The importance of skin processing technologies in the history and expansion of humankind cannot be overstated, yet these technologies can be difficult to identify in the archaeological record. This research outlines the development of a systematic, non-destructive method for identifying the tanning technologies used to produce prehistoric skin artefacts. The approach combines extensive archaeological research and over 25 years of the author's personal tanning experience.

The method employs obs...

The early Neolithic site of Vráble (5250-4950 cal BCE) is among the largest LBK settlement agglomerations in Central Europe, and exceptional within the southwest Slovakian area. Geophysical surveys revealed more than 300 houses, grouped into three contemporary neighbourhoods, one of which is delineated by a complex ditched enclosure system. This enclosure is associated with a large number of human remains, which reveal new patterns of burial and deposition practices. This volume presents the...

The terracotta figurines from Akragas (Agrigento) with their chubby faces, splendid furniture, and rich adornments, depict a prosperous life in the late sixth and early fifth century BCE. The extensive jewellery on the figurines contains strikingly large fibulae appliques fastening pectoral chains with several sorts of pendants. They are modelled after existing items. The form of the jewellery items changed fast, influenced by different peoples and changing fashions, which can be compared wit...

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, 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 ...

The Tripolye phenomenon, which displays a specific artefact complex and an extraordinary settlement layout, is also known for its so-called ‘mega sites’. Five of the largest ‘mega’ or giant settlements measure between 150-320 ha in size. These, and other big settlements, are concentrated in the Sinyukha River Basin, which is a central part of modern Ukraine. In this region, more than 100 different Tripolye sites are known.

The chronology of this region is the key to understanding not ...

In de tweede eeuw na Christus werd de Zuid-Hollandse kust in toenemende mate aantrekkelijk als landingsplaats voor Chaukische piraten. Het Romeinse leger, onder meer aanwezig in Forum Hadriani (een stadje in wat nu Voorburg is), nam maatregelen.

Ter hoogte van vakantiepark Kijkduin verscheen rond 150 na Chr. een ruiterfortje. In die periode kwamen er waarschijnlijk meer kleine kustforten en wachttorens (ook bij de Scheveningse weg). Onderzoek levert steeds scherper het beeld op van een system...

Glass beads, both beautiful and portable, have been produced and traded globally for thousands of years. Modern archaeologists study these artifacts through sophisticated methods that analyze the glass composition, a process which can be utilized to trace bead usage through time and across regions. This book publishes open-access compositional data obtained from laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry, from a single analytical laboratory, providing a uniquely compa...

Natuurwetenschappen en archeologie brengt een overzicht van de analysemethoden die gebruikt worden binnen ecologisch-archeologisch onderzoek. Die invalshoek is in het Nederlandstalig taalgebied uniek.

Archeologie bestudeert het menselijk handelen in het verleden aan de hand van opgegraven stoffelijke resten. Sinds de jaren zestig kregen natuurwetenschappelijke benaderingen daarbij steeds meer aandacht. Een reconstructie van de mens in zijn omgeving is niet mogelijk zonder een studie van plant...

Op 8 december 2023 is bij Batavialand te Lelystad de Dag van de historische maritieme archeologie in Nederland (het vijftiende Glavimans symposion) georganiseerd.

Dit jaar was ‘Straatvaart’ het centrale thema, de scheepvaart op het Mediterrane gebied en de Levant. Het betreft een relatief onderbelicht onderwerp binnen de maritieme geschiedenis, waar vanuit de maritieme archeologie een grote bijdrage aan kan worden geleverd.

Meerdere sprekers hebben het onderwerp vanuit verschillende inval...

In Britain, Ireland and Southern Scandinavia, the Early Neolithic is characterised by monumental constructions (e.g. causewayed enclosures, dolmens) and by specific traditions of depositional practice. Some aspects of these practices are similar in both regions, for example the shapes and use of monuments, their overall developmental sequences, and the traditions of deposition (kinds of objects and their treatment, locations chosen and so on). In spite of these similarities, however, there ha...