This thesis explores the life of gunflints from Dutch cargo ship and mercantile contexts, and from a military Nepalese British context through a use-wear and contextual perspective. Typological...Show moreThis thesis explores the life of gunflints from Dutch cargo ship and mercantile contexts, and from a military Nepalese British context through a use-wear and contextual perspective. Typological assessment and microscopic analysis of micro-wear and residue are employed in tracing the origin, the use-wear, the use-life and death of gunflints from these archaeological contexts. Experimental material is employed for comparative analysis of the use-wear. The resulting conclusions focus on the relationship between the use-wear and the historical contexts of the samples; the adequacy of high-power analytical techniques for use-wear analysis of gunflints and the limitations imposed by current lack of standardisation across this field of study. Analysis by the high-power approach has shown that use-wear varies in manifestation and degree across flint type, whose state and hence study is impacted by depositional factors. Furthermore, a cross-referencing of past publications has highlighted key issues in the modern study of historical gunflints. Finally, a methodology is proposed for the analysis and data collection of distinctive morphological features.Show less
This research attempted to answer the following question: ‘What was the function of the Mesolithic small (<88,5mm) barbed bone points from the North Sea and what does this contribute to our...Show moreThis research attempted to answer the following question: ‘What was the function of the Mesolithic small (<88,5mm) barbed bone points from the North Sea and what does this contribute to our understanding of subsistence strategies of the inhabitants of the North Sea Basin?’ In order to answer this question an assemblage of 28 archaeological small barbed bone points – that originate from the North Sea in front of the Dutch coast of Zuid-Holland – was studied. This thesis started in chapter 1 with an outline of research that was already conducted on these points by Verhart (1986; 1988; 2000) Tsiopelas (2010) and Spithoven (2016). Thereafter, it was explained in chapter 2 how the research was conducted: literature research, experimental archaeology and use wear analysis. In chapter 3, it was outlined how these points fit within the archaeological context: Mesolithic Doggerland. The shooting experiment conducted for this research was discussed in chapter 4 and in chapter 5 the results of this experiment were compared with the results of the use wear analysis. The use wear analysis was conducted on 28 archaeological points in comparison to six experimental points from the shooting experiment. In chapter 6, the social factors which could have influenced the life history of the points were discussed, as well as their function and the representativeness of this research. In the concluding chapter of this thesis (7) the research question was answered followed by a review of the used methods and suggestions for future research. The function of the small barbed bone points from Mesolithic Doggerland could be inferred from the use wear analysis. The points are all (heavily) curated weapon tips. They have developed a high degree of wear and about half of the studied points have remains of reworked barbs present as well. The research area is only a small area of Mesolithic Doggerland which already yielded about 800 of these small barbed bone/antler points. The curation of these points, the function as weapon tips and the overrepresentation within the archaeological record of Mesolithic Doggerland suggests that these weapons were used very frequently. Therefore, it can be inferred that hunting was one an important subsistence strategy. The most used hunting weapon could have been the bow and arrow because the small points are interpreted as arrowheads. However, the use wear analysis could not confirm that the points were specifically used as arrowheads.Show less
