- Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Organic Residue Analysis, Organic Residues Analysis of Pottery, Residue Analysis (Archaeology), Cooking Residue Analysis, Prehistoric Europe (Archaeology), Pottery technology and function, and 4 moreAnthropology of Food, Residue and Use-Wear Analysis, Organic residues analysis of ceramics and floors, focusing on the understanding of ceramics contents and function, dietary habits, and the use of space., and Corded Ware Cultureedit
- Director of Kenaz Consultedit
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De Ontwikkelingscombinatie Wateringse Veld (OCWV) heeft de ontwikkeling van een perceel aan de Leyweg, bekend als het Anne Frankpark, of de Steynhof in voorbereiding. Het gebied, gelegen tussen de Noordweg, de Leyweg en de Erasmusweg,... more
De Ontwikkelingscombinatie Wateringse Veld (OCWV) heeft de ontwikkeling van een perceel aan de Leyweg, bekend als het Anne Frankpark, of de Steynhof in voorbereiding. Het gebied, gelegen tussen de Noordweg, de Leyweg en de Erasmusweg, maakt onderdeel uit het initiatief Erasmusveld Midden aan de noordelijke rand van de VINEX locatie Wateringse Veld. De beoogde ontwikkeling van de locatie met een gevarieerd woonmilieu met een hoge duurzaamheidsambitie en een zorgvuldige inpassing in bestaande en te realiseren groenstructuren, sluit aan bij het masterplan Erasmusveld-Leywegzone. Aangezien het plangebied een archeologische verwachting heeft, is er vanaf 2007 achtereenvolgens inventariserend archeologisch vooronderzoek uitgevoerd bestaande uit een bureauonderzoek, een booronderzoek en een waardestellend proefsleuvenonderzoek. Hierbij is op de Steynhof de aanwezigheid van een behoudenswaardige vindplaats uit het neolithicum (steentijd) vastgesteld. Omdat behoud in de bodem (behoud in situ) niet mogelijk bleek, is bepaald dat de archeologische informatie moest worden veiliggesteld door een definitief archeologisch onderzoek (opgraving) uit te voeren voorafgaand aan ontwikkeling van het terrein. De opgraving vond plaats in het najaar van 2017 en werd uitgevoerd door de afdeling Archeologie en Natuur- en Milieueducatie van de gemeente Den Haag. Vraagstelling In het Programma van Eisen (PvE Den haag 2017-08) is de volgende vraagstelling geformuleerd: ‘Welke bijdrage levert de archeologische informatie in het plangebied aan de kennis over de ontwikkeling en bewoning van Den Haag Zuidwest in de prehistorie, bezien vanuit de bredere (landschappelijke) ontwikkelingen in de Haagse regio in die periode?’ Methode De vindplaats is min of meer vlakdekkend onderzocht. In totaal is 3677 m2 opgegraven verdeeld over 10 werkputten. Waar de vondstlaag nog intact was is deze handmatig schavenderwijs verdiept in eenheden van één vierkante meter (met als voorwaarde dat de vondstdichtheid hoger dan 10 vondsten per vierkante meter betrof). Van iedere vierkante meter is een monster van 10 liter genomen dat is gezeefd over een maaswijdte van 4mm en is gebruikt als referentiewaarde. Waar de vondstdichtheid kleiner was, is de vondstlaag machinaal verdiept en zijn vondsten 3D ingemeten. Op diverse plekken, zowel in het vlak als in de profielen zijn monsters genomen ten behoeve van ecologisch en daterend onderzoek. Al tijdens het veldwerk hebben verschillende materiaalspecialisten de opgraving bezocht om waar nodig de methodiek aan te passen. Na afloop van het veldwerk en een eerste scan van het materiaal heeft een specialistenoverleg plaatsgevonden om de inhoudelijke evaluatie en het uitwerkingsplan naar een hoger plan te tillen. Vanwege de grote hoeveelheid vondsten, veel meer dan voorzien en de complexiteit van de vindplaats heeft de uitwerking en de rapportage langer geduurd dan gedacht. Resultaten De archeologische resten op de Steynhof zijn die van een nederzetting uit het laat-neolithicum en behoren tot de zogenoemde Vlaardingencultuur. In ruime zin plaatsen de 14C-dateringen de vindplaats in de periode 3100-2340 v.Chr., met de meeste dateringen in de periode 2900-2550 v.Chr. Dit sluit aan op het aardewerk dat te dateren in de Vlaardingen 1b/2a periode, tussen 2850-2550 v.Chr. De Steynhof vertoont veel overeenkomsten met andere, deels gelijktijdige neolithische vindplaatsen in de omgeving, waarvan de nabijgelegen Wateringse Binnentuinen de belangrijkste is. De bewoners van de Steynhof vestigden zich op een duin op de strandwal van Rijswijk-Voorschoten. Tijdens de opgraving bleken hiervan de flanken het best bewaard gebleven. Rondom de grotendeels verstoorde duintop bevonden zich ten minste drie huizen. De plattegronden hiervan vertonen veel overeenkomsten met die van de Wateringse Binnentuinen. Kenmerkend zijn wandstijlparen die voor de stevigheid van de structuur zorgden, een ovaal grondplan, veelal uniforme afmetingen (grofweg 15 bij 3 m) en de oriëntatie (oostnoordoost-westzuidwest). De bewoners deden met zekerheid aan veeteelt. Op de lagergelegen duinflank zijn tredlagen herkend waarin de indrukken van de hoeven van de dieren nog zichtbaar waren. Op de flank zijn ook water- en drenkkuilen aangetroffen. In één van de grotere drenkkuilen bevonden zich nog de restanten van een houten structuur, mogelijk een plankier, en de resten van een houten roede of prikstok. Andere vondsten uit de grondsporen, maar vooral uit de vondstlaag betreffen aardewerk, natuur- en vuursteen, botmateriaal en botanische resten. De vondsten geven een beeld van de dagelijkse bezigheden van de bewoners. Aankoeksels van etenswaren op het aardewerk tonen aan dat men verschillende graansoorten bereidde, terwijl andere scherven reparatiegaten bevatten die in stilte getuigen van een duurzame materiële cultuur. Snijsporen op botmateriaal en de vele vuurstenen schrabbers verwijzen naar het verwerken van dierenhuiden. Het botmateriaal en de botanische resten laten…
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15. Februar 2014, Archäologisches Institut, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany. Siebter Archäologischer Workshop für junge Wissenschaftler/Innen Naturwissenschaftliche Analysen vor- und frühgeschichtlicher Keramik:
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Residues from 16 ceramic vessels from the late Neolithic Single Grave Culture site in Keinsmerbrug were analysed using DT-MS and SEM microscopy. Bith chemical and botanical evidence showed a very uniform residue assemblage. Botanical... more
Residues from 16 ceramic vessels from the late Neolithic Single Grave Culture site in Keinsmerbrug were analysed using DT-MS and SEM microscopy. Bith chemical and botanical evidence showed a very uniform residue assemblage. Botanical evidence showed the cooking of Emmer grain. The chemical evidence showed that informative residues were the result of cooking or heating a polysaccharide-rich material mixed with a small amount of animal fat. Although the amount of fat varies between residues it is present in all cases. Uniformity of botanical and chemical results is unusual for residue assemblages of settlement sites. It looks like the residues were the result of one specific kind of activity, and that other functions commonly performed in ceramics were not performed at Keinsmerburg (for example cooking of meat or fish), or that these functions were performed without ceramic containers. For the PDF of the complete Chapter (and the rest of the book on Keinsmerbrug) see: http://www.cultu...
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Even though ceramic vessels are frequently discovered in archaeological excavations, much remains unclear about the actual daily use of ancient pottery. It is often assumed, without further presentation of evidence, that ceramic vessels... more
Even though ceramic vessels are frequently discovered in archaeological excavations, much remains unclear about the actual daily use of ancient pottery. It is often assumed, without further presentation of evidence, that ceramic vessels were used for the preparation, storage or consumption of food. Since the 1980s renewed interest in the functional aspects of vessels has encouraged specialists from different fields to pay more attention to organic residues found in association with ceramics. It is extremely challenging to determine actual prehistoric vessel use, to find out what mixtures of edible materials people prepared in ceramics, what pots they used for what kind of foods, or whether they used the same pots for the same foods all the time. Recently, botanists and chemists have started to join forces in order to identifying remaining traces of the original vessel contents preserved after thousands of years of burial. It was exactly this kind of combined botanical and chemical o...
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L'etude des ceramiques du site neolitihique de Swifterbant (prov. Flevoland/NL) a permis de constituer deux sous-groupes. Des etudes botaniques (microscopie electronique a balayage) et chimiques (spectrometrie de masse) ont permis de... more
L'etude des ceramiques du site neolitihique de Swifterbant (prov. Flevoland/NL) a permis de constituer deux sous-groupes. Des etudes botaniques (microscopie electronique a balayage) et chimiques (spectrometrie de masse) ont permis de se poser la question de la fonctionnalite de ces sous-groupes. Il a pu etre demontre que le groupe 1 correspond a des menus sans cereales (amidonnier), alors que le groupe 2 servait a cuisiner des cereales. L'introduction des cereales dans l'alimentation s'est traduite par un nouveau type de ceramiques (groupe 1), alors que la »nouvelle cuisine« se faisait dans les vielles marmites (groupe 2). Cette etude de cas est un indice fort pour suggerer que l'introduction des cereales dans l'alimentation des habitants de Swifterbant etait une innovation concertee. Ces indices montrent que l'etape de la neolithisation a ete percue comme signifiante.
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The Late Neolithic wetland settlement of Pestenacker (Lkr. Landsberg am Lech/D) in southern Bavaria is well known for its extraordinary preservation of wooden house structures and thick cultural layers (Schönfeld 2009). The enclosed... more
The Late Neolithic wetland settlement of Pestenacker (Lkr. Landsberg am Lech/D) in southern Bavaria is well known for its extraordinary preservation of wooden house structures and thick cultural layers (Schönfeld 2009). The enclosed settlement was used only for a short period between 3496 and 3410 BC (Bauer 2009, 179-181). Since 2011, the location is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Project »Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps« and further excavations are no longer possible.
The ceramic assemblage excavated at Pestenacker was thoroughly studied for typo-chronological character- istics and for indications of trade and exchange (Limmer 2014). It shows a form spectrum comparable to the »Altheimer Group« as defined by J. Driehaus (1960). Although J. Driehaus proposed possible functions for the various pot types of Pestenacker, no study was ever undertaken to specifically address the actual Neo- lithic use of vessels from the Altheimer form groups. The ceramic assemblage of Pestenacker offers an optimal opportunity for such a study because many individual vessels could be restored, their dating is extremely precise, their find location within the house structures is known, and many organic surface resi- dues are preserved.
In this paper, organic residue analysis was applied in order to identify the way a group of large vessels (»fun- nel pots« and »lug vessels«) from a single household was used. This study combines micro-botanical analysis of plant remains using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with chemical analysis using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and direct temperature-resolved mass spectrometry (DTMS). This combined approach has been proven effective in determining the original foods and non-foods prepared in Neolithic vessels from the Netherlands (see for more references Oudemans / Kubiak-Martens 2014; Raemaekers / Kubiak- Martens/Oudemans 2013; Kubiak-Martens/Brinkkemper/Oudemans 2015). This study aims to identify the original vessel contents of the large pots from Pestenacker and give a detailed insight in the nature of food and non-food preparation, the use of the larger pot types as well as identify activity areas within the house- hold. This way the theories of the original excavators can be checked using independent evidence.
The ceramic assemblage excavated at Pestenacker was thoroughly studied for typo-chronological character- istics and for indications of trade and exchange (Limmer 2014). It shows a form spectrum comparable to the »Altheimer Group« as defined by J. Driehaus (1960). Although J. Driehaus proposed possible functions for the various pot types of Pestenacker, no study was ever undertaken to specifically address the actual Neo- lithic use of vessels from the Altheimer form groups. The ceramic assemblage of Pestenacker offers an optimal opportunity for such a study because many individual vessels could be restored, their dating is extremely precise, their find location within the house structures is known, and many organic surface resi- dues are preserved.
In this paper, organic residue analysis was applied in order to identify the way a group of large vessels (»fun- nel pots« and »lug vessels«) from a single household was used. This study combines micro-botanical analysis of plant remains using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with chemical analysis using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and direct temperature-resolved mass spectrometry (DTMS). This combined approach has been proven effective in determining the original foods and non-foods prepared in Neolithic vessels from the Netherlands (see for more references Oudemans / Kubiak-Martens 2014; Raemaekers / Kubiak- Martens/Oudemans 2013; Kubiak-Martens/Brinkkemper/Oudemans 2015). This study aims to identify the original vessel contents of the large pots from Pestenacker and give a detailed insight in the nature of food and non-food preparation, the use of the larger pot types as well as identify activity areas within the house- hold. This way the theories of the original excavators can be checked using independent evidence.
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The synthesis chapter of the publication on the Corded Ware Culture settlement of Zeewijk (the Netherlands)
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Between 2009 and 2014, a research project was carried out by several research institutes and commercial companies in order to study and publish three settlement sites of the Single Grave Culture located in the Western Netherlands. These... more
Between 2009 and 2014, a research project
was carried out by several research institutes
and commercial companies in order to study
and publish three settlement sites of the Single
Grave Culture located in the Western Netherlands.
These sites were excavated more than
twenty years ago, but unfortunately the results
were only scarcely published, and mostly in
Dutch. This research project provided an excellent
opportunity to unlock the high quality
archaeological information. The presence of
organic remains and numerous artefacts in
cultural layers and the thorough excavation of
these layers have produced a wealth of data
regarding Late Neolithic behavioural variability
in a dynamic wetland landscape. In this
article, a summary of the results of this project
will be presented.
was carried out by several research institutes
and commercial companies in order to study
and publish three settlement sites of the Single
Grave Culture located in the Western Netherlands.
These sites were excavated more than
twenty years ago, but unfortunately the results
were only scarcely published, and mostly in
Dutch. This research project provided an excellent
opportunity to unlock the high quality
archaeological information. The presence of
organic remains and numerous artefacts in
cultural layers and the thorough excavation of
these layers have produced a wealth of data
regarding Late Neolithic behavioural variability
in a dynamic wetland landscape. In this
article, a summary of the results of this project
will be presented.
Het aardewerken vaatwerk van de Hilversum-cultuur (ca. 1900/1800-1200 voor Chr.) is tot op heden voornamelijk vanuit een typologisch en chronologisch perspectief bestudeerd. Waar het de functie van de potten betreft, is gewezen op een... more
Het aardewerken vaatwerk van de Hilversum-cultuur (ca. 1900/1800-1200 voor Chr.) is tot op heden voornamelijk vanuit een typologisch en chronologisch perspectief bestudeerd. Waar het de functie van de potten betreft, is gewezen op een gebruik als urnen, dat wil zeggen containers van menselijke crematieresten, of mogelijk speciale begravingswijze zou kunnen vertegenwoordigen. Dat het vaatwerk daarnaast als kookgerei en voorraadpotten zal hebben gediend, lijdt voorts nauwelijks twijfel. Maar desondanks is het grotendeels onduidelijk waarvoor het aardewerk van de Hilversum-cultuur nu precies dienst gedaan heeft. De chemische analyse van zichtbare residuen op keramiek zou deze kennislacune kunnen opvullen. Residuanalyse heeft tot doel de oorspronkelijke inhoud (voedsel, lijm, verf etc.) van de aardewerken containers te identificeren. Een dergelijke analyse kan bijzonder informatief zijn, wanneer deze wordt uitgevoerd op aardewerkassemblages met een duidelijke morfologische en/of typologische diversiteit.
Tegen de bovenstaande achtergrond is in 2013 een verkennende studie uitgevoerd naar aardewerk van de Hilversum-cultuur uit de Nederlandse provincie Noord-Brabant. Het doel was vast te stellen wat de potentie van dit materiaal is voor residuanalyse. Daartoe is genoteerd op hoeveel scherven dan wel potten oppervlakteresiduen met het blote oog te zien zijn. In het geval van positieve identificaties zijn bovendien het pottype en/of de potvorm geregistreerd, voor zover dit mogelijk was. Dit is gedaan in het licht van de vraag in hoeverre de morfologische en typologische variatie binnen het aardewerkspectrum samenhangt met functionele diversiteit. Getracht is materiaal uit verschillende archeologische milieus te bekijken, om-dat context bij de interpretatie van residuen op aardewerk vanzelfsprekend een cruciale rol speelt. Uiteindelijk zijn bestudeerd: zeven aardewerkcomplexen uit een nederzettingscontext, negen potten uit een grafheuvel en één pot uit een depositie.
Tegen de bovenstaande achtergrond is in 2013 een verkennende studie uitgevoerd naar aardewerk van de Hilversum-cultuur uit de Nederlandse provincie Noord-Brabant. Het doel was vast te stellen wat de potentie van dit materiaal is voor residuanalyse. Daartoe is genoteerd op hoeveel scherven dan wel potten oppervlakteresiduen met het blote oog te zien zijn. In het geval van positieve identificaties zijn bovendien het pottype en/of de potvorm geregistreerd, voor zover dit mogelijk was. Dit is gedaan in het licht van de vraag in hoeverre de morfologische en typologische variatie binnen het aardewerkspectrum samenhangt met functionele diversiteit. Getracht is materiaal uit verschillende archeologische milieus te bekijken, om-dat context bij de interpretatie van residuen op aardewerk vanzelfsprekend een cruciale rol speelt. Uiteindelijk zijn bestudeerd: zeven aardewerkcomplexen uit een nederzettingscontext, negen potten uit een grafheuvel en één pot uit een depositie.
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Even though ceramic vessels are frequently discovered in archaeological excavations, much remains unclear about the actual daily use of ancient pottery. It is often assumed, without further presentation of evidence, that ceramic vessels... more
Even though ceramic vessels are frequently discovered in archaeological excavations, much remains unclear about the actual daily use of ancient pottery. It is often assumed, without further presentation of evidence, that ceramic vessels were used for the preparation, storage or consumption of food. Since the 1980s renewed interest in the functional aspects of vessels has encouraged specialists from different fields to pay more attention to organic residues found in association with ceramics.
It is extremely challenging to determine actual prehistoric vessel use, to find out what mixtures of edible materials people prepared in ceramics, what pots they used for what kind of foods, or whether they used the same pots for the same foods all the time. Recently, botanists and chemists have started to join forces in order to identifying remaining traces of the original vessel contents preserved after thousands of years of burial.
It was exactly this kind of combined botanical and chemical organic residue analysis that was performed on Zeewijk ceramics in order to identify what foods or non-foods were prepared in the vessels found at this site. Each discipline used its own highly sensitive technique to identify informative characteristics in the remaining crusts. Archaeobotanical analysis combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) facilitated the study of anatomical features of very small fragments of plant tissues preserved in organic residues. Chemical analysis using direct temperature- resolved mass spectrometry (DTMS) enabled the identification of a wide range of chemical components (e.g. lipids, proteins, polysaccharides, plant waxes) in the residues. By combining the two disciplines it was possible to obtain an insight into the Neolithic food preparation methods practised at Zeewijk. Such a combined analysis had been successfully applied earlier to a number of pottery assemblages from various archaeological sites,298 including two other sites from the Single Grave Culture (Keinsmerbrug and Mienakker).299 The combined archaeobotanical and chemical approach aims to afford a more detailed insight into the practices of food preparation and cooking in the Single Grave Culture in general, and into the subsistence at Zeewijk in particular.
It is extremely challenging to determine actual prehistoric vessel use, to find out what mixtures of edible materials people prepared in ceramics, what pots they used for what kind of foods, or whether they used the same pots for the same foods all the time. Recently, botanists and chemists have started to join forces in order to identifying remaining traces of the original vessel contents preserved after thousands of years of burial.
It was exactly this kind of combined botanical and chemical organic residue analysis that was performed on Zeewijk ceramics in order to identify what foods or non-foods were prepared in the vessels found at this site. Each discipline used its own highly sensitive technique to identify informative characteristics in the remaining crusts. Archaeobotanical analysis combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) facilitated the study of anatomical features of very small fragments of plant tissues preserved in organic residues. Chemical analysis using direct temperature- resolved mass spectrometry (DTMS) enabled the identification of a wide range of chemical components (e.g. lipids, proteins, polysaccharides, plant waxes) in the residues. By combining the two disciplines it was possible to obtain an insight into the Neolithic food preparation methods practised at Zeewijk. Such a combined analysis had been successfully applied earlier to a number of pottery assemblages from various archaeological sites,298 including two other sites from the Single Grave Culture (Keinsmerbrug and Mienakker).299 The combined archaeobotanical and chemical approach aims to afford a more detailed insight into the practices of food preparation and cooking in the Single Grave Culture in general, and into the subsistence at Zeewijk in particular.
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Organic residues attached to ceramic vessels were studied to find out what foods and non- foods were originally prepared at Mienakker. In order to identify the origin of these organic residues two disciplines were employed, each using its... more
Organic residues attached to ceramic vessels were studied to find out what foods and non- foods were originally prepared at Mienakker. In order to identify the origin of these organic residues two disciplines were employed, each using its own highly sensitive technique. Archaeobotanical analysis combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) facilitated the study of anatomical features of very small fragments of plant tissue preserved in organic residues. Chemical analysis using direct- temperature mass spectrometry (DTMS) was able to trace organic components such as proteins, polysaccharides and fats. The two disciplines were combined in order to obtain a broad range of information on the original vessel content and the Neolithic food preparation methods practised at Mienakker. This combined analysis has been successfully applied to a number of pottery assemblages from various archaeological sites. This approach has resulted in new insights into the practices of food preparation and cooking in the Single Grave Culture in general and into site economies at Mienakker in specific.
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Full publication avaliable for free download on the cultureelerfgoed website. Keinsmerbrug: a kaleidoscope of gathering The analysis of the Keinsmerbrug site, excavated in 1986, was the first step in our research as part of the... more
Full publication avaliable for free download on the cultureelerfgoed website.
Keinsmerbrug: a kaleidoscope of gathering
The analysis of the Keinsmerbrug site, excavated in 1986, was the first step in our research as part of the Odyssey project entitled ‘Unlocking Noord-Holland’s Late Neolithic Treasure Chest: Single Grave Culture behavioural variability in a tidal environment’. The unpublished data available suggested Keinsmerbrug was a small site lacking clear structures. The limited scale of the excavation (area approx. 300 m2, excavated in a single campaign) made this site the obvious choice as a test case for the approach to be adopted in the Single Grave Culture project. A group of specialists worked together to unlock and integrate cultural/ecological information and research data. The project team consists of 16 people tackling different subjects and working in various institutional settings (commercial agencies, universities and the Cultural Heritage Agency). The good preservation of the archaeological remains at Keinsmerbrug allowed us to gain an insight into the exploitation of animal and plant resources there. Based on the archaeozoological evidence it is clear that subsistence was based on a combination of cattle breeding, fishing and fowling. Besides cattle, some sheep or goats and young pigs were consumed. The few wild mammals present like wolf, polecat and marten were probably hunted for their furs. Fish from both saline and brackish waters was an important part of the diet. Flatfish – particularly flounder – and sturgeon were caught. By far the most astonishing aspect is the huge quantity of bird bones discovered. Different kinds of birds, especially ducks (mallard, teal/garganey and wigeon), were caught in huge numbers. Estimates of the total number of birds caught range from 5000 to 10,000. Naked barley and emmer wheat were brought to the site as cleaned or semi-cleaned grains. Besides cereals, seeds of various orache species were gathered for food. It is remarkable that no other wild plant foods such as crab apple, berries, hazelnuts and acorns were consumed. Evidence for the gathering of roots and tubers for food is also lacking. Chemical evidence has shown that grain was cooked in liquid and that starch-rich foods were mixed with a small amount of animal fat or fish oil. Meat and fish were probably prepared for consumption using fire (open or otherwise), in the form of smoking, grilling or preparation in ashpits. Similar cooking strategies and drying on racks were used to conserve the large number of ducks and fish which must have been prepared for storage and transport to other settlements. Although the number of finds is not very high the study of the material culture revealed some important results. One intriguing aspect of the ceramics is their variation. Although the ceramics are low in number the variation in thickness, tempering and decoration is high. It is likely that this variation is caused by differences in the origins of the vessels or the origins or preferences of the individual potters. People from different local SGC traditions probably visited this specific location at different times, Summary 5 — each bringing their own vessels which they used for the preparation of one specific type of food. The absence of imported material suggests that the flint, hard stone and amber were probably collected in nearby areas, at the coastal beach barrier or on the glacial till deposits at Wieringen. The flint was carried to the site in small nodules and the knapping process was performed at the site to obtain the tools needed. During the excavation of the site in 1986 no patterns or configurations were observed in the stake- and postholes. Using a set of fresh eyes and applying currently available spatial analysis programmes to a multitude of datasets, five structures or dwellings have been identified. The spatial analysis of all the data shows the presence of at least seven identifiable activity areas. Three of the five structures have been identified as dwellings (house plans) based on their more or less regular outline. The dwellings are all two-aisled, similar to known dwellings at other Neolithic settlements. The structures are likely to have been relatively light constructions. The presence of burnt reed fragments in the cultural layer could be indicative of the deliberate burning of reed shoots when the settlement was revisited, to create an open surface. The analyses have shown that Keinsmerbrug was a temporarily occupied settlement, used occasionally or perhaps even only seasonally within the time span of 2580-2450 cal BC. The limited range of other activities combined with the characteristics of the material culture (low numbers of flints and ceramics, variation in the tempering of the ceramics, small range of different flint and stone tools) is indicative of such short-term use. The main period of use – probably consisting of several episodes of short-term use – occurred from spring to autumn. In conclusion, the site at Keinsmerbrug has been interpreted as a non-residential settlement: a gathering settlement in the broadest sense of the word, for the gathering of people and resources (special activity site). It seems that mainly one type of food was cooked in the vessels at Keinsmerbrug: a starch-rich porridge of emmer grain, orache and water mixed with some fat from either animals or fish. Keinsmerbrug was a settlement where people from different households or groups gathered for special reasons like feasting, besides the hunting of fowl, fishing and/or herding of cattle. These people gathered on occasion to hunt huge numbers of ducks and fish and simultaneously used this period to share information and eat specific foods. During their stay dwellings, pits/unlined wells and specific activity areas structured the settlement area. Since this was a non-residential settlement, the question of where the contemporaneous seasonal and residential settlements might be naturally arises. Future analysis of the sites at Mienakker and Zeewijk might show that these locations are the counterparts of the settlement at Keinsmerbrug.
Keinsmerbrug: a kaleidoscope of gathering
The analysis of the Keinsmerbrug site, excavated in 1986, was the first step in our research as part of the Odyssey project entitled ‘Unlocking Noord-Holland’s Late Neolithic Treasure Chest: Single Grave Culture behavioural variability in a tidal environment’. The unpublished data available suggested Keinsmerbrug was a small site lacking clear structures. The limited scale of the excavation (area approx. 300 m2, excavated in a single campaign) made this site the obvious choice as a test case for the approach to be adopted in the Single Grave Culture project. A group of specialists worked together to unlock and integrate cultural/ecological information and research data. The project team consists of 16 people tackling different subjects and working in various institutional settings (commercial agencies, universities and the Cultural Heritage Agency). The good preservation of the archaeological remains at Keinsmerbrug allowed us to gain an insight into the exploitation of animal and plant resources there. Based on the archaeozoological evidence it is clear that subsistence was based on a combination of cattle breeding, fishing and fowling. Besides cattle, some sheep or goats and young pigs were consumed. The few wild mammals present like wolf, polecat and marten were probably hunted for their furs. Fish from both saline and brackish waters was an important part of the diet. Flatfish – particularly flounder – and sturgeon were caught. By far the most astonishing aspect is the huge quantity of bird bones discovered. Different kinds of birds, especially ducks (mallard, teal/garganey and wigeon), were caught in huge numbers. Estimates of the total number of birds caught range from 5000 to 10,000. Naked barley and emmer wheat were brought to the site as cleaned or semi-cleaned grains. Besides cereals, seeds of various orache species were gathered for food. It is remarkable that no other wild plant foods such as crab apple, berries, hazelnuts and acorns were consumed. Evidence for the gathering of roots and tubers for food is also lacking. Chemical evidence has shown that grain was cooked in liquid and that starch-rich foods were mixed with a small amount of animal fat or fish oil. Meat and fish were probably prepared for consumption using fire (open or otherwise), in the form of smoking, grilling or preparation in ashpits. Similar cooking strategies and drying on racks were used to conserve the large number of ducks and fish which must have been prepared for storage and transport to other settlements. Although the number of finds is not very high the study of the material culture revealed some important results. One intriguing aspect of the ceramics is their variation. Although the ceramics are low in number the variation in thickness, tempering and decoration is high. It is likely that this variation is caused by differences in the origins of the vessels or the origins or preferences of the individual potters. People from different local SGC traditions probably visited this specific location at different times, Summary 5 — each bringing their own vessels which they used for the preparation of one specific type of food. The absence of imported material suggests that the flint, hard stone and amber were probably collected in nearby areas, at the coastal beach barrier or on the glacial till deposits at Wieringen. The flint was carried to the site in small nodules and the knapping process was performed at the site to obtain the tools needed. During the excavation of the site in 1986 no patterns or configurations were observed in the stake- and postholes. Using a set of fresh eyes and applying currently available spatial analysis programmes to a multitude of datasets, five structures or dwellings have been identified. The spatial analysis of all the data shows the presence of at least seven identifiable activity areas. Three of the five structures have been identified as dwellings (house plans) based on their more or less regular outline. The dwellings are all two-aisled, similar to known dwellings at other Neolithic settlements. The structures are likely to have been relatively light constructions. The presence of burnt reed fragments in the cultural layer could be indicative of the deliberate burning of reed shoots when the settlement was revisited, to create an open surface. The analyses have shown that Keinsmerbrug was a temporarily occupied settlement, used occasionally or perhaps even only seasonally within the time span of 2580-2450 cal BC. The limited range of other activities combined with the characteristics of the material culture (low numbers of flints and ceramics, variation in the tempering of the ceramics, small range of different flint and stone tools) is indicative of such short-term use. The main period of use – probably consisting of several episodes of short-term use – occurred from spring to autumn. In conclusion, the site at Keinsmerbrug has been interpreted as a non-residential settlement: a gathering settlement in the broadest sense of the word, for the gathering of people and resources (special activity site). It seems that mainly one type of food was cooked in the vessels at Keinsmerbrug: a starch-rich porridge of emmer grain, orache and water mixed with some fat from either animals or fish. Keinsmerbrug was a settlement where people from different households or groups gathered for special reasons like feasting, besides the hunting of fowl, fishing and/or herding of cattle. These people gathered on occasion to hunt huge numbers of ducks and fish and simultaneously used this period to share information and eat specific foods. During their stay dwellings, pits/unlined wells and specific activity areas structured the settlement area. Since this was a non-residential settlement, the question of where the contemporaneous seasonal and residential settlements might be naturally arises. Future analysis of the sites at Mienakker and Zeewijk might show that these locations are the counterparts of the settlement at Keinsmerbrug.
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In the coastal area of the northwestern part of the Netherlands, dozens of sites dating to the Single Grave culture (or Corded Ware culture; 2850–2450 cal BC) have been located. Some of the sites have been excavated in the last decades of... more
In the coastal area of the northwestern part of the Netherlands, dozens of sites dating to the Single Grave culture (or Corded Ware culture; 2850–2450 cal BC) have been located. Some of the sites have been excavated in the last decades of the 20th century. Within the framework of the Odyssey project of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, the excavated materials from three sites (Keinsmerbrug, Mienakker and Zeewijk) could be fully analysed. The results of archaeobotanical research, including the combined botanical and chemical analyses of organic residues (crusts) in ceramics, as well as the study of isolated remains of processed plant food and charred remains of parenchymatous tissue are presented. It is extremely challenging to find out what kind of food people prepared in the past and to determine actual prehistoric vessel use, to understand what kind of meals people prepared in ceramic vessels, what pots they used for what kind of foods, and if they used the same types of pots for the same foods all the time. The results obtained for the three sites are compared to the existing, dichotomous model developed for habitation of the Single Grave culture in the area, with small special activity sites and large permanent settlements.
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Full publication avaliable for free download on the website www.cultureelerfgoed.nl
Research Interests:
Between 2009 and 2014, a research project was carried out by several research institutes and commercial companies in order to study and publish three settlement sites of the Single Grave Culture located in the Western Netherlands. These... more
Between 2009 and 2014, a research project was carried out by several research institutes and commercial companies in order to study and publish three settlement sites of the Single Grave Culture located in the Western Netherlands. These sites were excavated more than twenty years ago, but unfortunately the results were only scarcely published, and mostly in
Dutch. This research project provided an excellent
opportunity to unlock the high quality archaeological information. The presence of organic remains and numerous artefacts in cultural layers and the thorough excavation of these layers have produced a wealth of data regarding Late Neolithic behavioural variability in a dynamic wetland landscape. In this article, a summary of the results of this project will be presented.
Dutch. This research project provided an excellent
opportunity to unlock the high quality archaeological information. The presence of organic remains and numerous artefacts in cultural layers and the thorough excavation of these layers have produced a wealth of data regarding Late Neolithic behavioural variability in a dynamic wetland landscape. In this article, a summary of the results of this project will be presented.
Research Interests:
Our analyses of ceramics from the Neolithic sites near Swifterbant (prov. Flevoland/NL) suggest two distinctive sub - groups. This study aims to determine whether these subgroups represent functional categories using botanical analysis... more
Our analyses of ceramics from the Neolithic sites near Swifterbant (prov. Flevoland/NL) suggest two distinctive
sub - groups. This study aims to determine whether these subgroups represent functional categories using botanical analysis (scanning electron microscope) and chemical residue analysis (direct temperature-resolved mass spectrometry). We
conclude that there are two functional groups. Group 1 pots are used to cook meals without emmer, while group 2
pots are used to cook meals including emmer. It appears that with the introduction of emmer in the cooking process,
traditional meals were transferred to a new type of pottery (group 1), while the nouvelle cuisine ended up in the traditional pots (group 2). This case study is strong evidence that the introduction of emmer in the diet of the Swifterbant
people was an innovation embedded in meaningful action.
sub - groups. This study aims to determine whether these subgroups represent functional categories using botanical analysis (scanning electron microscope) and chemical residue analysis (direct temperature-resolved mass spectrometry). We
conclude that there are two functional groups. Group 1 pots are used to cook meals without emmer, while group 2
pots are used to cook meals including emmer. It appears that with the introduction of emmer in the cooking process,
traditional meals were transferred to a new type of pottery (group 1), while the nouvelle cuisine ended up in the traditional pots (group 2). This case study is strong evidence that the introduction of emmer in the diet of the Swifterbant
people was an innovation embedded in meaningful action.
ABSTRACT As a model for polysaccharide char formation in archaeological food residues, bulk samples of microcrystalline cellulose were charred under anoxic conditions at atmospheric pressure and at temperatures ranging from 190 to 310°C.... more
ABSTRACT As a model for polysaccharide char formation in archaeological food residues, bulk samples of microcrystalline cellulose were charred under anoxic conditions at atmospheric pressure and at temperatures ranging from 190 to 310°C. The resulting chars were characterised by pyrolysis—mass spectrometry (Py—MS) and Curie-point pyrolysis—gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Cu-Py—GC/MS). Although very few polysaccharide moieties were preserved in the experimental chars after heating above 270°C, a characteristic distribution of pyrolysis products representing the condensed char is shown. A selected charred archaeological food residue was analysed using the same analytical techniques. In this way, polysaccharide input can be detected in archaeological residues after approximately 1800 years of burial.
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In this study, solid-state 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy using cross-polarization combined with high-powered proton decoupling and magic-angle sample spinning and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy using a diamond anvil cell,... more
In this study, solid-state 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy using cross-polarization combined with high-powered proton decoupling and magic-angle sample spinning and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy using a diamond anvil cell, are employed to give information about the organic functional groups present in charred and non-charred solid organic residues and to give an insight into the degree of condensation of the chars. Residues were preserved in ceramic vessels recovered from the indigenous settlement of Uitgeest–Groot Dorregeest, dating back to the Roman period. In addition, the application of these solid-state techniques is used for verification of earlier results obtained in analytical pyrolysis studies and to clarify the relationship between the already thermally degraded charred residues and the controlled heating fragmentation taking place during analytical pyrolysis and direct temperature-resolved mass spectrometry.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Geochemistry, Magic, NMR Spectroscopy, Archaeometry, and 12 moreIron Age, Information, FTIR, Ceramics, Spinning, Settlement, State, Habitat, Nmr, Proteins, Sample, and Magnetic
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This article defines organic residue analysis and its importance as supplier of independent information about the actual use of vessels in the context of functional ceramic studies in archeology. In organic residue analysis, analytical... more
This article defines organic residue analysis and its importance as supplier of independent information about the actual use of vessels in the context of functional ceramic studies in archeology. In organic residue analysis, analytical chemistry is used to detect and identify organic compounds preserved in association with ceramic vessels. When applied to functional ceramic studies, the goal is to identify the original vessel content of different groups of vessels, in order to provided evidence for functional differentiation of vessels. This paper aims to present archaeologists and ceramicists with a review of the possibilities and limitations of the application of organic residue analysis within the context of functional ceramic studies. Sampling strategies, research questions and evaluation criteria for results will be discussed.