Around the 12th century AD in Japan, a cultural transition takes place on the northern island of Hokkaido: Okhotsk culture and Satsumon culture (approx. 6th to 12th century AD) come to an end as...Show moreAround the 12th century AD in Japan, a cultural transition takes place on the northern island of Hokkaido: Okhotsk culture and Satsumon culture (approx. 6th to 12th century AD) come to an end as Ainu culture emerges. The Okhotsk people, focused strongly on exploitation of marine resources, originated on the island of Sakhalin and migrated south to Hokkaido and along its northeastern coast. The Satsumon people on the other hand, lived mostly in riverine settlements on the southern half and inland of Hokkaido. They practiced agriculture of wheat, barley and millet, as well as salmon fishing. This cultural transition is not yet well understood. I will focus on the role of Okhotsk culture in this process. How did interaction and exchange of Okhotsk people with Satsumon culture impact its decline and the transition to proto-Ainu culture on Hokkaido? To investigate this issue, Peer Polity Interaction theory is applied. Within this framework, eight different types of interaction are defined: competition, competitive emulation, warfare, transmission of innovation, symbolic entrainment, ceremonial exchange of valuables, flow of commodities, and language and ethnicity. This theory avoids insinuating dominance of one group over the other, and allows for the incorporation not just of material culture but also symbolic aspects. Using the English sources available, 32 Okhotsk sites have been examined for evidence of interaction and exchange with Satsumon culture according to these categories. The existing theories about the decline of Okhotsk culture involving migration, trade and warfare have been analyzed, and then reevaluated based on the results of the Peer Polity Interaction approach. Evidence of Satsumon pottery at Okhotsk sites, iron goods and import of bear cubs all points to a larger reliance on trade and exchange than previously assumed, to the detriment of Okhotsk production. This increased interaction allowed for symbolic entrainment to occur, leading to a more widespread adoption of an early form of the bear sending ceremony. This ritual is known ethnographically from later Ainu culture, but not Satsumon culture which is said to be its main ancestor. This research aims to contribute to our understanding of interaction between marine hunter-gatherers and agricultural people.Show less
The famous archaeological site of Bamiyan in present day Afghanistan, besides portraying grand achievements of culture and religion, was also the foci for trans migration around the Hindu Kush...Show moreThe famous archaeological site of Bamiyan in present day Afghanistan, besides portraying grand achievements of culture and religion, was also the foci for trans migration around the Hindu Kush region. Between the 5th and 8th centuries, Bamiyan and other adjacent archaeological sites in Central Asia, were connected by a highly developed network of trade. The visual culture of Bamiyan, aside from the two Great Buddhas, suggests there was a necessity to represent ideology and power of the social elite in symbolic ways. At Bamiyan, frescos depict many figures with different type headdresses or crowns. The depiction of these crowns is also found in other archaeological sites and on coins distributed throughout present day Central Asia and China. The details of a headdress or crown suggest characteristics of the social or political identities of the individual or group depicted. The similar type crowns found on figures in other geographical contexts may indicate a degree of interaction between Bamiyan and other religious and trade centers.Show less
Since the beginning of research on the Indus civilisation of northwest South Asia the issue of social and political organisation has been unresolved. Even basic things such as the bases for social...Show moreSince the beginning of research on the Indus civilisation of northwest South Asia the issue of social and political organisation has been unresolved. Even basic things such as the bases for social status and power are still unclear. The distribution of the Indus stamp seals and their iconography can give us some indication of social organisation within settlements. A more detailed analysis comparing them to different types of artefacts may result in a more nuanced understanding of social and economic hierarchies. This thesis will analyse variation in Indus seals across sites through analysis of an up-to-date corpus Indus stamp seals at the city of Mohenjo-Daro. The spatial distribution of the seals will be compared with the distribution of four types of artefacts linked to social organisation, trade and ideology: figurines, bangles, several types of beads and weights. This will also be reintegrated with architectural data. My hypothesis is that the distribution of seals within cities might be more indicative of their specific function in trade and administration than just the socioeconomic status of the owner. If this is the case, then variation in distribution may reflect different uses of the seals occurring in different areas of Mohenjo-Daro. There is a complex relationship between status, ideology and the expression of that status in the archaeological record. Studying one category of evidence, such as seals, bangles or architecture separate from each other will only give an incomplete picture; these types of data need to be combined to achieve a more complete understanding of them.Show less
Tombs from various areas in the world have been reopened in antiquity. In this thesis the reopened Xiongnu period (200BC – 150 AD) graves are reinterpreted in different ways to compare them with ...Show moreTombs from various areas in the world have been reopened in antiquity. In this thesis the reopened Xiongnu period (200BC – 150 AD) graves are reinterpreted in different ways to compare them with ‘pristine’ graves. The goal of this thesis is to get insight in the degree in which reopened graves differed from intact graves and explore the existence patterns of that show in which way these graves are different from each other. The size and type of a tomb and what coffin type was inside were compared to the difference in human remains and artefacts in the grave. These were set against the space in which they were found, which gives insight in the (distribution) patterns. For the artefacts both a quantitative and qualitative analysis was made. The burial size and the age category of the deceased proved to be closely linked with each other. The graves that became the target of a reopening contained of both adult and child burials. The burials of adults did not contain human remains, while the child burials did contain portions of the skeleton. Which might be related to a different treatment of graves from different age categories. The quantitative analysis of artefacts showed that reopened adult burials contained a relatively lower amount of grave goods, compared to the other graves as well as the amount of artefacts inside the other tomb spaces. The qualitative approach provided an overview of the difference between reopened tombs and pristine tombs. They differ in that the pristine adult burials that did not contain cart parts and belt plaques, while the reopened adult burials did contain these objects. This difference probably explained by a different gender status. The other goal was to show who was responsible for the reopening and when this happened, but the data for this was to thin.Show less
The interactions among two or more cultures have always had a great importance for what concerns archaeology, since the influences these have had on material culture have often triggered intrinsic...Show moreThe interactions among two or more cultures have always had a great importance for what concerns archaeology, since the influences these have had on material culture have often triggered intrinsic processes within the society. As a consequence, a new tradition would have been created where it is not possible anymore to recognise what is a foreign element and what is an autochthonous one. In the case of the Japanese archipelago, the relations between the Kyūshū island, the Chinese Han empire and the southern part of the Korean Peninsula led to a material culture which shows the different natures these relations had. Furthermore, these relations triggered some socio-political processes which led to a political hierarchy which reflected especially on the development of the mortuary architecture of the mounded tombs typical of the Kofun Period (250-710 AD). This thesis aims to analyse the nature of the interactions between Kyūshū and the Korean Kingdom of Paekche, as well as the influences these interactions had on the mortuary architecture of the Late Kofun Period (475-710 AD). The phenomenon of the decorated tombs will be taken as specific case study of a shared element between the two cultures. The discussion of the data gathered specifically for this thesis, regarding 21 sample sites from Fukuoka and Kumamoto prefectures, attempts to show how through the decorated tombs it is possible to gain new information regarding the Late Kofun society in Kyūshū, and how interactions not always lead to a complete adoption of foreign element. Using literary analysis and Barnes’ (2007) similar research regarding the two previous phases of the Kofun Period, preliminary results show evidence that the interactions between Ky¬ūshū and southern Korea during the late Kofun Period were not as one-sided as is often believed. The Late Kofun decorated tombs appear to be neither merely a copy of Korean examples, nor a completely indigenous innovation, but rather a combination of the two. Where the differences in decoration show a distinct separate identity base on long previous traditions, the similarities in architecture show evidence of “Peer Polity Interaction”, a theory expounded by Renfrew (1986) and evidenced for the earlier two periods in Barnes’ (2007) research.Show less
Since the turn of the century, there has been a notable increase in the popularity of depictions and exhibitions featuring Japanese prehistoric figurines, better known as dogū. These artefacts from...Show moreSince the turn of the century, there has been a notable increase in the popularity of depictions and exhibitions featuring Japanese prehistoric figurines, better known as dogū. These artefacts from the Jōmon Period (about 15.600 to 3200 years BP) with a supposed ritual purpose increasingly show up in and outside of archaeology. In this paper I look for a possible explanation for this recently heightened interest. This is done by asking two questions: 1. Where are dogū present, and 2. how can this be explained? Going from Japan’s identity and the nature of their connection with the past, in this paper I look for the ulterior motives and goals behind the presence of dogū where they are most often seen: museums, art, popular culture/media. The first part, an analysis of dogū in Japan, shows that Japan’s view of its Jōmon past has changed since World War II. Out of nationalism a link is created with a past in which Japan was supposedly still unique and pure. Dogū reflect this and have thus come to represent Jōmon heritage. Good characteristics and aspects are selectively emphasized. In this way a generalizing story is created, that unfortunately negatively impacts the diversity that existed in the past. On the other hand, the mysticism and mysterious nature of dogū are a source of inspiration for artists and popular media such as anime, manga and videogames. The second half investigates the presence of dogū in the West, which can be largely attributed to several researchers who publicize across country borders and have brought dogū to Western museums. A case study of the ‘Power of Dogū’ and ‘Unearthed’ exhibitions offers insight into the goals behind this kind of exhibition. The Jōmon period and its dogū are used to represent the cultural traditions of Japan. In the debate on world heritage too dogū are used to promote the Jōmon period, as evidenced by my case study of a debate on Jōmon heritage in Paris.Show less
From the second century BC and the second century AD the Xiongnu lived in the region that is now modern Mongolia, Southern Russia and North China. They were a powerful entity that was North of the...Show moreFrom the second century BC and the second century AD the Xiongnu lived in the region that is now modern Mongolia, Southern Russia and North China. They were a powerful entity that was North of the Han empire. The written sources from the Han dynasty show us that the Xiongnu tribe was hierarchically ordered, with the chanyu at the top. The status of the chanyu was hereditary. This made the Xiongnu empire the first and most stable steppe empire that has ever existed. In the graveyards from the Xiongnu there are tombs of several sizes and types. I’ve investigated these differences through by focussing on square tomb and one circular tomb in four case studies with a model to get insight into the spaces were grave goods and animal sacrifices are deposited. In these case studies I explored the similarities and differences between these tombs, that vary in their size. By comparing these tombs I hoped to get insight in the mortuary ritual. I’ve compared the tombs through their size, artefact assemblage and offers that are placed in spaces in the tomb. To get an answer to the assumption that tomb size is a indication for the status of the buried person and if there are other markers that can point to a higher status in society. In the historical sources there are several accounts that a carriage and loads of other items were given to the chanyu and his family by the Han emperor. This indicates that tombs with carriages inside might be attributed to the highest members of society. The results of this study show that the largest tombs have some features that are absent in smaller tombs. These features are a carriage from the Han and animal sacrifices that are placed in a different place than the other tombs. The larger tombs also seem to have more animal sacrifices compared to the smaller ones. Therefore there are more indications for a high status than just the size of the tomb.Show less
Trade is seen by most archaeologist, working with Medieval Southeast Asia, as the main reason for economic development and social interaction. However, through a study of the archaeological and...Show moreTrade is seen by most archaeologist, working with Medieval Southeast Asia, as the main reason for economic development and social interaction. However, through a study of the archaeological and historical material in Cambodia that impression is challenged. The presently known archaeological data in fact suggest that international trade was limited; Chinese ceramics seems to have been restricted, The Kingdom had no currency or standardized values and Cambodian exports are few and only found in the neighboring countries (provinces). The academic emphasis on trade has instead relied on historical sources, however,the interpretation of these seems to be embedded in a post WW II economic theoretical bias (Marxism & Cliometrics). The thesis questions the relevance of modern economic logic in the past and the significance trade had in Medieval Cambodia, both socially and economically.Show less
