Jörg Orschiedt | Freie Universität Berlin (original) (raw)
Papers by Jörg Orschiedt
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2018
Manipulations on prehistoric skulls such as trepanations are among the most fascinating palaeopat... more Manipulations on prehistoric skulls such as trepanations are among the most fascinating palaeopathological findings though it is not always easy to make a firm diagnosis. This case study presents a lesion on the cranial vault of a late Neolithic burial in central Germany. The defect forms an almost lanceolate lesion along the sagittal suture which had not penetrated the cranial vault. Similar lesions have been found in other areas of Germany and in the Balkans, where they have been interpreted as aborted, incomplete or symbolic trepanations. The present study explores potential causes for the unusual lesion and outlines possible therapeutic reasons for the manipulation of the skull. Comparison with similar cases also raises the question of a symbolic or ritual context. Thus, the study supports the hypothesis of symbolic surgical head manipulation in the European Neolithic.
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2003
... Häußer et al., in press; Haidle & Orschiedt, 2001). Acknowledgements The authors are grat... more ... Häußer et al., in press; Haidle & Orschiedt, 2001). Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to Birte Meller, Ulrich Magin and Sandra Lee Pichler who helped on the translation of a German version of this text. We would also ...
Journal of Human Evolution, 2008
We report here on the isotopic analysis (carbon and nitrogen) of collagen extracted from a Neande... more We report here on the isotopic analysis (carbon and nitrogen) of collagen extracted from a Neanderthal tooth and animal bone from the late Mousterian site of Jonzac (Charente-Maritime, France). This study was undertaken to test whether the isotopic evidence indicates that animal protein was the main source of dietary protein for this relatively late Neanderthal, as suggested by previous studies. This was of particular interest here because this is the first isotopic study of a relatively late Neanderthal associated with Mousterian of Acheulian Tradition (MTA, dating to approximately 55,000 to 40,000 BP) technology. We found that the Jonzac Neanderthal had isotopic values consistent with a diet in which the main protein sources were large herbivores, particularly bovids and horses. We also found evidence of different dietary niches between the Neanderthal and a hyena at the site, with the hyena consuming mainly reindeer.
Archaologische Informationen, 1997
Cette these de doctorat traite des traces, voire des lesions que portent les squelettes decouvert... more Cette these de doctorat traite des traces, voire des lesions que portent les squelettes decouverts en contexte archeologique et remontant au Paleolithique superieur, au Mesolithique et au Neolithique, et de leur possibles interpretations.
Neolithic Violence in a European Perspective, 2012
Oxford Handbooks Online, 2014
Nature, Nov 16, 2017
Ancient DNA studies have established that Neolithic European populations were descended from Anat... more Ancient DNA studies have established that Neolithic European populations were descended from Anatolian migrants who received a limited amount of admixture from resident hunter-gatherers. Many open questions remain, however, about the spatial and temporal dynamics of population interactions and admixture during the Neolithic period. Here we investigate the population dynamics of Neolithization across Europe using a high-resolution genome-wide ancient DNA dataset with a total of 180 samples, of which 130 are newly reported here, from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods of Hungary (6000-2900 bc, n = 100), Germany (5500-3000 bc, n = 42) and Spain (5500-2200 bc, n = 38). We find that genetic diversity was shaped predominantly by local processes, with varied sources and proportions of hunter-gatherer ancestry among the three regions and through time. Admixture between groups with different ancestry profiles was pervasive and resulted in observable population transformation across almos...
Jahrbuch Westfalen, 2018
M. Baales, W. Heuschen & J. Orschiedt (2018): Steinzeitliches Networking. Europäische Einflüsse a... more M. Baales, W. Heuschen & J. Orschiedt (2018): Steinzeitliches Networking. Europäische Einflüsse an der Blätterhöhle in Hagen. Jahrbuch Westfalen 2019, 48-54.
Lithic implements shed light on the relationships of Final Palaeolithic (Épi-Laborien) and Early Mesolithic (RMS) inhabitants of the southern Westphalian Blätterhöhle cave shelter.
Archäologie in Westfalen-Lippe, 2018
W. Heuschen, M. Baales & J. Orschiedt (2018): Die Blätterhöhle – neue Forschungen zum spätpaläo- ... more W. Heuschen, M. Baales & J. Orschiedt (2018): Die Blätterhöhle – neue Forschungen zum spätpaläo- bis neolithischen Fundplatz.
Archäologie in Westfalen-Lippe 2017, 35-38.
Excavations carried out in 2017 at the entrance to the Blätterhöhle cave in Hagen unearthed new finds from the Late Palaeolithic period. Of special interest is a distinct, greyish layer containing numerous lithic artefacts, including several backed points, blade tools and a large amount of debris. No such Late Palaeolithic finds had hitherto come to light in the wider region. Radiometric dating is underway and will hopefully underpin the current stratigraphic dating of the layer to the Transition from the Palaeolithic to the Mesolithic. The tibia fragment of a dog may be the earliest evidence of a domesticated canine in Westphalia.
The Tollense Valley extended site (northeast Germany) is the only known battlefield from the Euro... more The Tollense Valley extended site (northeast Germany) is the only known battlefield from the European Bronze Age. It has yielded a large number of human remains showing traces of violence, along with animal remains and weapons. The chapter discusses the results of new, interdisciplinary research focusing in particular on the penetrating injuries, which have yielded some of the most important information for reconstructing the Tollense Valley conflict scenario. This chapter aims to demonstrate how specific questions regarding the characteristic features of the injuries, the possible type of weapon, and the direction of the attack can be answered by using non-destructive high-resolution imaging and 3D reconstruction combined with experimental weapon testing. While experimental weapon testing is crucial for providing information concerning the injury patterns and weapon types, it may not offer any clues as to whether the injury originates from a stab or a shot. In order to address this problem, this chapter discusses a method enabling the secure identification of the weapon used in such ambiguous cases. This research allows discrimination between arrow and spearheads and thus between ranged and handheld weapons. This is especially important for the interpretation of the Tollense Valley conflict scenario, for which this study confirms that nonstandardized weapons were utilized on the battlefield.
W. Heuschen, M. Baales & J. Orschiedt (2016): 1. Neue Grabungen in der Blätterhöhle in Hagen und ... more W. Heuschen, M. Baales & J. Orschiedt (2016): 1. Neue Grabungen in der Blätterhöhle in Hagen und auf ihrem Vorplatz. Archäologie in Westfalen-Lippe 2015, 28-31.
The excavation mounted at the entrance to the Blätterhöhle cave and in the cave itself continued in 2015. New profile sections were dug in the area of the hearth among other places, samples were taken and finds recovered.
One of the new finds was an arrow-shaft smoother made of coarse sandstone, suggesting that wooden arrow shafts were made at the entrance to the cave during the Mesolithic period.
In Schulting, Rick & Linda Fibiger (eds.), Sticks, stones, and broken bones: Neolithic violence in a European perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press , 121-137. (together with Jörg Orschiedt), 2012
Since their discovery, human skeletal remains of the Herxheim pit system, like individuals from t... more Since their discovery, human skeletal remains of the Herxheim pit system, like individuals from the mass grave at Talheim and the earthwork of Asparn/Schletz, have often been taken as a proof for violent conflicts and for a crisis at the end of the Linear Pottery Culture. Yet, different from Talheim and Schletz, no clearly lethal trauma can be attributed to any of the minimum of 325 individuals from Herxheim. The highly fragmented sample is dominated by skull caps shaped in a recurring manner; jaws, facial, and interior cranial bones as well as postcranial elements are markedly underrepresented. Owing to the fragmented preservation of the assemblage it is impossible to give a detailed demographic description of the population, but all age classes (from fetal/neonate to senile) and both sexes are present. Cut marks (particularly on the skull caps, less frequently on mandibles and other skeletal elements), rare evidence of burning/ heating, and the specific fragmentation of mostly fresh bones refer to a complex death ritual. Scavenger marks are rare and can mainly be attributed to rodents. The frequency of enamel hypoplasia and cribra orbitalia as evidence of individual nutritional crises is low and features are generally not very pronounced. In sum, skeletal remains
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2018
Manipulations on prehistoric skulls such as trepanations are among the most fascinating palaeopat... more Manipulations on prehistoric skulls such as trepanations are among the most fascinating palaeopathological findings though it is not always easy to make a firm diagnosis. This case study presents a lesion on the cranial vault of a late Neolithic burial in central Germany. The defect forms an almost lanceolate lesion along the sagittal suture which had not penetrated the cranial vault. Similar lesions have been found in other areas of Germany and in the Balkans, where they have been interpreted as aborted, incomplete or symbolic trepanations. The present study explores potential causes for the unusual lesion and outlines possible therapeutic reasons for the manipulation of the skull. Comparison with similar cases also raises the question of a symbolic or ritual context. Thus, the study supports the hypothesis of symbolic surgical head manipulation in the European Neolithic.
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2003
... Häußer et al., in press; Haidle & Orschiedt, 2001). Acknowledgements The authors are grat... more ... Häußer et al., in press; Haidle & Orschiedt, 2001). Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to Birte Meller, Ulrich Magin and Sandra Lee Pichler who helped on the translation of a German version of this text. We would also ...
Journal of Human Evolution, 2008
We report here on the isotopic analysis (carbon and nitrogen) of collagen extracted from a Neande... more We report here on the isotopic analysis (carbon and nitrogen) of collagen extracted from a Neanderthal tooth and animal bone from the late Mousterian site of Jonzac (Charente-Maritime, France). This study was undertaken to test whether the isotopic evidence indicates that animal protein was the main source of dietary protein for this relatively late Neanderthal, as suggested by previous studies. This was of particular interest here because this is the first isotopic study of a relatively late Neanderthal associated with Mousterian of Acheulian Tradition (MTA, dating to approximately 55,000 to 40,000 BP) technology. We found that the Jonzac Neanderthal had isotopic values consistent with a diet in which the main protein sources were large herbivores, particularly bovids and horses. We also found evidence of different dietary niches between the Neanderthal and a hyena at the site, with the hyena consuming mainly reindeer.
Archaologische Informationen, 1997
Cette these de doctorat traite des traces, voire des lesions que portent les squelettes decouvert... more Cette these de doctorat traite des traces, voire des lesions que portent les squelettes decouverts en contexte archeologique et remontant au Paleolithique superieur, au Mesolithique et au Neolithique, et de leur possibles interpretations.
Neolithic Violence in a European Perspective, 2012
Oxford Handbooks Online, 2014
Nature, Nov 16, 2017
Ancient DNA studies have established that Neolithic European populations were descended from Anat... more Ancient DNA studies have established that Neolithic European populations were descended from Anatolian migrants who received a limited amount of admixture from resident hunter-gatherers. Many open questions remain, however, about the spatial and temporal dynamics of population interactions and admixture during the Neolithic period. Here we investigate the population dynamics of Neolithization across Europe using a high-resolution genome-wide ancient DNA dataset with a total of 180 samples, of which 130 are newly reported here, from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods of Hungary (6000-2900 bc, n = 100), Germany (5500-3000 bc, n = 42) and Spain (5500-2200 bc, n = 38). We find that genetic diversity was shaped predominantly by local processes, with varied sources and proportions of hunter-gatherer ancestry among the three regions and through time. Admixture between groups with different ancestry profiles was pervasive and resulted in observable population transformation across almos...
Jahrbuch Westfalen, 2018
M. Baales, W. Heuschen & J. Orschiedt (2018): Steinzeitliches Networking. Europäische Einflüsse a... more M. Baales, W. Heuschen & J. Orschiedt (2018): Steinzeitliches Networking. Europäische Einflüsse an der Blätterhöhle in Hagen. Jahrbuch Westfalen 2019, 48-54.
Lithic implements shed light on the relationships of Final Palaeolithic (Épi-Laborien) and Early Mesolithic (RMS) inhabitants of the southern Westphalian Blätterhöhle cave shelter.
Archäologie in Westfalen-Lippe, 2018
W. Heuschen, M. Baales & J. Orschiedt (2018): Die Blätterhöhle – neue Forschungen zum spätpaläo- ... more W. Heuschen, M. Baales & J. Orschiedt (2018): Die Blätterhöhle – neue Forschungen zum spätpaläo- bis neolithischen Fundplatz.
Archäologie in Westfalen-Lippe 2017, 35-38.
Excavations carried out in 2017 at the entrance to the Blätterhöhle cave in Hagen unearthed new finds from the Late Palaeolithic period. Of special interest is a distinct, greyish layer containing numerous lithic artefacts, including several backed points, blade tools and a large amount of debris. No such Late Palaeolithic finds had hitherto come to light in the wider region. Radiometric dating is underway and will hopefully underpin the current stratigraphic dating of the layer to the Transition from the Palaeolithic to the Mesolithic. The tibia fragment of a dog may be the earliest evidence of a domesticated canine in Westphalia.
The Tollense Valley extended site (northeast Germany) is the only known battlefield from the Euro... more The Tollense Valley extended site (northeast Germany) is the only known battlefield from the European Bronze Age. It has yielded a large number of human remains showing traces of violence, along with animal remains and weapons. The chapter discusses the results of new, interdisciplinary research focusing in particular on the penetrating injuries, which have yielded some of the most important information for reconstructing the Tollense Valley conflict scenario. This chapter aims to demonstrate how specific questions regarding the characteristic features of the injuries, the possible type of weapon, and the direction of the attack can be answered by using non-destructive high-resolution imaging and 3D reconstruction combined with experimental weapon testing. While experimental weapon testing is crucial for providing information concerning the injury patterns and weapon types, it may not offer any clues as to whether the injury originates from a stab or a shot. In order to address this problem, this chapter discusses a method enabling the secure identification of the weapon used in such ambiguous cases. This research allows discrimination between arrow and spearheads and thus between ranged and handheld weapons. This is especially important for the interpretation of the Tollense Valley conflict scenario, for which this study confirms that nonstandardized weapons were utilized on the battlefield.
W. Heuschen, M. Baales & J. Orschiedt (2016): 1. Neue Grabungen in der Blätterhöhle in Hagen und ... more W. Heuschen, M. Baales & J. Orschiedt (2016): 1. Neue Grabungen in der Blätterhöhle in Hagen und auf ihrem Vorplatz. Archäologie in Westfalen-Lippe 2015, 28-31.
The excavation mounted at the entrance to the Blätterhöhle cave and in the cave itself continued in 2015. New profile sections were dug in the area of the hearth among other places, samples were taken and finds recovered.
One of the new finds was an arrow-shaft smoother made of coarse sandstone, suggesting that wooden arrow shafts were made at the entrance to the cave during the Mesolithic period.
In Schulting, Rick & Linda Fibiger (eds.), Sticks, stones, and broken bones: Neolithic violence in a European perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press , 121-137. (together with Jörg Orschiedt), 2012
Since their discovery, human skeletal remains of the Herxheim pit system, like individuals from t... more Since their discovery, human skeletal remains of the Herxheim pit system, like individuals from the mass grave at Talheim and the earthwork of Asparn/Schletz, have often been taken as a proof for violent conflicts and for a crisis at the end of the Linear Pottery Culture. Yet, different from Talheim and Schletz, no clearly lethal trauma can be attributed to any of the minimum of 325 individuals from Herxheim. The highly fragmented sample is dominated by skull caps shaped in a recurring manner; jaws, facial, and interior cranial bones as well as postcranial elements are markedly underrepresented. Owing to the fragmented preservation of the assemblage it is impossible to give a detailed demographic description of the population, but all age classes (from fetal/neonate to senile) and both sexes are present. Cut marks (particularly on the skull caps, less frequently on mandibles and other skeletal elements), rare evidence of burning/ heating, and the specific fragmentation of mostly fresh bones refer to a complex death ritual. Scavenger marks are rare and can mainly be attributed to rodents. The frequency of enamel hypoplasia and cribra orbitalia as evidence of individual nutritional crises is low and features are generally not very pronounced. In sum, skeletal remains
H. Meller/N. Nicklisch/J. Orschiedt/K. W. Alt, Rituelle Zweikämpfe schnurkeramischer Krieger? In:... more H. Meller/N. Nicklisch/J. Orschiedt/K. W. Alt, Rituelle Zweikämpfe schnurkeramischer Krieger? In: H. Meller/M. Schefzik (Hrsg.), Krieg – eine archäologische Spurensuche. Begleitband zur Sonderausstellung im Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte Halle (Saale) 6. November 2015 bis 22. Mai 2016 (Halle [Saale] 2015) 185-189.
Archäologie in Westfalen-Lippe, 2018
J. Orschiedt (2018): Die menschlichen Skelettreste von der Bauernkirche in Iserlohn. Archäologie ... more J. Orschiedt (2018): Die menschlichen Skelettreste von der Bauernkirche in Iserlohn.
Archäologie in Westfalen-Lippe 2017, 236-238.
The burials from the graveyard north of the Church of St. Pancras at Iserlohn represent just a small section of a burial ground which probably dates from the Baroque period. The eleven adults and two children examined attest to the population’s major burden of disease. Dental disease and degenerative changes to joints, especially in the spinal area, were more predominant from the age of 30. There is also evidence of malnutrition amongst the children.