Ernst Taayke - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Ernst Taayke

ROMAN POTTERY IN THE LOW COUNTRIES Past Research, Current State, Future Directions edited by Roderick C.A. Geerts and Philip Bes, 2024

During the early Roman period three styles of handmade pottery can be distinguished in the north ... more During the early Roman period three styles of handmade pottery can be distinguished in the north of the Netherlands. Around the start of the Common Era Frisian pottery was dominant in the coastal area, but in the 1st century residents of the salt marshes of the province of Groningen adopted the style of their neighbours in Niedersachsen, the Chauci. The inhabitants of today’s eastern Dutch provinces Drenthe, Overijssel and Gelderland, on the other hand, showed a preference for pottery of the Rhine-Weser Germanic culture as defined by Von Uslar. In the next centuries influence from northern Niedersachsen in the form of Nordseeküstennahe Keramik steadily grew. After 250 the coastal areas were gradually depopulated, but the tide turned around 400 when new settlers, again with eastern roots, established themselves on some of the former terps, bringing with them Anglo-Saxon pottery. In the meantime, the (Frankish) eastern regions prospered, partly as a side effect of a war economy in which fighting against the Romans and trading with them went hand in hand. Around 500 all earlier pottery styles were swept away, almost as if a ban had been issued on well-finished and decorated pots. In much of what is today the Netherlands the saggy Hessens-Schortens ware became the standard, although residents of the coastal areas began to prefer wheelthrown pottery in the form of Merovingian coarse ware.

Jaarverslagen Vereniging voor Terpenonderzoek, 2023

The handmade pottery type Hessens-Schortens, dating from the Merovingian period, is usually tempe... more The handmade pottery type Hessens-Schortens, dating from the Merovingian period, is usually tempered with stone grit, but most finds from the terp Tritsum (Friesland) showed only organic temper. In a first publication, 30 years ago, some doubt sounded through however. Were they really of the same age, or perhaps from an earlier habitation phase?
Re-evaluation of the (still incomplete) data of the terp excavation Tritsum, combined with more recent data from other sites, makes clear that there existed no time difference between the main variant (‘Hessens-Schortens’ type pottery) and what incorrectly has become known as ‘type’ Tritsum, but actually only is a variant. Both the main type and the less frequent variant were mainly used during the 6th and 7th century. Organically tempered, undecorated pottery can be found mainly in the province of Friesland, along the North Sea coast down to NW-France and especially the SE-part of England, and probably spread from the Westergo area in Friesland.

J. Nicolay & M. Schepers, Embracing the salt marsh. Studies in honour of Annet Nieuwhof., Mar 31, 2022

Vegetation horizons (VHs), thin layers of decomposed organic material observed in Late Holocene s... more Vegetation horizons (VHs), thin layers of decomposed organic material observed in Late Holocene salt-marsh deposits, are by some scholars attributed to intentional burning of grassland, in order to stimulate new growth. If this theory is correct, one would expect a close proximity between settlements (mainly on terps) and the occurrence of contemporaneous VHs. For this reason we compared the distributions of dated settlements and radiocarbon-dated VHs in the province of Groningen. It turns out that VHs are observed mainly in low-lying areas and that most of them belong to the Pre-Roman Iron Age, a period of limited human activity in these parts. Moreover, in periods of dense habitation all over the salt marsh, such as the Early-Roman Iron Age and the first part of the Early Middle Ages, VH formation occurred less frequently and was seldom observed in a convincing context of human activity. The phenomenon of VH formation seems to have come to a halt in the 7th century AD, whereas the population
saw steady growth. Therefore, we prefer the older idea of a natural origin for most of the VHs in the Groningen salt-marsh region.

Wijnaldum is nowadays an unassuming rural village in the north of the province of Friesland, no m... more Wijnaldum is nowadays an unassuming rural village in the north of the province of Friesland, no more than a small dot on the map of the Netherlands. But during the Early Middle Ages, this probably was a lively political centre, a kingdom, with intensive contacts with other kingdoms along the North Sea coasts, and with the Frankish realm to the south. The search for the king that resided at Wijnaldum was the major goal of the excavations that were carried out at the terp Wijnaldum-Tjitsma between 1991 and 1993. These excavations yielded a wealth of information, although tangible remains of the king or a royal residence were not found. What was found was a lot of pottery. The ceramic assemblage from the first Millennium consists of local handmade and imported wheel-thrown pottery, revealing contacts with the wider world. The first results and an overview of the habitation phases were published in 1999, in Volume 1 of The Excavations at Wijnaldum. The ceramic assemblage, and its consequences for the habitation history of Wijnaldum, are the main subjects of this second volume of The Excavations at Wijnaldum.

The Excavations at Wijnaldum, 2021

This article deals with handmade pottery found at the terp Wijnaldum-Tjitsma (Friesland). The pot... more This article deals with handmade pottery found at the terp Wijnaldum-Tjitsma (Friesland). The pottery dates from the first century to the first quarter of the fourth century. Until halfways the third century pottery in Frisian style was produced, afther that the pottery can be described in terms of the Nordseeküstenkeramik (Driesum style).

Handmade pottery in the northern provinces of the Netherlands, from the Iron Age and Roman Period.

Description of the Late Roman / Migration Period and Early Medieval handmade pottery, including A... more Description of the Late Roman / Migration Period and Early Medieval handmade pottery, including Anglo-Saxon and Hessens-Schortens, found at the terp Wijnaldum-Tjitsma (1991-93).

The Excavations at Wijnaldum

The Excavations at Wijnaldum, Volume 2. Handmade and Wheel-thrown Pottery of the first Millennium AD, A. Nieuwhof (ed.)., 2020

Description of the 2-4th century handmade pottery of the terp excavation 1991-1993 Wijnaldum-Tjit... more Description of the 2-4th century handmade pottery of the terp excavation 1991-1993 Wijnaldum-Tjitsma (Friesland).

Wat is vroeg? Aardewerk uit de achtste en zevende eeuw voor Chr. in Noordoost-Nederland

The archaeological record of the first half of the Early Iron Age in the northeastern part of the... more The archaeological record of the first half of the Early Iron Age in the northeastern part of the Netherlands is characterized by low densities of pottery finds. Urns are few, and the number of settlements is modest. Besides, 14C dates don’t contribute very much, as the calibration curve shows a plateau between 800 and 400 BC. No wonder that
a typochronology is still lacking. Finds which belong to this period are actually often described in terms that were designed for younger pottery. Using a site near the city of Groningen, Kielerbocht, as a starting point, finds from both the marine and sandy districts are used to formulate ingredients for a more thorough study of pottery shapes and other characteristics that were fashionable in the eight and seventh century BC.

What happened to the Frisians in the course of the 3rd and the 4th century? Their archaeological ... more What happened to the Frisians in the course of the 3rd and the 4th century? Their archaeological history in the light of the advance of the Franks and, later on, the (Anglo-)Saxons.

Summary The colonization of the marsh areas of Groningen and Friesland presents a hotly debated i... more Summary
The colonization of the marsh areas of Groningen and Friesland presents a hotly debated issue since almost a century. According to Waterbolk the first inhabitants, in the 6th century BC, were farmers of the Drenthe Plateau who led their cattle to these pastures in seasonal movement (transhumance phase). Later research has shown that their pottery (Ruinen-Wommels I / G1) shows closer resemblance to finds in the lower Ems area and northwestern Niedersachsen. In this article the attention is drawn to some older, presumably 7th century finds, especially in the Marne area in Westergo (Fr.). They may have belonged to pioneers from the western coast of Holland, including the isle of Texel.

Handmade pottery from a settlement near Wijk bij Duurstede (province of Utrecht), inhabited betwe... more Handmade pottery from a settlement near Wijk bij Duurstede (province of Utrecht), inhabited between 50 BC -- 2nd century AD, showing a transition from a Frisian to a Batavian pottery style.

ROMAN POTTERY IN THE LOW COUNTRIES Past Research, Current State, Future Directions edited by Roderick C.A. Geerts and Philip Bes, 2024

During the early Roman period three styles of handmade pottery can be distinguished in the north ... more During the early Roman period three styles of handmade pottery can be distinguished in the north of the Netherlands. Around the start of the Common Era Frisian pottery was dominant in the coastal area, but in the 1st century residents of the salt marshes of the province of Groningen adopted the style of their neighbours in Niedersachsen, the Chauci. The inhabitants of today’s eastern Dutch provinces Drenthe, Overijssel and Gelderland, on the other hand, showed a preference for pottery of the Rhine-Weser Germanic culture as defined by Von Uslar. In the next centuries influence from northern Niedersachsen in the form of Nordseeküstennahe Keramik steadily grew. After 250 the coastal areas were gradually depopulated, but the tide turned around 400 when new settlers, again with eastern roots, established themselves on some of the former terps, bringing with them Anglo-Saxon pottery. In the meantime, the (Frankish) eastern regions prospered, partly as a side effect of a war economy in which fighting against the Romans and trading with them went hand in hand. Around 500 all earlier pottery styles were swept away, almost as if a ban had been issued on well-finished and decorated pots. In much of what is today the Netherlands the saggy Hessens-Schortens ware became the standard, although residents of the coastal areas began to prefer wheelthrown pottery in the form of Merovingian coarse ware.

Jaarverslagen Vereniging voor Terpenonderzoek, 2023

The handmade pottery type Hessens-Schortens, dating from the Merovingian period, is usually tempe... more The handmade pottery type Hessens-Schortens, dating from the Merovingian period, is usually tempered with stone grit, but most finds from the terp Tritsum (Friesland) showed only organic temper. In a first publication, 30 years ago, some doubt sounded through however. Were they really of the same age, or perhaps from an earlier habitation phase?
Re-evaluation of the (still incomplete) data of the terp excavation Tritsum, combined with more recent data from other sites, makes clear that there existed no time difference between the main variant (‘Hessens-Schortens’ type pottery) and what incorrectly has become known as ‘type’ Tritsum, but actually only is a variant. Both the main type and the less frequent variant were mainly used during the 6th and 7th century. Organically tempered, undecorated pottery can be found mainly in the province of Friesland, along the North Sea coast down to NW-France and especially the SE-part of England, and probably spread from the Westergo area in Friesland.

J. Nicolay & M. Schepers, Embracing the salt marsh. Studies in honour of Annet Nieuwhof., Mar 31, 2022

Vegetation horizons (VHs), thin layers of decomposed organic material observed in Late Holocene s... more Vegetation horizons (VHs), thin layers of decomposed organic material observed in Late Holocene salt-marsh deposits, are by some scholars attributed to intentional burning of grassland, in order to stimulate new growth. If this theory is correct, one would expect a close proximity between settlements (mainly on terps) and the occurrence of contemporaneous VHs. For this reason we compared the distributions of dated settlements and radiocarbon-dated VHs in the province of Groningen. It turns out that VHs are observed mainly in low-lying areas and that most of them belong to the Pre-Roman Iron Age, a period of limited human activity in these parts. Moreover, in periods of dense habitation all over the salt marsh, such as the Early-Roman Iron Age and the first part of the Early Middle Ages, VH formation occurred less frequently and was seldom observed in a convincing context of human activity. The phenomenon of VH formation seems to have come to a halt in the 7th century AD, whereas the population
saw steady growth. Therefore, we prefer the older idea of a natural origin for most of the VHs in the Groningen salt-marsh region.

Wijnaldum is nowadays an unassuming rural village in the north of the province of Friesland, no m... more Wijnaldum is nowadays an unassuming rural village in the north of the province of Friesland, no more than a small dot on the map of the Netherlands. But during the Early Middle Ages, this probably was a lively political centre, a kingdom, with intensive contacts with other kingdoms along the North Sea coasts, and with the Frankish realm to the south. The search for the king that resided at Wijnaldum was the major goal of the excavations that were carried out at the terp Wijnaldum-Tjitsma between 1991 and 1993. These excavations yielded a wealth of information, although tangible remains of the king or a royal residence were not found. What was found was a lot of pottery. The ceramic assemblage from the first Millennium consists of local handmade and imported wheel-thrown pottery, revealing contacts with the wider world. The first results and an overview of the habitation phases were published in 1999, in Volume 1 of The Excavations at Wijnaldum. The ceramic assemblage, and its consequences for the habitation history of Wijnaldum, are the main subjects of this second volume of The Excavations at Wijnaldum.

The Excavations at Wijnaldum, 2021

This article deals with handmade pottery found at the terp Wijnaldum-Tjitsma (Friesland). The pot... more This article deals with handmade pottery found at the terp Wijnaldum-Tjitsma (Friesland). The pottery dates from the first century to the first quarter of the fourth century. Until halfways the third century pottery in Frisian style was produced, afther that the pottery can be described in terms of the Nordseeküstenkeramik (Driesum style).

Handmade pottery in the northern provinces of the Netherlands, from the Iron Age and Roman Period.

Description of the Late Roman / Migration Period and Early Medieval handmade pottery, including A... more Description of the Late Roman / Migration Period and Early Medieval handmade pottery, including Anglo-Saxon and Hessens-Schortens, found at the terp Wijnaldum-Tjitsma (1991-93).

The Excavations at Wijnaldum

The Excavations at Wijnaldum, Volume 2. Handmade and Wheel-thrown Pottery of the first Millennium AD, A. Nieuwhof (ed.)., 2020

Description of the 2-4th century handmade pottery of the terp excavation 1991-1993 Wijnaldum-Tjit... more Description of the 2-4th century handmade pottery of the terp excavation 1991-1993 Wijnaldum-Tjitsma (Friesland).

Wat is vroeg? Aardewerk uit de achtste en zevende eeuw voor Chr. in Noordoost-Nederland

The archaeological record of the first half of the Early Iron Age in the northeastern part of the... more The archaeological record of the first half of the Early Iron Age in the northeastern part of the Netherlands is characterized by low densities of pottery finds. Urns are few, and the number of settlements is modest. Besides, 14C dates don’t contribute very much, as the calibration curve shows a plateau between 800 and 400 BC. No wonder that
a typochronology is still lacking. Finds which belong to this period are actually often described in terms that were designed for younger pottery. Using a site near the city of Groningen, Kielerbocht, as a starting point, finds from both the marine and sandy districts are used to formulate ingredients for a more thorough study of pottery shapes and other characteristics that were fashionable in the eight and seventh century BC.

What happened to the Frisians in the course of the 3rd and the 4th century? Their archaeological ... more What happened to the Frisians in the course of the 3rd and the 4th century? Their archaeological history in the light of the advance of the Franks and, later on, the (Anglo-)Saxons.

Summary The colonization of the marsh areas of Groningen and Friesland presents a hotly debated i... more Summary
The colonization of the marsh areas of Groningen and Friesland presents a hotly debated issue since almost a century. According to Waterbolk the first inhabitants, in the 6th century BC, were farmers of the Drenthe Plateau who led their cattle to these pastures in seasonal movement (transhumance phase). Later research has shown that their pottery (Ruinen-Wommels I / G1) shows closer resemblance to finds in the lower Ems area and northwestern Niedersachsen. In this article the attention is drawn to some older, presumably 7th century finds, especially in the Marne area in Westergo (Fr.). They may have belonged to pioneers from the western coast of Holland, including the isle of Texel.

Handmade pottery from a settlement near Wijk bij Duurstede (province of Utrecht), inhabited betwe... more Handmade pottery from a settlement near Wijk bij Duurstede (province of Utrecht), inhabited between 50 BC -- 2nd century AD, showing a transition from a Frisian to a Batavian pottery style.

Overzicht van opgravingen uit de periode vanaf 1965 van de vindplaatsen Veldhuizen, Op den Berg e... more Overzicht van opgravingen uit de periode vanaf 1965 van de vindplaatsen Veldhuizen, Op den Berg en Maanen. Resultaat vele honderden gebouwplattegronden en een indrukwekkende geschiedenis van de Romeinse en Laat-Romeinse tijd.

Gepubliceerd als: “Germanische Besiedlung der Späten Kaiserzeit in Breda-West (NL)”, in: Bruc Eal... more Gepubliceerd als: “Germanische Besiedlung der Späten Kaiserzeit in Breda-West (NL)”, in: Bruc Ealles Well. Archaeological essays concerning the peoples of North-West Europe in the first millennium AD, Acta Archaeologica Lovaniensia Monographiae 15, Leuven 2004 (samen met Ernst Taayke).

The Excavations at Wijnaldum Volume 2: Handmade and Wheel-thrown Pottery of the first Millennium AD , 2020

Annet Nieuwhof (editor), 2020

Wijnaldum is nowadays an unassuming rural village in the north of the province of Friesland, no m... more Wijnaldum is nowadays an unassuming rural village in the north of the province of Friesland, no more than a small dot on the map of the Netherlands. But during the Early Middle Ages, this probably was a lively political centre, a kingdom, with intensive contacts with other kingdoms along the North Sea coasts, and with the Frankish realm to the south. The search for the king that resided at Wijnaldum was the major goal of the excavations that were carried out at the terp Wijnaldum-Tjitsma between 1991 and 1993. These excavations yielded a wealth of information, although tangible remains of the king or a royal residence were not found. What was found was a lot of pottery. The ceramic assemblage from the first Millennium consists of local handmade and imported wheel-thrown pottery, revealing contacts with the wider world.
The first results and an overview of the habitation phases were published in 1999, in Volume 1 of The Excavations at Wijnaldum. The ceramic assemblage, and its consequences for the habitation history of Wijnaldum, are the main subjects of this second volume of The Excavations at Wijnaldum.

The Excavations at Wijnaldum Volume 2: Handmade and Wheel-thrown Pottery of the first Millennium AD, A. Nieuwhof (ed.), 2020

Description of the Late Roman / Migration Period and Early Medieval handmade pottery, including A... more Description of the Late Roman / Migration Period and Early Medieval handmade pottery, including Anglo-Saxon and Hessens-Schortens, found at the terp Wijnaldum-Tjitsma (1991-93).