The origin of speech is one of the biggest unanswered questions in the evolution of mankind. Scientist from all over the world from different disciplines using different methodologies have been...Show moreThe origin of speech is one of the biggest unanswered questions in the evolution of mankind. Scientist from all over the world from different disciplines using different methodologies have been trying to solve the mystery that is the origin of speech. An unambiguous answer however, remains absent. Using the method of comparative morphology and microbiomechanical studies, it can be studied when in our evolutionary history the anatomy fit to support speech production first arose, and thus which species first had the ability to talk. This thesis looks at published data on different hard structures of the vocal tract, in particular the hyoid, hard palate and mandible, of Australopithecus afarensis, Homo erectus, the SH hominins and Homo neanderthalensis to compare them to those of the modern human and non-human great apes vocal tract, in order to discover what we can infer about the origin speech based on the evolution of the vocal tract. This comparison has shown that based on their features, these hominins can be divided into two categories. The first category is that of archaic morphology and is characterized by a hyoid, hard palate and mandible that most closely resembles the anatomical features of the non-human great apes, in particular, chimpanzees. This means they possessed a bullashaped hyoid body, a long and broad hard palate and a long and narrow, chinless mandible. To this group belong the Australopithecus afarensis and Homo erectus. The second category is that of modern morphology and is characterized by the hyoid, hard palate and mandible that most closely resembles the anatomical features of modern humans. This means a bar-like hyoid body, a shorter and more narrow hard palate and a short and broad mandible with a bony protuberance, the chin. To this groups belongs the SH hominins the Homo neanderthalensis. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the anatomical features of the vocal tract fit to support the production of speech were already in place with, at least, Neanderthals. Therefore, Neanderthals could speak. The way forward for future studies into the origin of speech mainly is more data, both in terms of quantity and more species, though this is not something that can be forced. Establishing the origin of speech might open up a new path into studying the origin of language, a related, but not identical topic.Show less
This paper examines the factors that may potentially influence a specific selection of animal in the slate plaquettes of the Magdalenian site of Gönnersdorf in the German Rhineland. Georges Sauvet...Show moreThis paper examines the factors that may potentially influence a specific selection of animal in the slate plaquettes of the Magdalenian site of Gönnersdorf in the German Rhineland. Georges Sauvet identifies the dominance of the horse in Magdalenian parietal art within the Franco-Cantabrian region, and the associated animistic implications. The goal of my research was to observe if the same dominance was observable outside this region. The characteristics Sauvet defined as making a representation ‘prominent’ were modified for Gönnersdorf for the purpose of making a comparison. Prominent plaquettes were reviewed on a case-by-case basis. It was found that the Gönnersdorf assemblage did not bear close similarities to Sauvet’s conclusions, nor did they align with a specific animistic ontology. It is suggested that the prominence of the horse at Gönnersdorf is most visible in terms of the frequency of depiction, and the formal exemplarity of individual representations. The results indicated two potential alternate functions for the plaquettes: their use as a storytelling medium, and as a communicative aid for culturally separate hunter-gatherer groups aggregating at the site. It was stressed that these two functions may not only be related, but serve a dual purpose.Show less
The Quina flaking system is a relatively new Middle Palaeolithic lithic technocomplex recognized and studied until now only in Southwestern France. It has been argued that this technology was...Show moreThe Quina flaking system is a relatively new Middle Palaeolithic lithic technocomplex recognized and studied until now only in Southwestern France. It has been argued that this technology was developed by Neanderthal groups to cope with the decreasing global temperatures and the environmental changes of the last glaciation. The Quina system, until now, is largely unattested in North Europe, where the glacial climate was more pronounced. Why is a technology evolved for the survival in cold environments absent in regions particularly affected by the glaciation? The presence of this technology in the Northern fringes of the Neanderthals’ ecological niche might shed light on the reasons behind Neanderthals’ technological behaviour. It might further provide important clues for a better understanding of whether the variability in the Middle Palaeolithic archaeological record derives from cultural diversity or functional/technical necessities or other factors. This research identifies, through quantitative and qualitative analyses, and comparative studies of lithic materials, the technological traces of unretouched flakes from the site of Colmont-Ponderosa (South Limburg, the Netherlands). This study confirms that at some point during the last glaciation, the Neanderthal groups were users of the Quina technology. The presence of this technology in the North and at such a distance (around seven-hundred kilometers) from the closest certain Quina sites might be the result of techno-cultural convergence. But it might also indicate the point of origin of this technology, which was later dispersed to the Sout, when the environment became too harsh, or it might indicate a dispersal from the South to the North. To confirm this hypothesis a re-evaluation of other Northern assemblages is necessary: if the Quina technology is present at Colmont-Ponderosa, it could be present elsewhere, overlooked because of the relative novelty of the Quina technocomplex.Show less
The Middle Palaeolithic is an important period in the development of mortuary behaviour. During this period, Neanderthals started burying their dead before Homo sapiens arrived in Europe. Their...Show moreThe Middle Palaeolithic is an important period in the development of mortuary behaviour. During this period, Neanderthals started burying their dead before Homo sapiens arrived in Europe. Their mortuary behaviour knows variability in several aspects, which makes an interesting case in the debate surrounding behaviour complexity. The central problem that is explored here is what the variation in mortuary behaviour between the Neanderthal multiple burial sites of La Ferrassie and Shanidar Cave indicates about Neanderthal mortuary practice in the Middle Palaeolithic and how this helps to understand their behaviour in an evolutionary context. La Ferrassie and Shanidar Cave are two of the few Neanderthal burial sites that contain multiple burials and vary in their organization in space and time. Using new evidence produced with the most recent techniques, I re-examined the two burial sites to compare their degree of organization and continuity. The study confirms that La Ferrassie displays spatial structuring of the burials, which attests to a complex interaction with the dead, while at Shanidar Cave a degree of organization is less evident and the mortuary behaviour is limited to a briefer period of time. However, it is noted that the burials at La Ferrassie and Shanidar Cave are both structured in their own manner. The diversity of responses to death is part of the emergence of the complex behaviour that would unfold in the Upper Palaeolithic. Furthermore, both sites provide evidence for a mortuary function of the cave and further explore the symbolic role of these natural formations, while keeping the preservation bias of such places in mind.Show less
Samenvatting In deze scriptie wordt onderzocht of de neolithische veenwegen in Noord-Nederland en Noordwest- Duitsland een rituele functie hebben gehad. Daartoe werd onderzocht welke neolithische...Show moreSamenvatting In deze scriptie wordt onderzocht of de neolithische veenwegen in Noord-Nederland en Noordwest- Duitsland een rituele functie hebben gehad. Daartoe werd onderzocht welke neolithische veenwegen in het gebied voorkomen, en welke vondsten met deze wegen in verband staan. Ook werd onderzocht of er aanwijzingen waren voor selectieve depositie. De in Noord-Nederland gelegen veenweg van Nieuw-Dordrecht wordt uitgebreid besproken. Deze weg lijkt blind te eindigen in het veen. Hier werden drie voorwerpen aangetroffen, die als depositie mogen worden geduid. Een schijfwiel, een object gelijkend op een hockeystick, en een bijlsteel. In het Lengeler Moor in Niedersachsen ligt veenweg XV (Le). Deze werd reeds in de jaren tachtig van de vorige eeuw opgegraven. Hier werden twee antropomorfe palen gevonden. Bij het Duitse Campemoor zijn de afgelopen twintig jaar zes neolithische veenwegen opgegraven. Van deze zes wegen zijn bij weg 32 Pr vondsten gedaan die wijzen op depositie. Hier werden twee runderhoorns gevonden. Ook werden scherven van aardewerk gevonden onder het wegdek. De verdeling van deze scherven wijst op bewuste depositie. Weg 31 Pr valt op door zijn hoge ouderdom, rond 4600 BC, en door de voor die periode zeer complexe constructie. Een belangrijk kenmerk van veengebieden is de overgang van land naar water. Hier wordt ook een symbolische betekenis aan toegekend, namelijk de overgang van het aardse leven naar het hiernamaals. In verband hiermee wordt aan deposities in veengebieden een rituele betekenis toegeschreven. Diverse van bij de veenwegen gevonden categorieën voorwerpen zijn reeds bekend van veenopgravingen, zoals runderhoorns en schijfwielen. Gezien deze gevonden voorwerpen bij de onderzochte neolithische veenwegen mag aan deze veenwegen een rituele betekenis worden toegekend. Daarnaast kunnen de wegen ook zijn gebruikt als platform voor rituele en sacrale activiteiten.Show less
De vondsten uit Wijchen-Berendonk behoren tot de zogenaamde 'werkvoorraad' van het Odyssee-programma. Deze werkvoorraad bestaat uit inventarisaties van oude (nood) opgravingen die nooit zijn...Show moreDe vondsten uit Wijchen-Berendonk behoren tot de zogenaamde 'werkvoorraad' van het Odyssee-programma. Deze werkvoorraad bestaat uit inventarisaties van oude (nood) opgravingen die nooit zijn uitgewerkt. Men heeft - verspreid over verschillende opgravingscampagnes - voor 4 jaar opgegraven tussen de periode van 1976-1980. Tijdens het aanleggen van enkele proefputten stuitten men al op enkele stukken vuursteen die destijds werden aangemerkt als 'Vlaardingencultuur'. Deze scriptie is met name gericht op het beantwoorden van enkele basale vragen als: waaruit bestaat het vuursteen en over welke cultuurgroepen/perioden spreken we? Uit het onderzoek bleek dat er met name uitgangsmatriaal, productiemateriaal en diverse werktuigen zijn gevonden. Verder bleek met zekerheid dat er Neolitisch materiaal aanwezig is maar er twijfel bestaat of er ook Mesolitisch en/of Bronstijd materiaal aanwezig voorkomt. Duidelijke bewoningspsoren - op basis van het onderzoek naar vuursteen - ontbreken voor zowel het Mesolithicum als het Neolithicum.Show less
Nowadays Great Brittain is separated from the European Continent by the North Sea. This, however, hasn’t always been the case. Due to sea-level changes as a result of climatic changes and the...Show moreNowadays Great Brittain is separated from the European Continent by the North Sea. This, however, hasn’t always been the case. Due to sea-level changes as a result of climatic changes and the cyclical repetition of glacials and interglacials the North Sea Basin has repeatedly been exposed to the open-air during the Pleistocene. Numerous finds, recovered by fishermen and dredgers while executing their work, indicate that this glacial plane was inhabited by a wide variety of animal species. It is beginning to become clear, due to the recovery of worked flint material, that early human must have been part of the inhabitants. The importance of the North Sea Basin for archaeological research has repeatedly been stressed. The archaeology in the seabed is threatened by several activities that affect the North Sea bottom. The trawling of fish boats, the construction of oil rigs and offshore windmill parks and the marine aggregate industry all have a huge effect on the seabed, possibly destroying archaeological remains while executed. The actual implementation of archaeological fieldwork as part of these bottom stirring activities is minimal and mainly focused on maritime archaeology. The goal of this thesis is to explore the possibilities for palaeolithic research in the North Sea Basin. It does so by analyzing archaeological research on-land and it’s possibilities for offshore archaeology and by evaluating different projects that have been set up over the last year to improve Paleolithic archaeological research on the North Sea bed over the border. In this way the strengths and weaknesses of the research as it is executed this days can be reviewed. The outcome should lead to new insights and a best-practice for setting up a solid archaeological research strategy before the execution of bottom disturbing activities. Crucial to this research strategy is a multidisciplinary approach in which the potential of all executed steps is explored. Recent research methods can be improved by changing the current focus on the object to a focus on the context of archaeological remains. Paleolithic material is useless without knowledge about the landscape and environment in which it has been used and deposited.Show less
In 1976, there were plans for a big golf resort in Wijchen-Berendonck. It was known that this piece of land was full with archaeology. A big excavation followed. In April 1976 a lined well was...Show moreIn 1976, there were plans for a big golf resort in Wijchen-Berendonck. It was known that this piece of land was full with archaeology. A big excavation followed. In April 1976 a lined well was found. The well was filled with hundreds of finds. These finds were stored in boxes in the faculty for archaeology in Leiden for 36 years! The journals of the excavation say that the well was lined with wattle work. Most of the finds are ceramics. The other finds were either too small or too fragile to be used as a dating marker. The dating of the well, which is solely based on the ceramic finds, must be around phase F of the Iron Age in the Netherlands. This date is the secondary use of the well as a refuse pit. The real date of the well, as a provider of drinking water, must have been before this.Show less
