- Groningen Institute of Archaeology
Poststraat 6
NL - 9712 ER Groningen - +31-(0)50-3635961
Hans Peeters
University of Groningen, Archaeology, Faculty Member
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Archaeological Method & Theory, Archaeological Science, Cultural Complexity, and 10 moreHunter-Gatherers, Mesolithic Europe, Lithic Technology, Experimental Archaeology, Spatial analysis (Archaeology), Cultural Transmission (Evolutionary Biology), Upper Paleolithic, Palaeolithic Archaeology, Mesolithic Archaeology, and Wetlandsedit
- My research focusses primarily on the archaeology of hunter-gatherers in prehistoric NW Europe. Main topics of intere... moreMy research focusses primarily on the archaeology of hunter-gatherers in prehistoric NW Europe. Main topics of interest are: (1) relationships between environmental dynamics and hunter-gatherer perceptions and use of landscape; (2) ritual dimensions in domestic activities and 'daily behaviour'; (3) technological variability in material culture (lithics in particular) and cultural transmission of knowledge and skill; (4) emergence of archaeological patterns through coupling of processes that operate at different scales in time and space; (5) representation of prehistoric hunter-gatherers and heritage management; (6) archaeological and anthropological theory. Approaches to this research involve, amongst others, GIS-based modelling of landscape change and hunter-gatherer behaviour, chaîne opératoire analysis of lithics, and spatial analysis of distributions of archaeological remains.
In my research I seek to merge archaeological, evidence-based analysis with an interdisciplinary contextual approach that combines archaeology, anthropology, and environmental/earth sciences (physical geography, geology, ecology).
Some other fields of interest concern self-organisation in human behavioural dynamics, the nature and 'causes' of culture change, and complexity theory in general.
Other engagements:
I am currently a member of the Management Committee of the SPLASHCOS (www.splashcos.org) project (EU-Cost Action TD0902). Earlier, I stood at the basis of the development of the North Sea Prehistory Research and Management Framework (NSPRMF), which is downloadable from these pages; the scientific background volume to NSPRMF is in preparation and will be published as a special issue of the Netherlands Journal of Geosciences / Geologie en Mijnbouw in 2013.
Photo: The guy with the baseball cap is Bill Lovis (MSU).edit
(Contact the author for a high-res version) In the last ten to fifteen years development-led archaeology has boosted the number of surveys and subsequent excavations in the Netherlands. Despite the number of excavations and the... more
(Contact the author for a high-res version) In the last ten to fifteen years development-led archaeology has boosted the number of surveys and subsequent excavations in the Netherlands. Despite the number of excavations and the availability of much data little is known with regard to the actual gain of knowledge in connection to the wide range of research questions and topics of the National Archaeological Research Agenda. This book reports on a synthetic analysis of reports produced in the context of development-led projects over the past 10-15 years and concerning the early prehistory of the Netherlands. The degree to which development-led work permits to take major steps forward is highly variable. A limited number of topics has profited from the generated data, and in some cases development-led research has shown to be on the forefront of innovative approaches. A larger number of topics and research questions, however, appear to remain unanswerable; data have been generated, but remain of an anecdotal nature. This volume discusses various issues with regard to the gain of knowledge regarding the early prehistory of the Netherlands, and identifies problems, yet also provides possible solutions. This scientific report is aimed at archaeologists and other professionals occupied with Archaeology. With knowledge and advice the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands gives the future a past.
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In 2011 a systematic underwater field survey and an invasive investigation were executed in the Yangtze Harbour planning area, Maasvlakte, Rotterdam, commissioned by Port of Rotterdam Authority. The aim of the work was to locate and... more
In 2011 a systematic underwater field survey and an invasive investigation were executed in the Yangtze Harbour planning area, Maasvlakte, Rotterdam, commissioned by Port of Rotterdam Authority. The aim of the work was to locate and document any archaeological remains in submerged Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene deposits at a depth of 22m to 17m bsl, in the to-be-deepened and extended harbour. A drowned Lateglacial-Early Holocene floodplain landscape was mapped and a Mesolithic site was discovered in it. The site was visited from c. 8500 to 6500 BC and became a nodal base camp 7000 to 6500 BC, when a wetland landscape had developed around it. Abundant flint tools, bones (of mammals, fish and bird) and plant material (pristine and charred) were recovered and provide information on mobility, diet and use of fire in the Middle Mesolithic. The site rapidly drowned in the transgressing North Sea owing to accelerated sea-level rise events of the period 6500-6300 BC. The site offers a window to the lowland archaeology of the Early Holocene in areas now offshore, that inland sites cannot off. The discoveries allow interregional comparison of delta habitation between the Middle Mesolithic (offshore, at depth in the sea, Doggerland) and Late Mesolithic (onshore, Rhine-Meuse delta, at depth below urbanized coastal plain).
Author list:
Boon, J.J., Brinkhuizen, D.C., Bunnik, F.P.M., Cohen, K.M., Cremer, H., Exaltus, R.P., van Kappel, K., Kooistra, L.I., Koolmees, H., de Kruyk, H., Kubiak-Martens, L., Moree, J.M., Niekus, M.J.L.T., Peeters, J.H.M., Schiltmans, D.E.A., Verbaas, A., Verbruggen, F., Vos, P.C., Zeiler, J.T.
Contents:
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Methods and techniques
Chapter 3 Landscape genesis and palaeogeography
Chapter 4 Flint and other stone https://www.academia.edu/11573354/
Chapter 5 Fauna
Chapter 6 Archaeobotany: landscape reconstruction and plant food
Chapter 7 Synthesis https://www.academia.edu/11600300/
Authorship is indicated per chapter. A rich DVD with further technical reports (in Dutch) is part of the publication. It also contains a 15 minute documentary movie (bilingual).
The book is the English translation of BOORrapporten 523 (2014, in Dutch, same editors and authors)
Link to DUTCH book: http://www.rotterdam.nl/Clusters/Stadsbeheer/Images%202014/BOOR/PDF/BOORrapporten%20523%20Rotterdam%20Yangtzehaven.pdf
Link to ENGLISH version: http://www.rotterdam.nl/Clusters/Stadsbeheer/Images%202015/BOOR/PDF/BR566_Maasvlakte2_ENGLISH.pdf
The PDF on the Rotterdam.nl website (the right link, in grey, below) is the full Book. It contains a PREFACE, a PART 2 on the stratigraphy of the sand extraction area off the Maasvlakte extension, and an EPILOGUE on a human bone find from that area). The PDF uploaded to academia.edu (the left link, in green, below) is PART 1 only.
Author list:
Boon, J.J., Brinkhuizen, D.C., Bunnik, F.P.M., Cohen, K.M., Cremer, H., Exaltus, R.P., van Kappel, K., Kooistra, L.I., Koolmees, H., de Kruyk, H., Kubiak-Martens, L., Moree, J.M., Niekus, M.J.L.T., Peeters, J.H.M., Schiltmans, D.E.A., Verbaas, A., Verbruggen, F., Vos, P.C., Zeiler, J.T.
Contents:
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Methods and techniques
Chapter 3 Landscape genesis and palaeogeography
Chapter 4 Flint and other stone https://www.academia.edu/11573354/
Chapter 5 Fauna
Chapter 6 Archaeobotany: landscape reconstruction and plant food
Chapter 7 Synthesis https://www.academia.edu/11600300/
Authorship is indicated per chapter. A rich DVD with further technical reports (in Dutch) is part of the publication. It also contains a 15 minute documentary movie (bilingual).
The book is the English translation of BOORrapporten 523 (2014, in Dutch, same editors and authors)
Link to DUTCH book: http://www.rotterdam.nl/Clusters/Stadsbeheer/Images%202014/BOOR/PDF/BOORrapporten%20523%20Rotterdam%20Yangtzehaven.pdf
Link to ENGLISH version: http://www.rotterdam.nl/Clusters/Stadsbeheer/Images%202015/BOOR/PDF/BR566_Maasvlakte2_ENGLISH.pdf
The PDF on the Rotterdam.nl website (the right link, in grey, below) is the full Book. It contains a PREFACE, a PART 2 on the stratigraphy of the sand extraction area off the Maasvlakte extension, and an EPILOGUE on a human bone find from that area). The PDF uploaded to academia.edu (the left link, in green, below) is PART 1 only.
Research Interests: Coastal Engineering, Landscape Archaeology, Marine Geology, Mesolithic Archaeology, Ports and Harbours, and 7 moreHolocene sea level change, Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene, Submerged landscapes and settlements, Marine geology and geophysics, Mesolithic Wetlands, Dogger Bank, North Sea Early Seafaring, Submerged Prehistoric Archaeology, and Holocene Evolution of Deltas
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This is the synthesis chapter that discusses the results of the investigations at the Mesolithic site in the Rotterdam Yangtze Harbour in a broader spatio-temporal context. The entire book entitled '20 meters deep' is also available!
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(By Kleijne, Beckerman, Brinkhuizen, Brinkkemper, Garcia-Diaz, Kubiak-Martens, Lauwerier, Nobles, Oudemans, Peeters, Raemaekers, Smit, Theunissen, Van Gijn, Zeiler) Between 2009 and 2014, a research project was carried out by several... more
(By Kleijne, Beckerman, Brinkhuizen, Brinkkemper, Garcia-Diaz, Kubiak-Martens, Lauwerier, Nobles, Oudemans, Peeters, Raemaekers, Smit, Theunissen, Van Gijn, Zeiler) 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.
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(By H.K. Kamstra, J.H.M. Peeters & D.C.M. Raemaekers.) The stone cist was a chance find resulting from the excavation of the dwelling mound (wierde) of Heveskesklooster. Owing to its location beneath this younger site and a layer of... more
(By H.K. Kamstra, J.H.M. Peeters & D.C.M. Raemaekers.) The stone cist was a chance find resulting from the excavation of the dwelling mound (wierde) of Heveskesklooster. Owing to its location beneath this younger site and a layer of natural sediment, also the Neolithic surface surrounding the stone cist was excavated. This provided a rare opportunity to study the use of space surrounding the monument. The stone cist was probably built between 3200 and 2950 cal. BC. The flint assemblage testifies to the activities that took place in the area surrounding the stone cist. Although the particular date of these activities is difficult to correlate to the stone cist, it seems that these took place during both TRB and later Neolithic periods. The flint assemblage cannot easily be fit into a bipartite division between ritual and everyday activities. Compared to other TRB stone cists, the Heveskesklooster stone cist yielded few chamber finds. This is the first indication that later inhabitants of the site may have disturbed the content of the burial. Another can be found in the absence of some of the orthostats. Both arguments suggest that in their behaviour the Late Neolithic habitants at Heveskesklooster did not revere the stone cist burial as an ancestral place, but instead seem to have desecrated it. It is concluded that local Corded Ware communities may have had widely differing notions about the relevance of TRB monuments to their sense of ancestry and identity.
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The North Sea bed host remains of Pleistocene and Early Holocene landscapes that were, mostly gradually, inundated following the last deglaciation. Archaeological remains from the seabed obtained by fishing, dredging, and sand suppletion... more
The North Sea bed host remains of Pleistocene and Early Holocene landscapes that were, mostly gradually, inundated following the last deglaciation. Archaeological remains from the seabed obtained by fishing, dredging, and sand suppletion include human skeletal remains. Radiocarbon dating reveals that most of these are Mesolithic although a few Late Palaeolithic and historic remains are represented. Samples with known stable isotope ratios δ 13 C and δ 15 N show that Mesolithic inhabitants of 'Doggerland' had a significant component of freshwater fish in their diet. This means the 14 C dates are subject to a reservoir effect mainly determined by the freshwater bodies at the time. Because of the lack of context, the magnitude of the reservoir effect cannot be derived, so that the 14 C dates cannot be precisely calibrated to absolute ages. However, a distinct correlation is observed between the δ 15 N values and the (uncalibrated) 14 C dates, suggesting a chronological development.
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This report (in Dutch I am afraid) provides a detailed analysis of the flint material from the funnel beaker culture (TRB) site Slootdorp-Bouwlust (Noord-Holland, Netherlands). Published in: R.M. van Heeringen & E.M. Theunissen (eds),... more
This report (in Dutch I am afraid) provides a detailed analysis of the flint material from the funnel beaker culture (TRB) site Slootdorp-Bouwlust (Noord-Holland, Netherlands). Published in: R.M. van Heeringen & E.M. Theunissen (eds), 2001, Kwaliteitsbepalend onderzoek ten behoeve van duurzaam behoud van neolithische terreinen in West-Friesland en de Kop van Noord-Holland. Deel 3: Archeologische onderzoeksverslagen. Rijksdienst voor het OUdheidkundig Bodemonderzoek, Amersfoort (Nederlandse Archeologische Rapporten 21).
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Zeewijk is an important final building block in the better understanding of Neolithic and Corded Ware Culture life in Noord-Holland that we set out to achieve in our project. Looking back at the analysis and publication of the fairly... more
Zeewijk is an important final building block in the better understanding of Neolithic and Corded Ware Culture life in Noord-Holland that we set out to achieve in our project. Looking back at the analysis and publication of the fairly small sites at Keinsmerbrug and Mienakker, the new information added by the much larger site Zeewijk is fascinating. Because Zeewijk is very different in many respects – in terms of the backlog, size, quantity of finds and proportion excavated – its story is a valuable outcome of our Odyssey research project.
We can conclude that Zeewijk was a large domestic settlement, occupied all year round. In our view Zeewijk must be seen as a location where recurrent habitation took place, intensively, alternated with subsistence activities. It is a permanent mosaic of different assemblages: relocated dwellings, cultivated plots and the building and partial demolition of a remarkable ritual structure.
The habitants of Zeewijk carried out a broad spectrum of activities related to subsistence: mixed intensive farming (including small-scale crop cultivation, crop processing and
consumption, and animal herding and consumption), foraging, fishing, fowling and hunting all took place there. Furthermore there is ample evidence of craftsmanship.
This variety of local crafts, the construction and use of the large ceremonial building in Zeewijk-East and the large variation in ceramics are seen as indications that different groups of
Corded Ware people settled at Zeewijk. These groups were probably household groups, a community of several families, related by kinship both genetic and affinal.
We can conclude that Zeewijk was a large domestic settlement, occupied all year round. In our view Zeewijk must be seen as a location where recurrent habitation took place, intensively, alternated with subsistence activities. It is a permanent mosaic of different assemblages: relocated dwellings, cultivated plots and the building and partial demolition of a remarkable ritual structure.
The habitants of Zeewijk carried out a broad spectrum of activities related to subsistence: mixed intensive farming (including small-scale crop cultivation, crop processing and
consumption, and animal herding and consumption), foraging, fishing, fowling and hunting all took place there. Furthermore there is ample evidence of craftsmanship.
This variety of local crafts, the construction and use of the large ceremonial building in Zeewijk-East and the large variation in ceramics are seen as indications that different groups of
Corded Ware people settled at Zeewijk. These groups were probably household groups, a community of several families, related by kinship both genetic and affinal.
Research Interests: Settlement Patterns, Neolithic Archaeology, Neolithic & Chalcolithic Archaeology, Prehistoric Settlement, Corded Ware Culture, and 9 moreNeolithic Europe, Wetland Archaeology, Single Grave Culture, Neolithic, Neolithic Ceramics, Late Neolithic, Battle Axe Culture, Corded Ware Settlement Pattern, and Corded Ware Cultural Complex
Excavation of a small (8 m diameter) Mesolithic flint scatter and an (unrelated and/or older) group of hearths or cooking pits. The camp was used primarily for the production and maintenance of arrowheads
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This publication gives an overview of research themes and questions collected as starting point for future AHM projects in the Netherlands.
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With S. Verneau and M. Admiraal. This report (in Dutch) describes the flint assemblage from the Mesolithic site of Epse Olthof (Deventer, the Netherlands).
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With J. Schreurs and S. Verneau. This report (in Dutch) provides a detailed description of the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic (Early Swifterbant) flint assemblage.
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This report offers the synthesis of the results of the excavation of the Mesolithic to Early Neolithic site of Hoge Vaart-A27. The excavation of the site of Hoge Vaart-A27 (Almere, the Netherlands) has produced a rich body of... more
This report offers the synthesis of the results of the excavation of the Mesolithic to Early Neolithic site of Hoge Vaart-A27. The excavation of the site of Hoge Vaart-A27 (Almere, the Netherlands) has produced a rich body of archaeological and palaeoenvironmental data from the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic. The site has delivered one of the earliest forms of Swifterbant pottery and provides high-resolution insights in the particular use of this locale in the context of a drowning landscape.
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Book review of: KAI NIEDERHÖFER. Archäologische Fundstellen im ostfriesischen Wattenmeer. Siedlungsgeschichte einer untergegangenen Landschaft bis 1570. 2016. CLIVE WADDINGTON & CLIVE BONSALL. Archaeology and environment on the North Sea... more
Book review of:
KAI NIEDERHÖFER. Archäologische Fundstellen im ostfriesischen Wattenmeer. Siedlungsgeschichte einer untergegangenen Landschaft bis 1570. 2016.
CLIVE WADDINGTON & CLIVE BONSALL. Archaeology and environment on the North Sea littoral: a case study from Low Hauxley. 2016.
KAI NIEDERHÖFER. Archäologische Fundstellen im ostfriesischen Wattenmeer. Siedlungsgeschichte einer untergegangenen Landschaft bis 1570. 2016.
CLIVE WADDINGTON & CLIVE BONSALL. Archaeology and environment on the North Sea littoral: a case study from Low Hauxley. 2016.
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An International Conference on the Neolithization of the North European Plain