The thousands of Bronze Age burial mounds of northwestern Europe often have complex histories, with multiple construction phases and secondary burials added to these mounds. It can be difficult to... Show moreThe thousands of Bronze Age burial mounds of northwestern Europe often have complex histories, with multiple construction phases and secondary burials added to these mounds. It can be difficult to understand the dynamic nature of these events and the ebb and flow of activities in these monumental funerary landscapes. This article presents chronological models of five Bronze Age barrows from two sites. A total of 41 radiocarbon-dated cremation burials were fitted into several chronological sequences. The results from the chronological models at both sites suggest that the creation of a burial mound was just one event within a much longer funerary history. For both sites, there are indications that the deceased were buried in flat graves decades and sometimes more than a century prior to any monument construction. Once in place, the barrows were then used as a repository for the dead for decades afterwards. At the same time, a comparison of the models suggests that funerary events at both sites were punctuated. At one site, several barrows were in use simultaneously, at the other, barrows seem to be each other’s successor. The models provide evidence for both protracted histories as well as punctuated events. Show less
We develop an approach for detection of ruins of livestock enclosures in alpine areas captured by high-resolution remotely sensed images. These structures are usually of approximately rectangular... Show moreWe develop an approach for detection of ruins of livestock enclosures in alpine areas captured by high-resolution remotely sensed images. These structures are usually of approximately rectangular shape and appear in images as faint fragmented contours in complex background. We address this problem by introducing a new rectangularity feature that quantifies the degree of alignment of an optimal subset of extracted linear segments with a contour of rectangular shape. The rectangularity feature has high values not only for perfect enclosures, but also for broken ones with distorted angles, fragmented walls, or even a completely missing wall. However, it has zero value for spurious structures with less than three sides of a perceivable rectangle. Performance analysis using large imagery of an alpine environment is provided. We show how the detection performance can be improved by learning from only a few representative examples and a large number of negatives. Show less
Published summary of BA-Thesis. After the fall of the Roman Empire, a ‘barbarian’ group called the Goths take control of Italy (489-554 A.D.). In order to gain insight into the relations between... Show morePublished summary of BA-Thesis. After the fall of the Roman Empire, a ‘barbarian’ group called the Goths take control of Italy (489-554 A.D.). In order to gain insight into the relations between the Roman and the Gothic population groups within this new kingdom, this study uses theoretical frameworks and concepts from anthropology and sociology. The contemporary primary sources are analysed, specifically the Gothic War by the Byzantine historian Procopius, and the chancellery documents of Cassiodorus’ Variae. By acknowledging the fluidity, situationality and multiple-layered character of identity, it is possible to do justice to the ancient sources and find a middle-way in the modern debate. Show less
The hominin record from southern Asia for the early Late Pleistocene epoch is scarce. Well-dated and well-preserved fossils older than ∼45,000 years that can be unequivocally attributed to Homo... Show moreThe hominin record from southern Asia for the early Late Pleistocene epoch is scarce. Well-dated and well-preserved fossils older than ∼45,000 years that can be unequivocally attributed to Homo sapiens are lacking. Here we present evidence from the newly excavated Fuyan Cave in Daoxian (southern China). This site has provided 47 human teeth dated to more than 80,000 years old, and with an inferred maximum age of 120,000 years. The morphological and metric assessment of this sample supports its unequivocal assignment to H. sapiens. The Daoxian sample is more derived than any other anatomically modern humans, resembling middle-to-late Late Pleistocene specimens and even contemporary humans. Our study shows that fully modern morphologies were present in southern China 30,000-70,000 years earlier than in the Levant and Europe. Our data fill a chronological and geographical gap that is relevant for understanding when H. sapiens first appeared in southern Asia. The Daoxian teeth also support the hypothesis that during the same period, southern China was inhabited by more derived populations than central and northern China. This evidence is important for the study of dispersal routes of modern humans. Finally, our results are relevant to exploring the reasons for the relatively late entry of H. sapiens into Europe. Some studies have investigated how the competition with H. sapiens may have caused Neanderthals' extinction (see ref. 8 and references therein). Notably, although fully modern humans were already present in southern China at least as early as ∼80,000 years ago, there is no evidence that they entered Europe before ∼45,000 years ago. This could indicate that H. neanderthalensis was indeed an additional ecological barrier for modern humans, who could only enter Europe when the demise of Neanderthals had already started. Show less
In this dissertation I examine the ‘Voice’ of the filmmaker from a political and aesthetic perspective. Within film practice the own ‘Voice’ refers mainly to the aesthetic style of a filmmaker.... Show moreIn this dissertation I examine the ‘Voice’ of the filmmaker from a political and aesthetic perspective. Within film practice the own ‘Voice’ refers mainly to the aesthetic style of a filmmaker. Within the field of postcolonial studies 'Voice' is related to the access that postcolonial subjects have to the production of discourse. Movies and other media can be seen in this context as a form of discourse. For Indigenous filmmakers both approaches to ‘Voice’ and having a ‘Voice’ are important. This study explores the way in which Indigenous filmmakers, particularly from Latin America, express their 'Voice' both politically and aesthetically in their films. Show less
