Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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The concept of abandonment is often framed within a biographical perspective where the house has the possibility to be understood in different ways throughout its use-life. Previous studies of...Show moreThe concept of abandonment is often framed within a biographical perspective where the house has the possibility to be understood in different ways throughout its use-life. Previous studies of abandonment mostly problematized how abandonment depositions were indicative of how abandonment itself was conducted, but hardly engaged with how the house-site was re-used afterwards. This results in a view of settlements where the abandonment of almost all houses is something that cannot be commented upon. Consequently, continuity and change in the use of settled landscapes cannot be viewed in relation to how people dealt with their own pasts. In contrast with this approach, the central problem discussed here revolves around how the structured analysis of abandonment practices can help to define the house during and past its abandonment in order to add temporality to our interpretations of the settled landscape. This means that the ability of past places to be of influence on future actions is investigated, particularly pertaining to the prehistoric house-site. The resulting study dealt with abandonment from a practice-theory perspective, and attempted to highlight changes in use of the house-site between the house’s use-phase, abandonment phase and post-abandonment phase. Specific attention is awarded to how the house itself was treated through the detailed study of soil features. The case-study employed to demonstrate this approach is focussed at the Westfrisian Bronze Age.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
Towards the end of prehistory, the landscapes of Northwestern Europe developed into carefully organized places that feel more akin to those of historical and modern times. According to Mette...Show moreTowards the end of prehistory, the landscapes of Northwestern Europe developed into carefully organized places that feel more akin to those of historical and modern times. According to Mette Løvschal (2014), these landscapes saw the emergence of lines and boundaries with specific functions and meanings, especially in the Urnfield period (Late Bronze Age – Early Iron Age). This thesis focuses on a number of micro-regions in the Netherlands: Epe-Niersen, Oss and Boxmeer-Sterckwijck. The aim of this study is to gain a nuanced, inter-regional understanding on how these organized landscapes developed in the long term, and what influence older, visual features from the past had on the way people dealt with them in the Urnfield period. Especially barrow alignments are notable. They clearly impacted the way people dealt with these ‘ancestral landscapes’, but in significantly different ways. At Epe-Niersen, the urnfields and Celtic field emerged solely near ancestral mounds outside of the barrow alignment. At Boxmeer-Sterckwijck, the opposite happened: The barrow line itself transformed into a dense urnfield. Thirdly, the barrow line of Oss-Zevenbergen was completely re-structured with the construction of large, monumental burial mounds, scattered urnfield-graves and post alignments. A close association between the funerary landscape and settlements is observed at Boxmeer-Sterckwijck. On the other hand, Oss-North and Oss-Ussen are a striking example of a landscape that lacked any older, visual features before the emergence of settlements in the Middle Bronze Age. Therefore, in the absence of pre-existing lines and boundaries, people ended up creating them themselves, after which they were referred to in similar ways during subsequent occupation phases. This study demonstrates that the past was unavoidable in the organization of landscapes in the Urnfield period. Furthermore, the general succession in which barrow lines, urnfields, Celtic fields and organized settlements emerged was time-transgressive in nature, meaning that they developed at different point in time at each site. Nonetheless, is seems that each region reached a certain ‘tipping point’ were the landscapes inevitably developed into highly organized areas in line with the past.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
During the Early European Bronze Age many axes fabricated out of metal were exchanged over great distances. When an exchange takes place, the value of the object that is subject to the exchange has...Show moreDuring the Early European Bronze Age many axes fabricated out of metal were exchanged over great distances. When an exchange takes place, the value of the object that is subject to the exchange has to be determined in order to get something that is equally valuable in return. This research focuses on the question whether Early Bronze Age axes contain specific perceptible characteristics that could have functioned as a recognisable marker for a specific value. Metric data of 447 axes that were deposited in twelve Early- and Middle Bronze Age hoards in Austria, Germany, Poland and Switzerland (central Europe) are used to see if there are patterns observable in metric characteristics of the axes that could have been used to establish value. By using Weber’s Law, a law in the field of psychophysics that can be used to calculate the perceptible difference or equality of objects, it will be possible to establish whether differences in weight and length between different axes are perceptibly observable or not, and whether the weights of the axes can conforms to metrological systems based on different units of weight. The statistic visualisation programme SPSS is used to visualize the collected data in the shape of boxplots and histograms. The data is compared with known metrological systems dated in later periods in different regions. Patterns in weight distribution of axes based on metrological units of 10 g and 25 g have been recognized in hoards dated at the end of the Early Bronze Age and the Middle Bronze Age. Based on these results it is possible to state that the attitude towards the value of axes changed. Axes did not longer only contain exchange- and utility value (Early Bronze Age), but also commodity value (Middle Bronze Age).Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
2017-12-31T00:00:00Z
This research focuses on understanding the influences of taphonomic processes on the interpretations of human-animal relations through the analysis of taphonomic markers on osteological remains...Show moreThis research focuses on understanding the influences of taphonomic processes on the interpretations of human-animal relations through the analysis of taphonomic markers on osteological remains from two Middle Bronze Age sites. The results of the archaeological, osteological and taphonomic aspects of this dataset are integrated and discussed. Four main research questions are proposed: 1) What types of Bronze Age features are present at the Andijk sites and how are these connected in their relative chronological framework? 2) Are there zones in the settlements signalling a heightened level of human-animal related practices and how can these be characterised? 3) What kind of activities are shown via the taphonomic markers on the osteological remains? 4) In what way(s) can the improved knowledge on taphonomic processes benefit the interpretations of Bronze Age subsistence and other human-animal related activities? Answering these different types of research questions will not only profoundly improve our current understanding of past human-animal related activities and the cultural mechanics behind these activities within Bronze Age settlements. Furthermore, the data contributes to comprehend to what extent taphonomic processes induced by various agents might alter the archaeological record.Show less
Pollen grains and spores have a highly resistant wall than can preserve over thousands of years. Using this characteristic, palynologist research the past environments and human-environment...Show morePollen grains and spores have a highly resistant wall than can preserve over thousands of years. Using this characteristic, palynologist research the past environments and human-environment relations. For archaeology this is crucial information and often a general part of research on a site. As was the case at the Bronze Age burial landscape at Oss-Gewandeweg. At this site, only remains of burial mounds were left due to agricultural levelling. The remaining features, circular ditch fills were sampled for palynological analysis. However, the samples were taken from a sandy depositional context which is unideal for pollen and spore preservation. In this thesis, the reliability of these samples is assessed. If the samples are not reliable they will portray an false vegetational reconstruction. This has scientific and social implications. Palynology is plays a role in the climate change debate and should be used wrongly because of this societal value. Two research questions have been formulated in order to fulfil this goal. The first research question was aimed to study the taphonomy of the palynomorphs and the effect the sandy depositional context had on the preservation. Besides the typical production bias and dispersal bias, the preservation context increases the differential degradation bias. The sand grains provide gaps through which water can leach and oxidize the pollen. The more oxidized the pollen are, the more susceptible to micro-organism attack. Biological degradation is thus also increased. The preservation states of the pollen in the samples also illustrated the poor preservation. The second research question included a comparative analysis between the ecological reconstruction based on the samples form Oss-Gewandeweg and Oss-Mettegeul, just five kilometres apart. The lower taxa diversity, absence of certain taxa and lower proportionality of certain taxa all point to a worse preservation context compared to the samples at Oss-Mettegeul. Recommendations for future research is to sample sediment which is dark-coloured and fine-grained. If samples from the Bronze Age ditch fill are required, phytolith analysis would be a great alternative. Phytoliths are inorganic and preserve better than pollen, spores and macrofossils.Show less
The study of prehistoric burial sites in the Netherlands has a rich history. However, past archaeological research have often examined burial structures in isolation. This thesis aims to...Show moreThe study of prehistoric burial sites in the Netherlands has a rich history. However, past archaeological research have often examined burial structures in isolation. This thesis aims to investigate and specifically model the spatial relationship between burial structures and houses during the Bronze and Iron Ages in North Brabant. Four primary questions were discussed: how these elements are distributed in space, whether gathered data can predict their proximity, how this relationship evolves over time and what this relation meant to these peoples. Using QGIS selected features from the sites will be used to create maps that show the relation between the different structures. These maps are then combined by period to create models based on the normal distribution the distances of houses from a grave structure. The research shows there was a trend over time and that it was possible to predict the location of a house based on the location of burial structure. The impossibility of knowing the meaning behind this relation was discussed, but two possible interpretations are given: the structures might have served as territorial markers or the location might have been tied to a ritual landscape and the houses. Finally the challenges faced during this research are discussed, including the need for more sites to enhance models an and the lack of adequately dated features is discussed. De studie van prehistorische begraafplaatsen in Nederland kent een rijke geschiedenis. Echter heeft eerder archeologisch onderzoek vaak begraafstructuren geïsoleerd bestudeerd. Deze thesis heeft als doel de ruimtelijke relatie tussen begraafstructuren en huizen tijdens het Brons- en IJzertijdperk in Noord-Brabant te onderzoeken en specifiek te modelleren. Vier hoofdvragen zijn besproken: hoe deze elementen in de ruimte zijn verdeeld, of verzamelde gegevens de locatie van huizen kunnen voorspellen, hoe deze relatie in de loop der tijd evolueert en wat deze relatie betekende voor deze bevolkingsgroepen. Met behulp van QGIS worden geselecteerde features van de locaties gebruikt om kaarten te maken die de relatie tussen de verschillende structuren laten zien. Deze kaarten worden vervolgens per periode gecombineerd om modellen te creëren op basis van de normale verdeling van de afstanden van huizen tot een grafstructuur. Het onderzoek toont aan dat er in de loop van de tijd een trend was en dat het mogelijk was om de locatie van een huis te voorspellen op basis van de locatie van een begraafstructuur. De onmogelijkheid om de betekenis achter deze relatie te kennen werd besproken, maar twee mogelijke interpretaties werden gegeven: de structuren zouden dienst hebben gedaan als territoriale markeringen, of de locatie zou verbonden kunnen zijn met een ritueel landschap en de huizen. Ten slotte worden de uitdagingen besproken die tijdens dit onderzoek zijn ondervonden, waaronder de behoefte aan meer locaties om modellen te verbeteren, en het gebrek aan voldoende gedateerde features wordt besproken.Show less
This MA thesis focuses on ceramics from the Bronze and Iron Ages in the southern Netherlands (2000-12 BC) and their use for dating purposes. Researchers used to define and subsequently date types...Show moreThis MA thesis focuses on ceramics from the Bronze and Iron Ages in the southern Netherlands (2000-12 BC) and their use for dating purposes. Researchers used to define and subsequently date types on the basis of characteristics, which is known as a typo-chronology. Around the mid-20th century, absolute dating, and 14C dating in particular, was developed. The legacy of typo-chronology was kept alive, however, and only sporadically questioned by researchers that reverted to absolute dating. In many cases, this questioning was also carried out for narrower time periods. This thesis brings typo-chronologies and absolute dating together within the context of a wider time period, in order to discover the current status of research for this wider time period and to find out how/where research is currently lacking. This endeavour was started by initially compiling an overview of the applicable typo-chronologies considering a handful of variables relating to shape, decoration and material. Subsequently, a compilation of research was made that compares ceramics to absolute dating. Aside of this, a dataset of ceramic assemblages tied to absolute dating was created and discussed. The combined data was used for discussions and conclusions. Finally, the combined results were used to create a physical reference collection with a manual containing a lot of tables and imagery. The main conclusions are that some periods (e.g. Late Bronze Age) are typologically overshadowed by other periods (Iron Age). The vast amount of detail of the leading Iron Age typo-chronology generally causes researchers to make mistakes. Recommendations include paying more attention to some periods and types of ceramics in order to fill voids of knowledge created by focus and disregard. Better compilations and visualisations (e.g. 3D scans) of absolutely dated examples are also recommended.Show less
This MA thesis focuses on ceramics from the Bronze and Iron Ages in the southern Netherlands (2000-12 BC) and their use for dating purposes. Researchers used to define and subsequently date types...Show moreThis MA thesis focuses on ceramics from the Bronze and Iron Ages in the southern Netherlands (2000-12 BC) and their use for dating purposes. Researchers used to define and subsequently date types on the basis of characteristics, which is known as a typo-chronology. Around the mid-20th century, absolute dating, and 14C dating in particular, was developed. The legacy of typo-chronology was kept alive, however, and only sporadically questioned by researchers that reverted to absolute dating. In many cases, this questioning was also carried out for narrower time periods. This thesis brings typo-chronologies and absolute dating together within the context of a wider time period, in order to discover the current status of research for this wider time period and to find out how/where research is currently lacking. This endeavour was started by initially compiling an overview of the applicable typo-chronologies considering a handful of variables relating to shape, decoration and material. Subsequently, a compilation of research was made that compares ceramics to absolute dating. Aside of this, a dataset of ceramic assemblages tied to absolute dating was created and discussed. The combined data was used for discussions and conclusions. Finally, the combined results were used to create a physical reference collection with a manual containing a lot of tables and imagery. The main conclusions are that some periods (e.g. Late Bronze Age) are typologically overshadowed by other periods (Iron Age). The vast amount of detail of the leading Iron Age typo-chronology generally causes researchers to make mistakes. Recommendations include paying more attention to some periods and types of ceramics in order to fill voids of knowledge created by focus and disregard. Better compilations and visualisations (e.g. 3D scans) of absolutely dated examples are also recommended.Show less
Abstract On sites all over West-Frisia circular structures have been found. There are two types of these; pit circles and circular ditches. Both types are very similar and are found in round, oval,...Show moreAbstract On sites all over West-Frisia circular structures have been found. There are two types of these; pit circles and circular ditches. Both types are very similar and are found in round, oval, figure 8 and cloverleaf shapes. Their dimensions are very similar; an average diameter of approximately 4 m, an average depth of 25 cm and an average width of 25 cm and some of them are closed and others interrupted. They usually contain very few finds if any. What was the function of these circular structures in West-Frisia during the Bronze Age? The hypothesis was that they were used for the temporary storage of grain and possible other crops. This was concluded in an article called ‘cereal in circles’ by Buurman in 1979 and was based on a hypothesis from Bakker (1967; 1977; 2004). Their hypothesis is based on very little data; just a handful of sites with carbonized grain. It seems to be based mainly on an old landscape model and circumstantial evidence. Because of the project ‘Farmers of the coast’, old data is now being reviewed. It has risen some doubt on earlier findings, including this ‘cereal in circles’ hypothesis. Since the 1970’s a lot of new excavations have taken place and some of the old data that was never published has now been digitized. The data from those new excavations more or less confirm the old data. But that also means that there is still no evidence for grain as well. That means that now (2013) over a thousand circular structures have been excavated with just a handful of them containing carbonized grain, which does not really proof the storing of grain anyway. Although there is no real proof against the existing hypothesis, there is in my opinion now enough data not confirming the old theory that there should be at least doubt. It seems unlikely that all the circular structures held the same function. It is quite possible that the circular structures in West-Frisia were used for multiple purposes, which would explain all the different shapes and sizes. The most likely explanation would be that they were simply drains, but that does not explain why they are not found in the Late Bronze Age. All in all it is clear that the true function of the circular structures in West-Frisia during the Bronze Age is still an enigma and therefore a lacuna in our knowledge of this area. Only future research and excavations may solve this mystery. Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
closed access
The purpose of this research is to get more insight into the social significance of Late Bronze Age -Early Iron crescent shaped sickles from the Netherlands. This is done by reexamination of...Show moreThe purpose of this research is to get more insight into the social significance of Late Bronze Age -Early Iron crescent shaped sickles from the Netherlands. This is done by reexamination of several physical characteristics of the sickles, their distribution and their archaeological context. It has turned out that albeit the sickles have many different appearances and they are hard to categorize, they are made out of the same exotic flint type and by proficient flint knappers. In addition, they are all used to cut sods. The sickles mostly occur in landscapes which in the Late Bronze Age -Early Iron age were threatened by water. They seem closely related with the construction of artificial dwelling mounds. Since the sickles are made from non-local flint by excellent craftspeople, people presumably perceived the sickles as special objects. Moreover, the sickles were used to cut sods and sods were used for various purposes that helped people survive in the same region for a longer period. So the sickles made it possible for people to 'confirm their roots'. The absence of complete sickles in settlements and the selective deposition of several collections of sickles, which often have different use lives, support the idea that people were well aware of the sickles special cultural biographies. So albeit the sickles have been perceived as mainly functional objects, this thesis proves that they have several social connotations which can be derived from their cultural biography.Show less
This paper utilizes unpublished excavation data from Leiden University’s excavation at Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria to examine two types of figurines from the site’s Late Bronze Age Middle Assyrian...Show moreThis paper utilizes unpublished excavation data from Leiden University’s excavation at Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria to examine two types of figurines from the site’s Late Bronze Age Middle Assyrian occupation in the late 13th and 12th centuries BCE. Beyond the contextual and analytical presentation of new material to the archaeological community, it reestablishes an understudied typology through the promotion of a geographical, chronological, cultural, and functional frameworks. This study uses the figurines as a base to explore issues inherent in their find contexts and preservation. After establishing typologies and object catalogs, it explores the archaeological visibility of intentional material disregard, the dynamism of contemporary value attributions to representative material culture, and the interplay of ancient peoples with their local histories. In highlighting the functionality of a symbolic material culture that existed outside the settlement’s imperial sphere, this thesis uses the figurines to reveal the cosmopolitan nature of the common people at Tell Sabi Abyad.Show less
The guard houses of Minoan Crete are often said to be defensible buildings, based on their location and architecture. However, were they really defensible? To answer the question of how defensible...Show moreThe guard houses of Minoan Crete are often said to be defensible buildings, based on their location and architecture. However, were they really defensible? To answer the question of how defensible these buildings were, three different methods were applied to a sample of guard houses. These methods were Least Cost Path analysis, the calculation of a Defensibility Index value, and Space Syntax with Visibility Graph Analysis. These methods have never been tried before and the results give new insight in how defensible these guard houses actually were. Not only from the outside, but from the inside as well. The results have confirmed that these guard houses are generally defensible buildings, although the defensibility differs per building and per method. In the future, a higher quality DEM and better datasets, that fix most of the flaws in the results presented here, will provide an even more accurate perspective on these guard houses.Show less
The entrance to a house has an important symbolical or mythological meaning in a great number of cultures around the world. When the placement of an entrance differs depending on the region in...Show moreThe entrance to a house has an important symbolical or mythological meaning in a great number of cultures around the world. When the placement of an entrance differs depending on the region in which it is found, it may indicate a different use and symbolic meaning. The aim of this research is therefore to search for functional differences and cultural values in the placement of an entrance using ethnographic examples, and determine whether these differences were also present during the Middle Bronze Age in the Netherlands. Broadly two different kinds of cultural value can be recognised, one that is related to an opposite meaning, or one that has a restricted use. Each of the selected study area’s shares similar constructional, geographical and external conditions with one other study area. The houses from the river area and West-Frisia show strong resemblances in the placement and appearance of the entrances. This could be related to a broadly shared cultural value. In the south, north and east of the Netherlands there does not seem to be a strong consensus related to the appearance and placement of entrances, despite of the similarities seen in the constructional characteristics of the houses, although this may be due to the lack of reliable data from this area. In conclusion, just as is seen in the ethnographic examples, the Bronze Age houses know differences in the placement of entrances related to a functional motivation or cultural value as well.Show less
