This is a decolonial study about Ñuu Savi (Mixtec) pictorial manuscripts (codices), Mexico. The aim is the understanding of their cultural values through a holistic and diachronic way, studying... Show moreThis is a decolonial study about Ñuu Savi (Mixtec) pictorial manuscripts (codices), Mexico. The aim is the understanding of their cultural values through a holistic and diachronic way, studying living and historical-cultural heritage of Mixtec People, based on the re-integration of cultural memory and cultural continuity, linking the past and the present through the Mixtec language (or Sahan Savi) and from its own perspective. The final aim is the re-appropriation of this knowledge by the Ñuu Savi communities themselves. Show less
This work analyzes ritual practices and knowledge related to the Mesoamerican calendar with the aim of contributing to the understanding of the use and conceptualization of this calendar system in... Show moreThis work analyzes ritual practices and knowledge related to the Mesoamerican calendar with the aim of contributing to the understanding of the use and conceptualization of this calendar system in the contemporary K’iche’ community of Momostenango, in the Highlands of Guatemala. The research presented here discusses the indigenous calendar system, forms of synergy between the Christian and the Highland Guatemalan calendar, the indigenous perception of history and continuity in time-related symbolism.Van den Akker argues that the social role of cultural anthropologists and archaeologists is to contribute to the ongoing process of cultural healing and spiritual recovery of the peoples that suffer(ed) from colonization and oppression. This study therefore places an emphasis on cultural continuity and approaches the continuation of Maya calendar practices as a possible tool for restoring breaks in social memory, which are caused by dramatic events such as colonization. Show less
This thesis focuses on reconstructing the daily lives of Bronze Age farmers as well as the landscape for their subsistence practices. Doing so, Wild West Frisia analyses the separate components... Show moreThis thesis focuses on reconstructing the daily lives of Bronze Age farmers as well as the landscape for their subsistence practices. Doing so, Wild West Frisia analyses the separate components comprising Bronze Age subsistence (i.e. crop and animal husbandry, hunting and gathering) rather innovatively: instead of summarizing the known data for each subsistence strategy and drawing conclusions solely based on these observations, this study first determines what may have been... Show less
De resten van textiel die bij opgravingen gevonden worden zijn de zeldzame overblijfselen van kleding, huishoudelijk textiel, zeilen, verpakkingsmaterialen etc. In het buitenland is het... Show more De resten van textiel die bij opgravingen gevonden worden zijn de zeldzame overblijfselen van kleding, huishoudelijk textiel, zeilen, verpakkingsmaterialen etc. In het buitenland is het onderzoek naar textielresten de afgelopen decennia sterk ontwikkeld en is het een onmisbare specialisatie geworden binnen het archeologisch vakgebied. Een vergelijkbare ontwikkeling is in Nederland nog niet op gang gekomen, waardoor onze kennis van de productie en het gebruik van textiel voornamelijk is afgeleid van wat er uit de ons omringende landen bekend is. Dit is jammer want er zijn naast kleding bijna geen andere objecten te bedenken die nauwer verwant zijn met de mensen wiens verleden archeologen proberen te ontrafelen. Kleding is namelijk niet alleen functioneel, maar geeft vaak uitdrukking aan de identiteit of sociale positie van degene die de kleding draagt. In deze studie is onderzoek gedaan naar het gebruik van textiel en kleding in het gebied dat we nu definiëren als Nederland in de periode van 400 tot 1000 AD. Hiervoor zijn weefselresten geanalyseerd die afkomstig zijn van zowel nederzettingen als grafvelden uit verschillende delen van het land. Dit resulteert in een gevarieerd beeld van het gebruik van textiel in deze periode. Het was mogelijk om in grote lijnen te reconstrueren hoe mensen in de vroege middeleeuwen in het graf gekleed waren. Er blijken regionale verschillen te zijn tussen de grafvelden, maar ook tussen mannen- en vrouwenkleding. De vondsten uit de nederzettingen geven een volkomen ander beeld. Hier zijn andere weefsels populair en de kwaliteit van de weefsels is aanzienlijk lager. Show less
This book presents a useful GIS procedure to study settlement patterns in landscape archaeology. In several Mediterranean regions archaeological sites have been mapped by fieldwalking surveys,... Show moreThis book presents a useful GIS procedure to study settlement patterns in landscape archaeology. In several Mediterranean regions archaeological sites have been mapped by fieldwalking surveys, producing large amounts of data. These legacy site-based survey data represent an important resource to study ancient settlement organization. Methodological procedures are necessary to cope with the limits of these data, and more importantly with the distortions on data patterns caused by biasing factors. This book develops and applies a GIS procedure to use legacy survey data in settlement pattern analysis. It consists of two parts. One part regards the assessment of biases that can affect the spatial patterns exhibited by survey data. The other part aims to shed light on the location preferences and settlement strategy of ancient communities underlying site patterns. In this book, a case-study shows how the method works in practice. As part of the research by the Landscapes of Early Roman Colonization project (NWO, Leiden University, KNIR) site-based datasets produced by survey projects in central-southern Italy are examined in a comparative framework to investigate settlement patterns in the early Roman colonial period (3rd century B.C.). Show less
In the search for a Taiwanese identity rooted in the land of Taiwan the Japanese colonial past plays an ambiguous role. The Japanese colonial sites became a constituent part of the new identity and... Show moreIn the search for a Taiwanese identity rooted in the land of Taiwan the Japanese colonial past plays an ambiguous role. The Japanese colonial sites became a constituent part of the new identity and cultural narrative of Taiwan in the 1990s and 2000s, when a memory boom was experienced in Taiwan representing new politics both cultural and economic which differed from the previous political periods of Japanese and postwar KMT (Kuomintang; Chinese Nationalist Party) rule. Min-Chin Chiang presents the extreme complexity of sharing the Japanese colonial past in postcolonial Taiwanese society. In this book she examines possibilities of decolonization through community-based heritage activities. Problems and ambiguity stemming from the tentative transformation from colonialism to locality help to trigger further thinking or warn against the ideological trap of taking mutuality in ‘sharing’ the past for granted. Hence, decolonization does not necessarily mean ‘removing colonial material traces’. Preserving colonial sites through recognising the contested nature, actively exploring and engaging controversial voices, insisting with finding out historical depth of every memory version attached to the site, and transforming structural inequality with persistent locality building would better contribute to trigger a decolonizing process. This is the significance of the colonial sites as ‘heritage’ for the postcolonial society. Show less
This study documents and translates the Saa (Zapotec) cultural heritage of the Bene’ Ya’a/En’ne I’ya peoples, the Zapotec inhabitants of the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca. This heritage is studied by... Show moreThis study documents and translates the Saa (Zapotec) cultural heritage of the Bene’ Ya’a/En’ne I’ya peoples, the Zapotec inhabitants of the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca. This heritage is studied by using two major approaches: the symbols transmitted during rituals and mantic interpretations executed by ritual experts and the meaning of the sacred landscape in cultural memory. Both approaches were considered from a historical perspective and are presented with the analysis of ancient mantic documents and the archaeological record of the sacred landscape. Due to the importance given to symbols and landscape by the Zapotec peoples, the documentation and interpretation of the heritage of the Saa is the result of a tight collaboration with peoples of the communities involved in this work. The ritual experts in mantic, healing and ritualistic activities of the Dilla Xhon variant (Cajonos Zapotec) are called Weneya’a, which means “the one who speaks with the mountains”. The Weneya’a give meaning to the cultural heritage of their communities, to their sacred places, to their religious calendar, to life and death. They also heal the sick, give advice to future married couples and include new-borns as part of the community, all of this according to their sacred landscape. The Weneya’a give continuity to the cosmogonic narratives, sacred words, ceremonial speeches, herbal medicine and fundamental values of their communities. Show less
As a study of the colonial situations of first millennium BC Sardinia, this book is as much an investigation into colonialism as a sociological category, as it explores the specific historical... Show moreAs a study of the colonial situations of first millennium BC Sardinia, this book is as much an investigation into colonialism as a sociological category, as it explores the specific historical conditions of a particular region. Taking a fresh look at colonialism in Mediterranean archaeology from a so-called postcolonial point of view, it examined the archaeologically relevant features of this perspective in conjunction with other current ideas about society, human agency and material culture in order to sketch the contours of a postcolonial archaeology of colonialism. These ideas are subsequently elaborated and practically applied in a detailed study of rural settlement in west central Sardinia. The archaeological evidence for this is provided by the (preliminary) results of the Riu Mannu survey carried out in west central Sardinia since 1992 as well as by a wealth of existing published and archived data. Considering themes such as the (re)creation of identities and cultural resistance, this study especially looks into the ways in which people deployed material culture and inhabited the landscape in order to cope with the colonial situations. Comparing these specific instances of colonialism finally leads to a consideration of historical contingency and structure in colonial situations and to an assertion of the centrality of identity in colonial situations. Show less
The work of Fernand Braudel (1949) should have revolutionized the way archaeology conceptualizes temporal scales and builds chronological narratives. Even though Braudel’s general views did impact... Show moreThe work of Fernand Braudel (1949) should have revolutionized the way archaeology conceptualizes temporal scales and builds chronological narratives. Even though Braudel’s general views did impact archaeological theory deeply, his three different time-scales, together with insights into duration as the inner dialectic between different temporalities, remain neglected in archaeological practice.Nowadays, ceramic chronology building in archaeology still relies on two main variables: time-space and pottery styles. This book aims to challenge this paradigm and propose a new way for narrating vital chronologies. The point of departure for this endeavor consists of a longue durée geographical unit, the valley of Juigalpa, in central Nicaragua. Through a view of materials—and especially ceramics—as complex and embodied palimpsests, as the bundling of unfolding traces; a chronology including five different intervals based on ceramic technologies is presented, from the first traces of human practices in 300 CE through to the present. Show less
This study aimed to construct a historiography of archaeological landscape research on the island of Crete and evaluate the knowledge acquired through different approaches of over more than a... Show moreThis study aimed to construct a historiography of archaeological landscape research on the island of Crete and evaluate the knowledge acquired through different approaches of over more than a century’s intense archaeological work. It provides a detailed analysis of relevant projects, which are seen within a wider historical framework of archaeological landscape research from the beginnings of the discipline (19th century) to the present day. The five (5) major ‘traditions’ or else ‘approaches’ of studying past landscapes that are identified, demonstrate certain common attributes in questions asked, methodology followed and interpretative suggestions. Analysis, however, has shown that these ‘traditions’ have been in a continuous interplay and have each their own limitations as well as worthy contribution to the study of the Cretan past. The assessment of archaeological landscape work on Crete and the use of landscape data in a case study area for the historical reconstruction of human activity, concluded on the need to be explicit regarding 1) the relationship between data and interpretations and 2) the kind of information we need to produce and publish from landscape research so that we promote archaeological knowledge and allow a higher level of communication within the archaeological community. Show less
The aim of this research is the systematic analysis of the wisdom coined by Nahua people of Mexico, based on the historical sources and archaeological evidence, but also in the knowledge developed... Show moreThe aim of this research is the systematic analysis of the wisdom coined by Nahua people of Mexico, based on the historical sources and archaeological evidence, but also in the knowledge developed by contemporary indigenous communities and the contributions of indigenous scholars. The hypothesis of this research pretends to demonstrate, how the cognitive structures embedded in indigenous languages are useful in the development of an intercultural epistemology.The academic relevance of this research not only lies in the fact that address rigorous and systematically an issue –indigenous philosophies-which faces lack of acknowledgment, which is not a minor issue; but also because this effort to analyse Nahuatl philosophy is useful to provide alternatives to understand the world based on a different ontology. The development of an intercultural philosophy will be useful to face and solve some misunderstandings caused by cultural colonization. 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
In this research the authors propose the Great Line of Life, which reframes the cultural link between present and past in the archaeological practice of the Mixteca Alta. Through the different... Show moreIn this research the authors propose the Great Line of Life, which reframes the cultural link between present and past in the archaeological practice of the Mixteca Alta. Through the different examples that are discussed, the importance of the knowledge and perceptions of the contemporary dwellers for the interpretation of the pre-colonial past can be seen. This research is presented as alternative archeology that seeks to decolonize the discipline. This archeology proposes to be flexible, relational, multi vocal and holistic. This way of doing archeology in the Mixteca is relevant because, on the one hand, it allows the parameters in which this practice has been classified to be broadened and, on the other, it reinforces the identification of contemporary societies with the pre-colonial past. Likewise, its importance lies in the fact that it is based on ethics and respect for Indigenous Peoples and shares the search for a better quality of life. Show less
This book focuses on the practical challenges of managing a World Heritage listed historic city in a South Asian context. The Indian Ocean island of Sri Lanka’s Galle Fort, a walled town,... Show moreThis book focuses on the practical challenges of managing a World Heritage listed historic city in a South Asian context. The Indian Ocean island of Sri Lanka’s Galle Fort, a walled town, identified as the best-preserved colonial fort in South Asia, is the subject of this study. The book analyses the costs and benefits of the fort’s World Heritage recognition to its local urban community and to the colonial fort itself, as a monument. It shows how thirty years of the World Heritage project at Galle Fort changed a once small seaside walled town with dilapidated colonial buildings into a tourist hot-spot and prime real estate, also changing the lives of its inhabitants. The work addresses the range of impacts of this process such as gentrification, real estate pressures, and urban regeneration in a balanced way. It argues that the best practises of participatory and people-centred approaches of managing urban heritage at the global level are slow to progress at the local level. While seeing the World Heritage listing of Galle Fort optimistically, the book encourages the use of the World Heritage emblem for the well-being of local residents, who bring life to these landscapes. Show less
Aegean archaeology has mainly concentrated on Prehistoric and Greco-Roman times and has provided relatively little information on human activity and material culture in the medieval period.... Show moreAegean archaeology has mainly concentrated on Prehistoric and Greco-Roman times and has provided relatively little information on human activity and material culture in the medieval period. Historical research concerning the medieval era is sufficiently developed but archaeological research on the medieval Aegean has mainly focused on matters of art and architecture. In fact, we have an overall picture of the medieval and post-medieval periods for only a few islands of the Aegean. This ASLU volume fills this gap. It uses the ancient past as background for examining the continuity and change that the island of Skyros experienced from the Late Roman period onwards. It brings together two different archaeological __schools__, that of long-term survey research (based mainly on material culture) and that of __traditional__ Byzantine and Post-Byzantine archaeology (focused on art and architecture), offering new perspectives on settlement patterns, art and architecture, and the material culture of Skyros from Late Roman to Early Modern times. The combination of archaeological data and information from historical sources reconstructs the regional history of Skyros during that time span, which is ultimately the main purpose of this study. Show less
This thesis presents the study of the possibilities of functional analysis on shell implements. Shell tools from the pre-Columbian sites of Anse à la Gourde and Morel, Guadeloupe were studied and... Show moreThis thesis presents the study of the possibilities of functional analysis on shell implements. Shell tools from the pre-Columbian sites of Anse à la Gourde and Morel, Guadeloupe were studied and interpreted based on archaeological, ethnographical, ethnohistorical and experimental data. In addition, flint and stone tools of both sites were analysed. In this thesis functional analysis is approached from an integral point of view in order to be able to reconstruct the past technological system. The results of the functional analysis of all artefact categories are presented as well as a reconstruction of the technological system in the pre-Columbian period. It is demonstrated how this integral approach provides the possibilities to shed light on the choices made in the past on tool use and the utilisation of different raw materials. Show less
