the house plans and settlement are discussed, as well as separate artifact categories that were found. The rest of the thesis is concerned with experimental archaeology, using similar pound/polishing stones to assess the practicality, prehistoric alternatives and macroscopic recognition of these pound/polishing stones. These ground stones are used to tan a cow hide to turn it into a fur. In three steps of this process the stones are used, with membraning, rubbing the fat tanning mixture (dressing) in, and lastly in the softening and stretching step. After this use-wear analysis is done, and the problems with the experiment are discussed, such as the age of the skin being too old, along with two out of the three pound/polishing stones not being useful, as they were more destructive than expected and wanted, especially while softening. The questions about practicality, usefulness and macroscopic recognition of these stones are answered.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
This thesis focuses on the use of experimental archaeology and residues analysis to further our understanding of the plant exploitation possibilities on the Crimean Peninsula during the Late...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the use of experimental archaeology and residues analysis to further our understanding of the plant exploitation possibilities on the Crimean Peninsula during the Late Pleniglacial period (19 -15 cal BP). Crimean plant exploitation during this period is not well understood despite palaeoenvironmental, archaeological and ethnobotanical data being available. The aim was to elicit the types of residues that would have been collected and how these residues could be made useful in archaeological applications. This was done by executing several experiments with stone tools and plants likely to have been on the peninsula during that period. The results showed interesting plant specific correlations with the tools as well as a consistent performance of starch accumulation across all tools. These results are a vital step towards creating a broader and a more inclusive reference collection for wild plants in order to understand the residues and what we need to look for in the field from an archaeological and palaeobotanical perspective.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
Food and its preparation are part of everyone’s daily life, and the interaction and usage of plants has always been deeply imbedded in human history. Therefore, by gaining a better understanding of...Show moreFood and its preparation are part of everyone’s daily life, and the interaction and usage of plants has always been deeply imbedded in human history. Therefore, by gaining a better understanding of how plants were processed and prepared, we can gain a better understanding of the daily lives of peoples of the past. To reconstruct the dietary practices of peoples of the past, different parts of the diet and their proxies, such as animal remains, faunal lipids, botanical lipids, isotopes and botanical macro- and microfossils can be analysed. Additionally, historical and ethnographical accounts may prove useful as a basis for these researches. However, as historical accounts are often incomplete or less clear due to the lack or prior knowledge of native plants and their preparation and consumption, these accounts could better be used as a basis for further research. One of the microfossils that can be analysed are starch grains. They are considered the only type of botanical microfossil remains which can be directly correlated with both the usage as well as the preparation of plants by humans from the past. The grains can be identified to species level based on their specific characteristics. However, he preparation of food and beverages by, for example, heating, grinding or fermenting starchy plants can damage the starch grains within. These preparation techniques do leave specific damage types however, which may be used to identify damage patterns in the archaeological record. It is therefore important to gain an understanding of these damages. This thesis aimed to research these damage patterns through conducting experiments on two crops native to the Americas, maize (Zea mays), and manioc (Manihot esculenta), and to get an answer to the research question: To what extent is it possible to identify the cultural processes involved with ancient food preparation in the circum-Caribbean area through recreating these processes and subjecting the residues to starch grain analysis? The experiments were based on ethnographic and ethnohistoric sources mentioning the foodways after the arrival of the Europeans to the New World. The results were then compared to previously published experiments, as well as archaeological starch grain analysis from two sites at the Dominican Republic. It was assessed that even though heating starch grains in humid or dry environments obscures certain damage types, some characteristic damage types could be observed. These types of damages were also encountered in the archaeological case studies, showing preparation techniques not mentioned by the ethnographic and ethnohistoric sources. This therefore shows the importance of conducting more experiments to gain a better understanding of food processing techniques in the past. More research will help with gaining a better understanding of past foodways and subsequently the daily life’s of peoples of the past.Show less
In this research, I wanted to personally test whether Rots (2010) extensive experimental research could aid my interpretation of hafting traces on a sample of artefacts from several Vlaardingen...Show moreIn this research, I wanted to personally test whether Rots (2010) extensive experimental research could aid my interpretation of hafting traces on a sample of artefacts from several Vlaardingen Group sites (Leidschendam, Voorschoten and Vlaardingen) (3400-2900 BC). This sample is particularly interesting to study, because it allows me to test the assumption that these small, flint scrapers must have been used hafted, because of their small size. Whilst testing a methodology against a seemingly common-sense assumption, the wider implications of hafting evidence for the interpretation of settlement function have not been forgotten. Unfortunately, certain processes, common in the life of an archaeological scraper, such as post depositional surface modification (PDSM) and resharpening episodes, have obscured the patterns of microwear traces which were more obvious on Rots’ experimental tools. My own experiments with replica hafted tools did, to some extent, elucidate the kinds of hafting traces that might occur on such tools, but for the scrapers from Leidschendam, PDSM often rendered the scrapers uninterpretable. Nevertheless, traces which could be interpreted as hafting traces were observed on some of these small scrapers! Microwear polishes suggesting at least two different haft materials, as well as some hafting-related edge damage and even spots of potential adhesive residues were recorded. This suggested at least 14 out 46 may have been hafted. For a few scrapers, the pattern of microwear traces was even sufficient to suggest a more detailed interpretation of the hafting arrangement. Furthermore, a couple of potential, hafting-related patterns emerged with differences in the incidence of hafting on different sites, and hafted scrapers having a subtly different morphology to non-hafted scrapers. The implications of these insights are then explored in the relation to the debate about the permanency of settlement at certain Vlaardingen sites. Although further hafting wear analysis of material from other Vlaardingen sites would also be useful in this discussion. Ultimately, the methodology proposed by Rots is found to be less applicable to the material studied than I had hoped and extra challenges for interpreting heavily retouched, archaeological tools are outlined.Show less
Ceramics are among the most commonly found materials recovered from the archaeological record. Ceramic objects can provide a variety of information about the life of people in the past. Therefore,...Show moreCeramics are among the most commonly found materials recovered from the archaeological record. Ceramic objects can provide a variety of information about the life of people in the past. Therefore, archaeologists have at their disposal a variety of (traditional) techniques to study pottery, in order to make inferences about the communities that used the pottery. Recently, analytical methods in the field of ceramic studies, such as residue analysis and microscopic use-wear analysis have developed. In this research, the applicability of use-wear analysis for ceramics is addressed. The methodology applied to this research integrates both use-wear analysis and experimental archaeology. The archaeological dataset consisted of ceramics from the Iron Age settlements of Mont Lassois and the Heuneburg and experimental vessels. The aim of this study was to create a reference collection for use-wear traces on ceramics and to study whether use-wear observed on the experimental vessels could be related to traces on the archaeological ceramics, in order to infer about ceramic function in the past. Unlike other archaeological materials, use-wear analyses on ceramics has not been widely applied yet (Skibo 2015). Replicas of vessels from Mont Lassois and the Heuneburg have been created at the Material Culture Studies Laboratory at the University of Leiden. A series of experiments was carried out in order to replicate various domestic activities such as food preparation, the storing of pots and cooking. The use-wear traces created during the experiments as well as observed on the archaeological ceramics were analyzed by means of a stereomicroscope. Microscopic pictures were taken of the use-wear traces, and the vessels have been drawn to record the traces, in order to establish a vast reference collection. In order to get a better understanding of pottery use and the accumulation of wear on vessels, the use-wear traces on the experimental vessels were compared to the archaeological material from Mont Lassois and the Heuneburg. It was determined that similar use-wear traces could be observed both on the experimental as well as on the archaeological material. Use-wear analysis can provide more detailed information about the actual use of pottery in the past. Therefore, an important step in the chaîne opératoire, or life biography, of pottery can be studied. To conclude, in a multidisciplinary research use-wear analysis can greatly add to existing analytical methods, providing specific information on the handling of vessels and their corresponding gestures.Show less
Part of the abstract of the thesis: "The research that is presented is based on an experimental construction of a dugout canoe at the experimental-archaeological center Horsterwold (NL) in 2015. A...Show morePart of the abstract of the thesis: "The research that is presented is based on an experimental construction of a dugout canoe at the experimental-archaeological center Horsterwold (NL) in 2015. A team of both experts and students constructed a dugout canoe made of lime wood in a few weeks time. The team used tools based on Mesolithic examples excavated in the Netherlands. Three groups of tools (toolkits) can be distinguished from the tools used to hollow out and shape the dugout canoe: tools made from antler, bone, and flint. The dugout canoe was constructed based on an example excavated at the site of Hardinxveld-Giessendam De Bruin, which has been dated to the Late Mesolithic. The dataset for the research presented here is the documented effectivity of the tools during the experiment. A preference for using tools made of organic material (antler and bone) above those made of inorganic material (flint) was noticed during the construction of the dugout canoe.Show less
Central to this study are the osseous artefacts of the Merovingian site of Oegstgeest Nieuw Rhijngeest-Zuid. It is one of the rare microwear studies focusing on bone and antler artefacts from a...Show moreCentral to this study are the osseous artefacts of the Merovingian site of Oegstgeest Nieuw Rhijngeest-Zuid. It is one of the rare microwear studies focusing on bone and antler artefacts from a Dutch Medieval context. The sixty-one bone and antler artefacts were recovered between 2009 and 2012. The material consisted of the following (morphological) categories: two-pointed bone rods, pointed bones, hemispherical objects, long bones, irregular bones with holes, worked antler, small pieces of worked bone and antler, combs and pins. Some unfinished artefacts and waste was also found. The artefacts were subjected to both archaeozoological and microwear analyses. One of the aims was to bring into view the organisation and production of the osseous artefacts. The raw material was selected on the basis of the natural shape, weight and other properties like flexibility. Antler was relatively flexible and often used for the production of composite combs. With regard to the local production, it is likely that most bone objects were produced by the user when needed. While most bone objects probably derived from a household production, antler artefacts (mainly composite combs) would have been purchased or traded with travelling craftsmen or merchants. This study also examined to what degree the various artefact forms were function specific. The osseous tools can be linked to different activities, various contact materials and involve different directions of motion and activity zones. Especially pins and two-pointed bone rods appeared to have been used in several crafts or were reused or multifunctional. Finally, it was investigated in which (craft) activities the osseous artefacts were involved, and what they revealed about the role of Oegstgeest within the Early Medieval region of the Old Rhine. The osseous artefact assemblage could be connected to several activities and common spheres: transport, leisure activities, personal utensils, symbolic or ritual activities and craft activities. There are no indications that the production of osseous artefacts, nor the craft activities in which they were involved, transcended the needs of the local inhabitants. Based on the study of the osseous artefacts, a regional function within the former region of the Old Rhine in the domain of crafts and/or raw material is not implied.Show less
In Dutch archaeology prehistoric houses are frequently used as sources of information on past societies. There hasn’t been much research on the construction of these houses, however. Even though...Show moreIn Dutch archaeology prehistoric houses are frequently used as sources of information on past societies. There hasn’t been much research on the construction of these houses, however. Even though anthropological studies show that the construction of a house vital is in understanding the links between house and society. This thesis develops a chaîne opératoire-based methodology for studying prehistoric house-construction and applies this methodology to develop an analogy for prehistoric house-construction. The latter goal is achieved by studying the reconstruction of a Late Neolithic house that was built during the Horsterwold-project. This project is an archaeological experiment that aimed to gain insights in prehistoric house-building and tool use by building a reconstruction of a Late Neolithic house with replicas of Neolithic and Mesolithic tools. All the use of tools and building-processes were monitored during the project. The results of this analysis consist of a chaîne opératoire for the Horsterwold House; an overview of traces from production processes which can serve to diagnose these; and quantifications for several of the building-processes. These results can be used as parallels for understanding the construction of the original house, but also as a starting-point for the analysis of prehistoric house-construction. Since the methodology was an essential element of the thesis, it was tested by analysing an Iron Age house from Ezinge, Groningen. This test demonstrated the broad applicability of the model when studying prehistoric house-construction. The most important result of this study is that we should understand prehistoric houses as the end product of a dynamic interaction between a large number of factors in a complex entanglement of processes. This complexity offers opportunities to study the connections between a large number of factors through an analysis of prehistoric house-construction.Show less
