The adoption of agriculture is one of the major developments in human history. Archaeological studies have demonstrated that the trajectories of Neolithisation in Northwest Europe were diverse.... Show moreThe adoption of agriculture is one of the major developments in human history. Archaeological studies have demonstrated that the trajectories of Neolithisation in Northwest Europe were diverse. This book presents a study into the archaeology of the indigenous communities involved in the process of Neolithisation in the Lower Rhine Area (5500-2500 cal BC). It elucidates the role played by these in relation to their environmental context. This work brings together a comprehensive array of excavated archaeological sites in the Lower Rhine Area and indicates that the successive Late Mesolithic, Swifterbant culture, Hazendonk group and Vlaardingen culture societies represent a continuous long-term tradition of inhabitation of the wetlands and their margins. After demonstrating the existence of a diverse Mesolithic background to Neolithisation, the subsequent developments are studied by foregrounding the relationship between local communities and the dynamic wetland landscape. This points to long-term flexible behaviour and pragmatic choices in livelihood, food economy and mobility. For the interpretation of Neolithisation this study emphasises the persistent traditions of the communities involved. New elements are shown to be attuned to existing hunter-gatherer practices. By documenting indications of the mentalité of the wetland inhabitants, it is demonstrated that their mindset remains essentially ‘Mesolithic' for millennia. Show less
Barrows, i.e. burial mounds, are amongst the most important of Europe’s prehistoric monuments. Across Europe, barrows still figure as a prominent element in the landscape. Many barrows in Europe... Show moreBarrows, i.e. burial mounds, are amongst the most important of Europe’s prehistoric monuments. Across Europe, barrows still figure as a prominent element in the landscape. Many barrows in Europe have been excavated, revealing much about what was buried inside these monuments. Little is known, however, about the landscape in which the barrows were situated and what role barrows played in this landscape. Palynological data, carrying important clues on the barrow environment, are absent for most of the excavated barrows in Europe. In the Netherlands however, palynological data are available for hundreds of excavated barrows. However, while local vegetation reconstructions from these barrows are available, a reconstruction of the total landscape around the barrows has yet to made, without which it would be difficult to understand their role in the prehistoric cultural landscape.In this thesis a detailed vegetation history around barrows is reconstructed. Newly obtained and extant data derived from palynological analyses taken from barrow sites have been (re-)analysed. Methods in barrow palynology have been discussed and further developed when necessary and newly developed techniques have been applied in order to get a better impression of what role barrows played in their environment.Barrows were built on ancestral heaths, which were maintained for many generations by heath communities. The barrow landscape was included in the economic zone of farming communities in the area, while the heath areas were used as grazing grounds. The ancestral heaths were very stable elements in the landscape and were kept in existence for thousands of years. In fact, it is argued that these ancestral heaths were the most important factor in structuring the barrow landscape. Show less
Reading the Dental Record investigates human foodways, health and disease, and certain (gender-related) craft activities in the pre-Columbian Caribbean archipelago, through integrated analyses of... Show moreReading the Dental Record investigates human foodways, health and disease, and certain (gender-related) craft activities in the pre-Columbian Caribbean archipelago, through integrated analyses of patterns of dental wear and pathology in a large number of skeletal remains from the region. Individuals, communities, and regional populations were physically affected by their foodways and cultural practices, leaving permanent traces on the teeth. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, which combines archaeological, bioarchaeological, ethnohistoric, and ethnographic data, as well as evidence from clinical dentistry this study has brought to light hitherto unexplored aspects of lifeways and cultural practices in the pre-Columbian Caribbean. Show less
The northern region of Hispaniola is one the most referenced areas in Caribbean archaeology and historiography. Nevertheless, its central presence in textbooks belies a lack of understanding in... Show moreThe northern region of Hispaniola is one the most referenced areas in Caribbean archaeology and historiography. Nevertheless, its central presence in textbooks belies a lack of understanding in both disciplines of the complex history of the region. The research presented here reassesses the interactions that occurred among the multiform indigenous communities (Meillacoid and Chicoid) that inhabited the region during the pre-Columbian period. A focus on these interactions forms the basis of an approach that can differentiate this region from others on Hispaniola and the Western Caribbean. It also links this research to recent Pan-Caribbean approaches, such as those employed by the Caribbean Research Group at the University of Leiden. As a result this research attempts to go beyond the traditional diachronic studies used in indigenous archaeology and rather will take a synchronic perspective. This highlights such issues as inter-group communication, competency, transculturation and syncretism that emerge from the Caribbean pre-Columbian multicultural mosaic. All of this is derived from an in-depth study of the cultural landscape in northern Hispaniola and nuances in material culture expressions, especially ceramic formal and stylistic traditions. Show less
Barrows, as burial markers, are ubiquitous throughout North-Western Europe. In some regions dense concentrations of monuments form peculiar configurations such as long alignments while in others... Show moreBarrows, as burial markers, are ubiquitous throughout North-Western Europe. In some regions dense concentrations of monuments form peculiar configurations such as long alignments while in others they are spread out extensively, dotting vast areas with hundreds of mounds. These vast barrow landscapes came about through thousands of years of additions by several successive prehistoric and historic communities. Yet little is known about how these landscapes developed and originated. That is what this research set out to do. By unravelling the histories of specific barrow landscapes in the Low Countries, several distinct activity phases of intense barrow construction could be recognised. Each of these phases contributed to how the barrow landscape developed and reveals shifting attitudes to these monuments. By creating new monuments in a specific place and in a particular fashion, prehistoric communities purposefully transformed the form and shape of the barrow landscape. Using several GIS-techniques such as a skyline-analysis, this research is able to demonstrate how each barrow took up a specific (and different) position within such a social landscape. While the majority of the barrows were only visible from relatively close by, specific monuments took up a dominating position, cresting the horizon, being visible from much further away. It is argued in this research that these burial mounds remained important landscape monuments on the purple heathlands. They continued to attract attention, and by their visibility ensured to endure in the collective memory of the communities shaping themselves around these monuments. Show less
