ABSTRACT In this publication the results of the analyses of the Roman harbour of Voorburg-Arentsb... more ABSTRACT In this publication the results of the analyses of the Roman harbour of Voorburg-Arentsburg (NL) are presented. This fully inclusive and integrated study of more than 1000 pages is published in two volumes. The publication is written in Dutch, but has got an extensive synthesis/summary in English. This publication presents the results of the 2007/2008 excavations in Voorburg-Arentsburg. The first systematic excavations in Voorburg-Arentsburg - situated along the Corbulo canal between Rhine and Meuse rivers – begun by Caspar Reuvens (Leiden University) in the 19th century. Reuvens’ and Jan Hendrik Holwerda’s excavations in the early 20th century (RMO), uncovered structures of a Roman planned settlement with a surrounding wall plus ditches, a rectangular street grid and lay-out and large Roman public baths. This site was initially interpreted as a fleet station of the classis germanica, and later on reinterpreted as the Roman town Forum Hadriani, which served as the capital for the civitas of the Cananefati. The hand of the central Roman authority can be felt all around the coastal delta area of the Low Countries. This varies from infrastructural adjustments, building and keeping up the frontier line with all kind of military installations, to the construction of new planned towns. Excavations carried out in three large trenches in 2007/2008 were undertaken in the expectation of examining two - possibly three - insulae of this Roman town in Voorburg-Arentsburg. It surprised us when the excavations in two trenches uncovered a river channel 110 metres in length with a tapering width of at least 41 metres in the south and 28 metres in the north. In the second and early third century this Voorburg river channel was dredged at least three times, in order to transform this into a harbour basin of the desired proportions. The last seems to be the case as the channel is on the northern, western and eastern side by quay installations. The base of these quay works consisted in large pointed straightened oak posts which were driven in the ground. Two construction phases can be distinguished, one around 160 CE and a second phase around 210 CE. The location of the harbour of Voorburg-Arentsburg – between the Rhine and Meuse near the North Sea coast which lacked natural harbours - and the nature and provenances of the retrieved materials fuelled the idea that this harbour was not only laid out to supply this central place of the civitas Cananefatium. The harbour was pivotal in the provisioning of the military in the coastal zone of the West Netherlands, but was constructed as well for supra-regional aims. Our natural coastal delta with favourable off-shore winds and currents will have stimulated not only the Roman coastal trade, but most probably also that to and from Southern and Northern Britain. This study provides enough arguments to suggest that the Roman harbour of Voorburg-Arentsburg played a role in the transit routes towards Britannia.
Filename Could the local population of the Lower Rhine pt. 1 Version final SOURCE (OR PART OF THE... more Filename Could the local population of the Lower Rhine pt. 1 Version final SOURCE (OR PART OF THE FOLLOWING SOURCE):
Des restes osseux de caprines et de bovins inclus dans des objets ovales en argile ont ete decouv... more Des restes osseux de caprines et de bovins inclus dans des objets ovales en argile ont ete decouverts dans l'une des maisons du Village brule de Tell Sabi Abyad, en Syrie du Nord. Le village correspond au niveau 6 et est date de 5300-5200 bc. Le site a ete detruit par un violent incendie. Ces circonstances ont permis une conservation exceptionnelle des objets en argile. Les restes sont decrits et les criteres d'identification analyses. Une comparaison avec d'autres sites est faite et differentes explications sont discutees. Les restes semblent etre apparentes a une activite rituelle, tres probablement liee au culte des morts.
The seulement of Tell Sabi Abyad is situated in the Balikh valley of northern Syria. Excavations ... more The seulement of Tell Sabi Abyad is situated in the Balikh valley of northern Syria. Excavations at Tell Sabi Abyad were undertaken in 1986, 1988, 1991 and 1992 by the university of Amsterdam and university of Leiden (under the auspices of the National Museum of Antiquities). The various trenches, excavated at the northeastern mound of the site, gave evidence of a continuous and uninterrupted sequence of Late Neolithic occupation, with the Halaf culture gradually emerging from an earlier, locally founded Neolithic tradition (ca. 57005000 BC). So far, no other excavated site has produced a similar transitional period between the Early Neolithic and Halaf, as all the other investigated sites were newly founded somewhere in the Halaf period (Akkermans and Le Mière, 1992). At present three major period of prehistoric occupation are represented : 1. The pre-Halaf Neolithic (ca. 5300-5200 BC). 2. The Transitional period (ca. 5200-5100 BC). 3. The Early Halaf period (ca. 5100-5000 BC).
A preliminary analysis is provided of the vertebrate faunal remains from a newly discovered ‘Ubai... more A preliminary analysis is provided of the vertebrate faunal remains from a newly discovered ‘Ubaid settlement located on the island of Dalma in the United Arab Emirates. The site dates to the early 5 millennium BC. Fishing and hunting were of great importance although animal husbandry was also practiced, a small amount of bones of domestic sheep/goat being present at the site. Gazelle were sometimes hunted, and marine turtle, dugong and dolphin only appear to have been occasionally exploited. Other marine resources utilised included crabs and marine mollusca. Fish bones however form the most significant component of the assemblage. Ongoing analysis of the fish remains suggests that a wide range of species are present, including inshore as well as pelagic species. Major groups include the subclass Elasmobranchii (cartilaginous sharks and rays) as well as the following families amongst the Osteichthyes (bony fishes): Belonidae (needlefish), Serranidae (groupers), Sparidae (seabreams) ...
Les fouilles recentes de Tell Sabi Abyad en Syrie du Nord ont fourni de nouvelles informations su... more Les fouilles recentes de Tell Sabi Abyad en Syrie du Nord ont fourni de nouvelles informations sur la nature et le developpement de l’occupation humaine sur le site durant le Neolithique ceramique au cours du VIIe et du VIe millenaire av. J.-C. Dans cet article, les resultats de l’etude preliminaire d’une partie du materiel faunique provenant des niveaux du Neolithique ceramique ancien (VIIe millenaire cal.) sont presentes et compares avec les donnees plus importantes du materiel des niveaux du Neolithique recent (VIe millenaire cal.).
Abstract In 2001 and 2002 an excavation conducted in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn in the Nethe... more Abstract In 2001 and 2002 an excavation conducted in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn in the Netherlands revealed the vestiges of a Roman fort, Castellum Albaniana, situated along the historical Rhine delta and used for centuries during the Roman occupation (41 AD − 275 CE). Among the animal bones retrieved from the surrounding defensive ditches, remains of Lynx lynx bones were found. Lynx is currently not native to the Netherlands but might have been in historical times and it could have been transported to the Limes region by the Romans or caught in the direct surroundings of the castellum. In the present study, we describe the retrieved lynx bones initially identified based on morphology. We performed ancient DNA amplification, sequencing and alignment to confirm species identification and to determine the haplotype. Previous haplotyping of lynx from various sites reported by other studies has shown that lynx distribution in Europe during Roman times was very different from its current distribution. DNA analysis of cytochrome oxidase I and cytochrome B confirmed the identification of the animal species as Lynx lynx. Sequencing of the mitochondrial control region revealed that the animal carried a DNA haplotype, different from those from North Sea fossil lynx remains, but comparable to a haplotype found in southern France. Analysis of stable isotope of the bone materials, to determine the region where the animal lived, suggests the provenance of the animal from a region which comprises southern and central Europe including a part of the Netherlands.
For a long time, historical sources and the marginal landscape have led to the assumption that th... more For a long time, historical sources and the marginal landscape have led to the assumption that the Roman army in the Rhine delta was mainly supplied with products transported over medium and long distances. In a diptych of articles, we will investigate whether this assumption is tenable for wood and food, based on archaeological, palaeo-environmental and geological research carried out in the past twenty years. The first article provides a review of the data, which leads to the argument that the Roman army also procured wood and food (especially cereals and beef) from agrarian settlements in the immediate surroundings. The second article will investigate the scale of local provisioning on the basis of a calculation model.
Autores: Romuald Awsiuk, Giorgio Bartolomei, Laura Cattani, Chiara Cavallo, Giampaolo Dalmeri, Fr... more Autores: Romuald Awsiuk, Giorgio Bartolomei, Laura Cattani, Chiara Cavallo, Giampaolo Dalmeri, Francesco D'errico, Giacomo Giacobini, Alberto Girod, Helena Hercman, Paula Jardon-Giner, Renato Nisbet, Mieczyslaw F. Pazdur, Marco Peresani, Alfredo Riedel
The great auk was once abundant and distributed across the North Atlantic. It is now extinct, hav... more The great auk was once abundant and distributed across the North Atlantic. It is now extinct, having been heavily exploited for its eggs, meat, and feathers. We investigated the impact of human hunting on its demise by integrating genetic data, GPS-based ocean current data, and analyses of population viability. We sequenced complete mitochondrial genomes of 41 individuals from across the species’ geographic range and reconstructed population structure and population dynamics throughout the Holocene. Taken together, our data do not provide any evidence that great auks were at risk of extinction prior to the onset of intensive human hunting in the early 16th century. In addition, our population viability analyses reveal that even if the great auk had not been under threat by environmental change, human hunting alone could have been sufficient to cause its extinction. Our results emphasise the vulnerability of even abundant and widespread species to intense and localised exploitation.
... matter not quite in accordance with her own notions, forsook her imperiousness before Sophie&... more ... matter not quite in accordance with her own notions, forsook her imperiousness before Sophie's coming smile. ... little disgust at the kind of society to which he was limited; and now, in Mrs ... invitations to her little dinners, and also introduced him to some of the neighbouring gentry. ...
During the summers of 2007 and 2008, members of the Upper Tigris Archeological Research Project (... more During the summers of 2007 and 2008, members of the Upper Tigris Archeological Research Project (UT ARP) undertook an eighth and ninth season of fieldwork in the Upper Tigris River region of southeastern Turkey (figure I)? The 2007 field season was aimed at completing ...
ABSTRACT In this publication the results of the analyses of the Roman harbour of Voorburg-Arentsb... more ABSTRACT In this publication the results of the analyses of the Roman harbour of Voorburg-Arentsburg (NL) are presented. This fully inclusive and integrated study of more than 1000 pages is published in two volumes. The publication is written in Dutch, but has got an extensive synthesis/summary in English. This publication presents the results of the 2007/2008 excavations in Voorburg-Arentsburg. The first systematic excavations in Voorburg-Arentsburg - situated along the Corbulo canal between Rhine and Meuse rivers – begun by Caspar Reuvens (Leiden University) in the 19th century. Reuvens’ and Jan Hendrik Holwerda’s excavations in the early 20th century (RMO), uncovered structures of a Roman planned settlement with a surrounding wall plus ditches, a rectangular street grid and lay-out and large Roman public baths. This site was initially interpreted as a fleet station of the classis germanica, and later on reinterpreted as the Roman town Forum Hadriani, which served as the capital for the civitas of the Cananefati. The hand of the central Roman authority can be felt all around the coastal delta area of the Low Countries. This varies from infrastructural adjustments, building and keeping up the frontier line with all kind of military installations, to the construction of new planned towns. Excavations carried out in three large trenches in 2007/2008 were undertaken in the expectation of examining two - possibly three - insulae of this Roman town in Voorburg-Arentsburg. It surprised us when the excavations in two trenches uncovered a river channel 110 metres in length with a tapering width of at least 41 metres in the south and 28 metres in the north. In the second and early third century this Voorburg river channel was dredged at least three times, in order to transform this into a harbour basin of the desired proportions. The last seems to be the case as the channel is on the northern, western and eastern side by quay installations. The base of these quay works consisted in large pointed straightened oak posts which were driven in the ground. Two construction phases can be distinguished, one around 160 CE and a second phase around 210 CE. The location of the harbour of Voorburg-Arentsburg – between the Rhine and Meuse near the North Sea coast which lacked natural harbours - and the nature and provenances of the retrieved materials fuelled the idea that this harbour was not only laid out to supply this central place of the civitas Cananefatium. The harbour was pivotal in the provisioning of the military in the coastal zone of the West Netherlands, but was constructed as well for supra-regional aims. Our natural coastal delta with favourable off-shore winds and currents will have stimulated not only the Roman coastal trade, but most probably also that to and from Southern and Northern Britain. This study provides enough arguments to suggest that the Roman harbour of Voorburg-Arentsburg played a role in the transit routes towards Britannia.
Filename Could the local population of the Lower Rhine pt. 1 Version final SOURCE (OR PART OF THE... more Filename Could the local population of the Lower Rhine pt. 1 Version final SOURCE (OR PART OF THE FOLLOWING SOURCE):
Des restes osseux de caprines et de bovins inclus dans des objets ovales en argile ont ete decouv... more Des restes osseux de caprines et de bovins inclus dans des objets ovales en argile ont ete decouverts dans l'une des maisons du Village brule de Tell Sabi Abyad, en Syrie du Nord. Le village correspond au niveau 6 et est date de 5300-5200 bc. Le site a ete detruit par un violent incendie. Ces circonstances ont permis une conservation exceptionnelle des objets en argile. Les restes sont decrits et les criteres d'identification analyses. Une comparaison avec d'autres sites est faite et differentes explications sont discutees. Les restes semblent etre apparentes a une activite rituelle, tres probablement liee au culte des morts.
The seulement of Tell Sabi Abyad is situated in the Balikh valley of northern Syria. Excavations ... more The seulement of Tell Sabi Abyad is situated in the Balikh valley of northern Syria. Excavations at Tell Sabi Abyad were undertaken in 1986, 1988, 1991 and 1992 by the university of Amsterdam and university of Leiden (under the auspices of the National Museum of Antiquities). The various trenches, excavated at the northeastern mound of the site, gave evidence of a continuous and uninterrupted sequence of Late Neolithic occupation, with the Halaf culture gradually emerging from an earlier, locally founded Neolithic tradition (ca. 57005000 BC). So far, no other excavated site has produced a similar transitional period between the Early Neolithic and Halaf, as all the other investigated sites were newly founded somewhere in the Halaf period (Akkermans and Le Mière, 1992). At present three major period of prehistoric occupation are represented : 1. The pre-Halaf Neolithic (ca. 5300-5200 BC). 2. The Transitional period (ca. 5200-5100 BC). 3. The Early Halaf period (ca. 5100-5000 BC).
A preliminary analysis is provided of the vertebrate faunal remains from a newly discovered ‘Ubai... more A preliminary analysis is provided of the vertebrate faunal remains from a newly discovered ‘Ubaid settlement located on the island of Dalma in the United Arab Emirates. The site dates to the early 5 millennium BC. Fishing and hunting were of great importance although animal husbandry was also practiced, a small amount of bones of domestic sheep/goat being present at the site. Gazelle were sometimes hunted, and marine turtle, dugong and dolphin only appear to have been occasionally exploited. Other marine resources utilised included crabs and marine mollusca. Fish bones however form the most significant component of the assemblage. Ongoing analysis of the fish remains suggests that a wide range of species are present, including inshore as well as pelagic species. Major groups include the subclass Elasmobranchii (cartilaginous sharks and rays) as well as the following families amongst the Osteichthyes (bony fishes): Belonidae (needlefish), Serranidae (groupers), Sparidae (seabreams) ...
Les fouilles recentes de Tell Sabi Abyad en Syrie du Nord ont fourni de nouvelles informations su... more Les fouilles recentes de Tell Sabi Abyad en Syrie du Nord ont fourni de nouvelles informations sur la nature et le developpement de l’occupation humaine sur le site durant le Neolithique ceramique au cours du VIIe et du VIe millenaire av. J.-C. Dans cet article, les resultats de l’etude preliminaire d’une partie du materiel faunique provenant des niveaux du Neolithique ceramique ancien (VIIe millenaire cal.) sont presentes et compares avec les donnees plus importantes du materiel des niveaux du Neolithique recent (VIe millenaire cal.).
Abstract In 2001 and 2002 an excavation conducted in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn in the Nethe... more Abstract In 2001 and 2002 an excavation conducted in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn in the Netherlands revealed the vestiges of a Roman fort, Castellum Albaniana, situated along the historical Rhine delta and used for centuries during the Roman occupation (41 AD − 275 CE). Among the animal bones retrieved from the surrounding defensive ditches, remains of Lynx lynx bones were found. Lynx is currently not native to the Netherlands but might have been in historical times and it could have been transported to the Limes region by the Romans or caught in the direct surroundings of the castellum. In the present study, we describe the retrieved lynx bones initially identified based on morphology. We performed ancient DNA amplification, sequencing and alignment to confirm species identification and to determine the haplotype. Previous haplotyping of lynx from various sites reported by other studies has shown that lynx distribution in Europe during Roman times was very different from its current distribution. DNA analysis of cytochrome oxidase I and cytochrome B confirmed the identification of the animal species as Lynx lynx. Sequencing of the mitochondrial control region revealed that the animal carried a DNA haplotype, different from those from North Sea fossil lynx remains, but comparable to a haplotype found in southern France. Analysis of stable isotope of the bone materials, to determine the region where the animal lived, suggests the provenance of the animal from a region which comprises southern and central Europe including a part of the Netherlands.
For a long time, historical sources and the marginal landscape have led to the assumption that th... more For a long time, historical sources and the marginal landscape have led to the assumption that the Roman army in the Rhine delta was mainly supplied with products transported over medium and long distances. In a diptych of articles, we will investigate whether this assumption is tenable for wood and food, based on archaeological, palaeo-environmental and geological research carried out in the past twenty years. The first article provides a review of the data, which leads to the argument that the Roman army also procured wood and food (especially cereals and beef) from agrarian settlements in the immediate surroundings. The second article will investigate the scale of local provisioning on the basis of a calculation model.
Autores: Romuald Awsiuk, Giorgio Bartolomei, Laura Cattani, Chiara Cavallo, Giampaolo Dalmeri, Fr... more Autores: Romuald Awsiuk, Giorgio Bartolomei, Laura Cattani, Chiara Cavallo, Giampaolo Dalmeri, Francesco D'errico, Giacomo Giacobini, Alberto Girod, Helena Hercman, Paula Jardon-Giner, Renato Nisbet, Mieczyslaw F. Pazdur, Marco Peresani, Alfredo Riedel
The great auk was once abundant and distributed across the North Atlantic. It is now extinct, hav... more The great auk was once abundant and distributed across the North Atlantic. It is now extinct, having been heavily exploited for its eggs, meat, and feathers. We investigated the impact of human hunting on its demise by integrating genetic data, GPS-based ocean current data, and analyses of population viability. We sequenced complete mitochondrial genomes of 41 individuals from across the species’ geographic range and reconstructed population structure and population dynamics throughout the Holocene. Taken together, our data do not provide any evidence that great auks were at risk of extinction prior to the onset of intensive human hunting in the early 16th century. In addition, our population viability analyses reveal that even if the great auk had not been under threat by environmental change, human hunting alone could have been sufficient to cause its extinction. Our results emphasise the vulnerability of even abundant and widespread species to intense and localised exploitation.
... matter not quite in accordance with her own notions, forsook her imperiousness before Sophie&... more ... matter not quite in accordance with her own notions, forsook her imperiousness before Sophie's coming smile. ... little disgust at the kind of society to which he was limited; and now, in Mrs ... invitations to her little dinners, and also introduced him to some of the neighbouring gentry. ...
During the summers of 2007 and 2008, members of the Upper Tigris Archeological Research Project (... more During the summers of 2007 and 2008, members of the Upper Tigris Archeological Research Project (UT ARP) undertook an eighth and ninth season of fieldwork in the Upper Tigris River region of southeastern Turkey (figure I)? The 2007 field season was aimed at completing ...
National research agenda archaeozoology and physical anthropology of the Netherlands.
- 2006... more National research agenda archaeozoology and physical anthropology of the Netherlands.
- 2006a: C. Cavallo, K. Esser, R. Lauwerier, W. Prummel, L. Smits & J. Zeiler: Archeozoölogie en fysische antropologie (versie 1.0), Nationale Onderzoeksagenda Archeologie. Amersfoort, Rijksdienst voor het Oudheidkundig Bodemonderzoek.
This chapter reflects the analysis of almost 15.000 animal remains from the Early Medieval period... more This chapter reflects the analysis of almost 15.000 animal remains from the Early Medieval period (650-850). The site is excavated in 2013 in Leiderdorp, near to the city of Leiden. It's not only about the spectrum of the species but also about the slaughtering and consumptions patterns. Next to the domesticated species; cows, sheep and pigs there are also some finds of wildlife like birds and moose.
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Papers by Chiara Cavallo
- 2006a: C. Cavallo, K. Esser, R. Lauwerier, W. Prummel, L. Smits & J. Zeiler: Archeozoölogie en fysische antropologie (versie 1.0), Nationale Onderzoeksagenda Archeologie. Amersfoort, Rijksdienst voor het Oudheidkundig Bodemonderzoek.