This paper argues that most applications of political economies risk focusing too one-sidedly on individual power. However, political economies are also about collectively accepted notions on order... Show moreThis paper argues that most applications of political economies risk focusing too one-sidedly on individual power. However, political economies are also about collectively accepted notions on order, symbols and positions that can only exist by virtue of them being socially recognized (Searle 1995). Two examples from Europe's deep past are used to illustrate this. The first is on the role of 'commons' in Bronze Age and Iron Age landscape use. The second is on how collective conventions shape elite burials from the Early Iron Age. Both demonstrate that, in a way, 'power' may come 'from below' (cf. Searle 1995) Show less
Our understanding of subsistence strategies, resources and lifeways of Finnish Iron Age populations remains incomplete despite archaeological, osteological, macrobotanical, and palynological... Show moreOur understanding of subsistence strategies, resources and lifeways of Finnish Iron Age populations remains incomplete despite archaeological, osteological, macrobotanical, and palynological investigations. This is due in part to poor preservation of organic macroremains in the acidic boreal sediments. To address this problem, here we present the first data from microscopic remains preserved in prehistoric dental calculus from Finland. We extracted and analysed both plant and animal microremains from human calculus and burial site sediment samples, originating from Luistari cemetery in southwestern Finland (samples from c. 600–1200 calAD). We recovered phytoliths, parasites, fibers and feathers. While in Finland few previous archaeological studies have investigated phytoliths, our study confirms the importance of these microremains for interpretating dietary patterns. It is also the first time that intestinal parasites have been reported in Finland.Our study demonstrates that, especially when working with acidic sediments typical for boreal environments, microremain studies can considerably increase the information value of archaeological samples, and that dental calculus and phytolith analysis are important new methods in the research of prehistorical lifestyles. This combined microremain analysis should be more broadly applied in contexts where other dietary records do not remain. Show less
The Inland Niger Delta in Mali is scattered with thousands of tell-like dwelling mounds that testify to the rich archaeological heritage of this attractive occupation area. Little is known about... Show moreThe Inland Niger Delta in Mali is scattered with thousands of tell-like dwelling mounds that testify to the rich archaeological heritage of this attractive occupation area. Little is known about the structure and evolution of this considerable settlement system. The general aim of the present research was to obtain a better understanding of the history of occupation of this region. The aim of the regional survey in the southern part of the Niger alluvial plain was to obtain an understanding of intersite relations based on the sites’ chronological, functional, socioeconomic and hierarchical differentiation and their participation in different trade networks. The main foci of attention in the Dia excavation were the sites’ roles in the earliest colonisation of the southern Inland Niger Delta, the transition from the Late Stone Age to the Early Iron Age, the introduction of crop cultivation and pastoralism and the early urban development of the site and the region. The two datasets showed two different perspectives: the regional orientation of a survey and the site-specific depth of an excavation. Another interesting aspect of this approach is that it enabled comparison of finds recovered in an urban context with the results of a geographical survey of the rural hinterland.Part 2 is published titled "Recherches archéologiques à Dia dans le Delta intérieur du Niger (Mali) : bilan des saisons de fouilles 1998-2003" as part of the series "Mededelingen van het Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde (RVM) Leiden"; No 33. Research School of Asian, African, and Amerindian Studies, Leiden University. CNWS publications ; 144, 2005, ISBN 9789057891076 Show less
"A Living Landscape. Bronze Age settlements in the Dutch river area (c. 2000-800 BC)" Academisch proefschrift over de aard en dynamiek van bronstijdnederzettingen in het rivierengebied. Het bevat... Show more"A Living Landscape. Bronze Age settlements in the Dutch river area (c. 2000-800 BC)" Academisch proefschrift over de aard en dynamiek van bronstijdnederzettingen in het rivierengebied. Het bevat een introductie op de geologische processen en de paleogeografie van de Nederlandse rivierdelta als geheel en samenvattingen van de resultaten van de opgravingen te Zijderveld, Rumpt-Eigenblok, Meteren - De Bogen, Wijk bij Duurstede, Lienden - Kesteren en Dodewaard. Verder wordt in detail ingegaan op de structuur van bronstijd huizen, nederzettingselementen zoals spiekers, hekken en greppelsystemen, huisplaatsen en de aard van het cultuurlandschap in- en rondom nederzettingen. PhD thesis on the nature (i.e. composition) and dynamics of Bronze Age settlements in the Dutch river area. Contains sections on the palaeogeography of that area, the results of six large-scale extensive wetland excavations with exellent preservation, descriptions of settlement site elements such as houses, outbuildings, granaries, pits and fences. An analysis of Bronze Age farmsteads or house-sites, synthesis of the Bronze Age cultural landscape and long-term (Middle Neolithic to Iron Age) overview of settlement dynamics is offered as well. Today, half of the Netherlands is situated below sea level. Because of this, water-management is of key importance when it comes to maintaining present-day habitation of the Dutch low-lands. In prehistory, however, large parts of the Dutch landscape were highly dynamic due to ongoing fluvial sedimentation. Vast deltaic areas with ceaseless river activity formed the backdrop against which prehistoric occupation took place. Although such landscapes may seem inhospitable, the often excellently preserved archaeological evidence indicates that people lived in these lowlands throughout prehistory. This book describes why Bronze Age farmers were keen to settle here and how these prehistoric communities structured the landscape around their house-sites at various scales. Using a vast body of evidence from several large-scale excavations in the Dutch river area, the author, reconstructs the changes in the cultural landscape over time. Starting from the Middle Neolithic, changing preferences for settlement site locations and changes in domestic architecture are traced in detail to the Iron Age. However, for proper understanding of the cultural landscape, not only settlements but also graves and patterns of object deposition - and their landscape characteristics - are discussed. By using evidence of over 50 major excavations, yielding over 300 house plans, this book contains by far the richest data-set on Dutch Bronze Age settlements. Most of these results were not before published in English, making this book of over 500 pages a true academic treasure for an international audience. The in-depth presentation of Bronze Age settlement sites, as well as the critical discussion of models and premises current in later prehistoric settlement archaeology, have an important relevance stretching beyond the Dutch lowland areas on which it is based. The wealth of high-quality Dutch data is presented as a synthesized (yet well-annotated) narrative, that rises above mere site interpretation, even more so due to its landscape-scale focus. Therefore this book is a must-have for those interested in later prehistoric cultural landscapes and settlement archaeology. Keywords: nederzetting, nederzettingen, bronstijd, ijzertijd, neolithicum, nederzettingsdynamiek, proefschrift, PhD thesis, bewoningsdynamiek, bewoningsmodel, modelvorming, zwervende erven, erf, huisplaats, bronstijdhuis, rivierengebied, cultuurlandschap, neolithic, iron age, bronze age, settlements, settlement site, houses, house, house-site, housesite, farmstead, farmyard, farmsteads, farmyards, farm-stead, farm-yard, cultural landscape, cultural biography, settlement dynamics, settlement pattern, settlement system, domestic mobility Show less
This volume is an archaeobotanical study of agricultural practices in the Moselle valley and the Meuse-Demer-Scheldt regions during the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. It is split into three parts:... Show moreThis volume is an archaeobotanical study of agricultural practices in the Moselle valley and the Meuse-Demer-Scheldt regions during the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. It is split into three parts: The Framework, The Botanical Research, and The Analysis, with the core of the book being focused on 24 sites, mainly in and around Lorraine. Show less
