This study presents the results of a preliminary investigation on micro-botanical remains preserved on Tolai hare (Lepus tolai) teeth recovered from Yangjiesha, a site located on the north of the... Show moreThis study presents the results of a preliminary investigation on micro-botanical remains preserved on Tolai hare (Lepus tolai) teeth recovered from Yangjiesha, a site located on the north of the Loess Plateau in China, dated circa. 4900B.P. The microscopic analysis reveal that starch grains from Triticeae, millets and their wild relatives as well as wood tissue fragments were identified in dental residues This implies that, in the context of the intensive development of millet farming at about 5000B.P., hares at Yangjiesha may have been active inside or near the agricultural settlement areas and formed long-term interactions with humans against the new agricultural ecology of the north Loess Plateau. Show less
Some twenty-five years ago, hundreds of clay sealings as well as a series of stone stamp seals were foundin excavation at Tell Sabi Abyad in Syria. Dating to the late seventh millennium cal. BC,... Show moreSome twenty-five years ago, hundreds of clay sealings as well as a series of stone stamp seals were foundin excavation at Tell Sabi Abyad in Syria. Dating to the late seventh millennium cal. BC, the find repre-sents one of the largest assemblages of prehistoric sealings known in the Near East until now. By now, evenmore seals and sealings have been found at the site. Their occurrence in securely stratified contexts allowed for interpretations about their use in controlled storage events by pastoralists. This paper is primarilyconcerned with the date of introduction of the sealing practice at Tell Sabi Abyad and its embedding inthe wider cultural setting of the time. Show less
In Bronze Age Europe, an enormous amount of metalwork was buried in the ground and never retrieved. Patterns in these finds show that this was a deliberate practice: people systematically deposited... Show moreIn Bronze Age Europe, an enormous amount of metalwork was buried in the ground and never retrieved. Patterns in these finds show that this was a deliberate practice: people systematically deposited valuable metal objects in specific places in the landscape, even in non-metalliferous regions. Although this practice seems puzzling from our modern perspective, these patterns demonstrate that this is not simply a matter of irrational human behaviour. Instead, there were supra-regionally shared ideas and conventions behind this practice.This book aims to acquire a better understanding of these ideas and conventions. By systematically investigating the objects and places that people selected for metalwork depositions, the logic behind the practice of selective metalwork deposition is unravelled.This book focuses specifically on the emergence of the practice in Denmark, northern Germany, and the Netherlands, a non-metalliferous region that has not been studied as a whole before, despite striking similarities in the archaeological record. Starting from the first introduction of metal, the emergence and development of selective metalwork depositions is examined and followed over time. In addition to a new chronological and geographical depth to research on metalwork depositions, this book provides a detailed catalogue of the metalwork from the research area. Show less
Throughout northern Europe, thousands of burial mounds were erected in the third millennium BCE. Starting in the Corded Ware culture, individual people were being buried underneath these mounds,... Show moreThroughout northern Europe, thousands of burial mounds were erected in the third millennium BCE. Starting in the Corded Ware culture, individual people were being buried underneath these mounds, often equipped with an almost rigid set of grave goods. This practice continued in the second half of the third millennium BCE with the start of the Bell Beaker phenomenon. In large parts of Europe, a ‘typical’ set of objects was placed in graves, known as the ‘Bell Beaker package’. This book focusses on the significance and meaning of these Late Neolithic graves. Why were people buried in a seemingly standardized manner, what did this signify and what does this reveal about these individuals, their role in society, their cultural identity and the people that buried them? By performing in-depth analyses of all the individual grave goods from Dutch graves, which includes use-wear analysis and experiments, the biography of grave goods is explored. How were they made, used and discarded? Subsequently the nature of these graves themselves are explored as contexts of deposition, and how these are part of a much wider ‘sacrificial landscape’. A novel and comprehensive interpretation is presented that shows how the objects from graves were connected with travel, drinking ceremonies and maintaining long-distance relationships. Show less
The Late Neolithic period in Upper Mesopotamia is generally associated with a surge in human settlement, in terms of their number, geographic distribution, and organizational complexity. In... Show moreThe Late Neolithic period in Upper Mesopotamia is generally associated with a surge in human settlement, in terms of their number, geographic distribution, and organizational complexity. In archaeological discussion, the “advanced farming village” is often seen as the logical “end product” of the agricultural transformations that began in the Early (“Pre-Pottery”) Neolithic. However, the complex later prehistoric landscape did not emerge overnight. Current evidence suggests that this profound transformation took about one and a half millennia, and showed much localized variability. Over the past decades, regional surveys have resulted in a rich body of evidence that stimulates the exploration of long-term trends in settlement through the Neolithic period. Here we present a synthesis of this exploration. We highlight some important methodological and conceptual challenges to interpreting these data, and we point out a number of possible shifts in the ways Late Neolithic communities inhabited the landscape. Show less
Graven en bronsdepots uit de periode van het late neolithicum tot en met het begin van de midden-bronstijd (2850-1500 voor Christus) kennen we goed. De vraag die in dit artikel centraal staat, is... Show moreGraven en bronsdepots uit de periode van het late neolithicum tot en met het begin van de midden-bronstijd (2850-1500 voor Christus) kennen we goed. De vraag die in dit artikel centraal staat, is of de contractarcheologie dit beeld heeft bevestigd, of dat grootschalige opgravingen in ‘Malta-context’ andere soorten bewijs hebben opgeleverd. Zijn we in staat geweest huizen uit deze perioden te ontdekken, of nederzettingen? Zijn deze vergelijkbaar voor alle regio’s of zijn er regionale verschillen? Hebben we indicaties voor sociale gelaagdheid, voor migraties? Uit een recent verschenen synthese blijkt dat vooral nederzettingsgegevens onze perceptie van de periode hebben veranderd. Het traditionele beeld gebaseerd op grafgegevens moet volledig worden aangepast. 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
The book offers a detailed presentation of the ceramic sequence excavated at Tell Sabi Abyad, a late Neolithic archaeological site in northern Syria. This sequence documents the transformation from... Show moreThe book offers a detailed presentation of the ceramic sequence excavated at Tell Sabi Abyad, a late Neolithic archaeological site in northern Syria. This sequence documents the transformation from a Pre-Halaf ceramic assemblage to an Early Halaf ceramic assemblage. The author discusses and critiques existing models for explaining the rise of the Halaf pottery style, and offers an alternative based on the twin concepts of emulation and feasting. Show less
