Merel Spithoven-Stikkelorum - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Talks by Merel Spithoven-Stikkelorum

I am reconstructing the behaviour of hunter-gatherers by use wear analysis on bone and antler poi... more I am reconstructing the behaviour of hunter-gatherers by use wear analysis on bone and antler points and experimental archaeology. The following aspects will be investigated:
• Binding of points to shafts
• Development of use wear by carrying arrows in a quiver
• Development of use wear during use as arrowheads
• Taphonomical processes

This research is part of my PhD project about human-red deer relationships in postglacial Doggerland. The overarching NWO project is called Resurfacing Doggerland.

Steentijddag, 2020

This lecture was about the newest research results of the mesolithic small (<88,5mm) barbed bone ... more This lecture was about the newest research results of the mesolithic small (<88,5mm) barbed bone points from Doggerland. Use wear analysis combined with experimental archaeology (archery experiment) were used. These points turned out to be curated weapon tips. Wear included for example binding imprints, binding material and impact scars.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In de lezing werden de nieuwste onderzoeksbevindingen over de mesolithische kleine (<88,5mm) benen spitsen met weerhaken uit de Noordzee besproken. Gebruikssporenanalyse in combinatie met een boogschietexperiment leidde tot interessante resultaten. Al deze spitsen bleken zeer intensief gebruikte (curated) wapenpunten te zijn. Er zijn sporen aanwezig van onder andere binding, bindingsmateriaal, impact en reparaties.

Hunting beneath the waves Bone and antler points from the North Sea bed in front of the Dutch coa... more Hunting beneath the waves
Bone and antler points from the North Sea bed in front of the Dutch coast (9000-6000 cal BC)

Luc Amkreutz & Merel Spithoven

For the Netherlands systematic research into the archaeology of the drowned land under the North Sea is a fairly recent endeavor. In 1971 Louwe Kooijmans published an overview of worked pieces of bone and antler, mainly dating from the Mesolithic. These finds originated mostly from fishernets or dredging. The development of the First Maasvlakte subsequently yielded a lot of archaeological remains originating from the sand that was used for its creation and which derived from the North Sea and the current Oostvoorne Meer. In the 1970s and 1980s many amateur palaeontologists and archaeologists surveyed this reclaimed area and collected fossil finds and archaeological objects. Among these were many hundreds of bone and antler points, both large and small, often with barbs. Verhart in several studies described and interpreted these finds (1988; 2004).
While attention for North Sea archaeology again became less intensive, the definition and attention for Doggerland in the UK (Coles 1998; Gaffney et al. 2009; Peeters and Momber 2014) and the increase in industrial and economic activity in the North Sea again yielded increasing numbers of finds, in fishernets, and in suppletion for beaches. The development of the second Maasvlakte from 2010 also formed a major boost. Apart from excavations led by the Municipal Archaeology Service of Rotterdam (BOOR) in combination with the harbour agency into Mesolithic sites at the Yangtze harbour (Moree and Sier 2015) many finds were again uncovered from the newly formed beaches. Every day many enthusiasts search for fossils and archaeological finds. The Maasvlakte finds and those from other coastal area have therefore over the past years added tremendously to the corpus of known finds, in particular regarding bone and antler points. In this contribution we present an overview and analysis of new research in this find category, executed by one of us (Spithoven).

For this research a total of 789 organic projectile points have been investigated and 389 new points have been documented. The points are found in Zuid-Holland in the Netherlands, mainly on the beaches. The most important discovery sites are Maasvlakte 1, Rockanje, Hoek van Holland and de Zandmotor. The points are documented in a new database, including characteristics and photos. The data has been analyzed with SPSS. This resulted in different cohesions and patterning for the numeric as well as the categorical data. With the numeric (size-based) data it was possible to improve the classifications for the small and the large points. The small points are probably arrowheads, and the large points are probably spearheads. As an addition to the categorical (mainly visual) data, there has also been made a new typological classification.
Additionally and interestingly, differences were found between the several types of points and their discovery sites. These differences are mainly based on the categorical data. At the Maasvlakte 1 site there might have been a different tradition of point making, or the site might have had a different age and in this case less developed production techniques. The points found at Rockanje and Hoek van Holland, on the other hand appear to be rather similar and perhaps date to the same period. At de Zandmotor points seem to belong to a different group altogether but the amount of researched points is small.

In this contribution we aim to outline the results of this new analysis. While conclusive answers are still out, partly in relation to dating issues and lacking information on the original findspots, it is possible to make a first synthesis. We hope to present an overview of the diversity regarding the Dutch corpus of bone and antler points and as such enable comparison with other regions in Europe.

Coles, B.J., 1998: Doggerland: a Speculative Survey, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 64, 45-81.

Gaffney, V.L., S. Fitch & D. Smith 2009: Europe’s lost world. The rediscovery of Doggerland. Council of British Archaeology, York.

Louwe Kooijmans, L.P., 1971: Mesolithic Bone and Antler Implements from the North Sea and from the Netherlands, Berichten van de Rijksdienst voor het Oudheidkundig Bodemonderzoek 20/21, 27-73.

Moree, J.M. & M.M. Sier (red.) 2015: Interdisciplinary Archaeological Research Programme Maasvlakte 2, Rotterdam, Rotterdam (BOORrapporten 566).

Peeters, J.H.M. & G. Momber. 2014: The southern North Sea and the human occupation of northwest Europe after the Last Glacial Maximum, Netherlands Journal of Geosciences, 93-1/2, 55-70.

Verhart, L.B.M., 2004: The implications of prehistoric finds on and off the Dutch coast, in: Flemming, N.C. (ed.): Submarine Prehistoric Archaeology of the North Sea: Research priorities and collaboration with industry, York, 57-61.

Verhart, L.B.M.,1988: Mesolithic barbed points and other implements from Europoort, the Netherlands, Oudheidkundige Mededelingen uit het Rijksmuseum van Oudheden te Leiden 68, 145-194.

Papers by Merel Spithoven-Stikkelorum

ARTEFACT BIOGRAPHIES FROM MESOLITHIC AND NEOLITHIC EUROPE AND BEYOND, 2024

Bone and antler points, found on Dutch beaches, give a new insight in life on Mesolithic Doggerla... more Bone and antler points, found on Dutch beaches, give a new insight in life on Mesolithic Doggerland. Doggerland is the North sea basin, stretching from the Netherlands to Great Britain, Norway and Denmark, once part of Europe’s mainland. After the last glaciation it was dry land inhabited by hunter-gatherers, until around the beginning of the Mesolithic (10,000 cal. BC), sea levels began to rise. This lasted until around 6050 cal. BC, when Doggerland was completely drowned. Due to the submersion, Doggerland holds the most complete archaeological record of human presence in Mesolithic Northwestern Europe. This archaeological record is however disturbed by sand extraction for beach reinforcements, which use sand from areas off the coast of South-Holland. Therefore remains from Doggerland, such as flint, osseous artefacts and even human remains, are found on Dutch beaches. Artefact biographies provide new insights on Doggerland’s inhabitants. Most artefacts are made of bone or antler,
with (barbed) points being the largest part of the assemblage. Many of these bone and antler points were studied by the authors to construct their artefact biography: from raw material to discard or deposition. Material selection was studied using ZooMS, showing that there may be a preference for the use of red deer as raw material. Furthermore, ZooMS analysis identified two points made of human bone, highlighting the possible symbolic and cultural meaning of these objects. The production process of grinding the points on stone (and scraping with flint), cutting barbs with flint and hafting them using a combination of fibres and birch tar was inferred through techno-functional analysis. A high degree of wear on the points and reworked barbs on some, suggests that they were (heavily) curated weapon tips. Most were probably used as arrowheads, based on their small size. This suggests hunting with bow and arrow was an important subsistence strategy in Mesolithic Doggerland. Eventually, the points were deposited, either left behind or lost. Nowadays, they are found again, starting their second use-life.

Mens als grondstof: ZooMS analyses op spitsen uit mesolithisch Doggerland., 2021

Several bone and antler points from Mesolithic Doggerland have been dated and analysed to determi... more Several bone and antler points from Mesolithic Doggerland have been dated and analysed to determine the animal species from which they were made. The points were found on the beaches of the province of Zuid-Holland, but their primary depositional site lies off the coast in
the North Sea. 14C-dates have given an estimated age of 8.000 to 11.000 years. The choices made in the production of the points can inform us about the human makers. ZooMS (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry) was used on ten points in order to identify the taxon
from which they were made. We have obtained fascinating and unexpected results. There seems to be a preference for the use of red deer, but two examples of the usage of human bone were found as well. This is a surprising discovery, as human remains are not commonly
used to make tools. Moreover, human bones are not the most suitable material to produce a point. Therefore, the use of human bone to manufacture bone points seems to be more related to symbolism and culture. Future research will provide more clarity in the coming years.

A. Carmiggelt en D.E.A. Schiltmans (red.), Doggerland en Rotterdam. Een inventarisatie van opgespoten paleolithische en mesolithische artefacten van (vuur)steen, bot en gewei van Maasvlakte (1 en 2) en Hoek van Holland (gemeente Rotterdam): een aanzet voor vervolgonderzoek., 2021

Van de Noordzeevondsten vormen de spitsen van de Nederlandse stranden en opspuitingen een van de... more Van de Noordzeevondsten vormen de spitsen van de Nederlandse
stranden en opspuitingen een van de meest voorkomende categorieën
(Amkreutz et al., 2017).1
De eerste spitsen werden gevonden op
Maasvlakte 1 en de gemeente Rotterdam gaf daarmee de archeologische
aftrap voor een vondstgroep die inmiddels de 1000 ver overschreden
is en veel informatie herbergt over Doggerland, het verdronken
mesolithische landschap voor onze kust. Met name de aanleg
van Maasvlakte 2 en de vondsten van de Zandmotor en stranden
(bijvoorbeeld Rockanje) gaven de laatste jaren een nieuwe impuls aan
het onderzoek naar deze artefacten. Hieronder wordt een beknopte stand
van zaken van het onderzoek gegeven en wordt de potentie van deze
typische vondstgroep geschetst.

Unpublished MSc thesis, 2018

This research attempted to answer the following question: ‘What was the function of the Mesolithi... more This research attempted to answer the following question: ‘What was the function of the Mesolithic small (<88,5mm) barbed bone points from the North Sea and what does this contribute to our understanding of subsistence strategies of the inhabitants of the North Sea Basin?’
In order to answer this question an assemblage of 28 archaeological small barbed bone points – that originate from the North Sea in front of the Dutch coast of Zuid-Holland – was studied. This thesis started in chapter 1 with an outline of research that was already conducted on these points by Verhart (1986; 1988; 2000) Tsiopelas (2010) and Spithoven (2016). Thereafter, it was explained in chapter 2 how the research was conducted: literature research, experimental archaeology and use wear analysis. In chapter 3, it was outlined how these points fit within the archaeological context: Mesolithic Doggerland. The shooting experiment conducted for this research was discussed in chapter 4 and in chapter 5 the results of this experiment were compared with the results of the use wear analysis. The use wear analysis was conducted on 28 archaeological points in comparison to six experimental points from the shooting experiment. In chapter 6, the social factors which could have influenced the life history of the points were discussed, as well as their function and the representativeness of this research. In the concluding chapter of this thesis (7) the research question was answered followed by a review of the used methods and suggestions for future research.
The function of the small barbed bone points from Mesolithic Doggerland could be inferred from the use wear analysis. The points are all (heavily) curated weapon tips. They have developed a high degree of wear and about half of the studied points have remains of reworked barbs present as well. The research area is only a small area of Mesolithic Doggerland which already yielded about 800 of these small barbed bone/antler points. The curation of these points, the function as weapon tips and the overrepresentation within the archaeological record of Mesolithic Doggerland suggests that these weapons were used very frequently. Therefore, it can be inferred that hunting was one an important subsistence strategy. The most used hunting weapon could have been the bow and arrow because the small points are interpreted as arrowheads. However, the use wear analysis could not confirm that the points were specifically used as arrowheads.

Barbed bone points originally deposited in Doggerland are regularly collected from the shores of ... more Barbed bone points originally deposited in Doggerland are regularly collected from the shores of the Netherlands. Their typology and direct 14 C dating suggest they are of Mesolithic age. However, the species of which the barbed points were made cannot be identified based on morphological criteria. The bones used to produce the barbed points have been intensively modified during manufacture, use, and post-depositional processes. Here, we taxonomically assess ten barbed points found on the Dutch shore using mass spectrometry and collagen peptide mass fingerprinting alongside newly acquired 14 C ages and δ 13 C and δ 15 N measurements. Our results demonstrate a sufficient preservation of unmodified collagen for mass spectrometry-based taxo-nomic identifications of bone and antler artefacts which have been preserved in marine environments since the beginning of the Holocene. We show that Homo sapiens bones as well as Cervus elaphus bones and antlers were transformed into barbed points. The 14 C dating of nine barbed points yielded uncalibrated ages between 9.5 and 7.3 ka 14 C BP. The δ 13 C and δ 15 N values of the seven cervid bone points fall within the range of herbivores, recovered from the North Sea, whereas the two human bone points indicate a freshwater and/or terrestrial fauna diet. The wide-scale application of ZooMS is a critical next step towards revealing the selection of species for osseous-tool manufacture in the context of Mesolithic Doggerland, but also further afield. The selection of Cervus elaphus and human bone for manufacturing barbed points in Mesolithic Doggerland is unlikely to have been opportunistic and instead seems to be strategic in nature. Further, the occurrence of Homo sapiens and Cervus elaphus bones in our random and limited dataset suggests that the selection of these species for barbed point production was non-random and subject to specific criteria. By highlighting the transformation of human bones into barbed points-possibly used as weapons-our study provides additional evidence for the complex manipulation of human remains during the Mesolithic, now also evidenced in Doggerland.

Spithoven - Cranium 36-2, 2020

In this article the latest research results about the Mesolithic small barbed bone points origina... more In this article the latest research results about the Mesolithic small barbed bone points originating from the North Sea will be discussed. An assemblage of 28 of these points were studied using microwear analysis in combination with experimental archaeology (Spithoven, 2018). The research question was: ‘What was the function of the Mesolithic small (<88,5mm) barbed bone points from the North Sea and what does this contribute to our understanding of subsistence strategies of the inhabitants of the North Sea Basin?’ The function of the small barbed bone points from Mesolithic Doggerland could be inferred from use wear analysis. The points are all (heavily) curated weapon tips (Spithoven, 2018, p. 89). The research area is only a small part of Mesolithic Doggerland, namely the sand extraction areas that are used to reinforce the coast of Zuid-Holland, which already yielded about 800 of these small barbed bone/antler points. The curation of these points, the function as weapon tips and the overrepresentation within the archaeological record of Mesolithic Doggerland suggest that these weapons were used very frequently (Spithoven, 2018, p. 94). Therefore, it can be inferred that hunting was one of the most important subsistence strategies.

In dit artikel zullen de nieuwste onderzoeksbevindingen over de mesolithische kleine benen spitsen uit de Noordzee worden besproken. Er zijn 28 van deze spitsen onderzocht door middel van analyse van gebruiks-en productiesporen (microwear analysis) in combinatie met experimentele archeologie (Spithoven, 2018). De onderzoeksvraag luidde: 'Wat was de functie van de mesolithische kleine (<88,5 mm) benen spitsen met weerhaken van de Noordzee en wat draagt dit bij aan ons begrip van levensonderhoudstrategieën van de bewoners van het Noordzeebekken?' De functie van de spitsen kon worden afgeleid door middel van gebruikssporenanalyse. Al deze spitsen zijn zeer intensief gebruikte (curated) wapenpunten (Spithoven, 2018, p. 89). Het onderzoeksgebied is slechts een klein deel van mesolithisch Doggerland, namelijk de zandwingebieden die gebruikt worden voor de versterking van de Zuid-Hollandse kust, waar al bijna 800 kleine spitsen met weerhaken zijn gevonden. De 'curation' van deze spitsen, de functie als wapenpunten en de oververtegenwoordiging in het archeologisch bodembestand suggereren dat deze wapens relatief vaak werden gebruikt (Spithoven, 2018, p. 94). Hieruit kan worden afgeleid dat jagen een van de belangrijkste levensonderhoudstrategieën was. Summary In this article the latest research results about the Mesolithic small barbed bone points originating from the North Sea will be discussed. An assemblage of 28 of these points were studied using microwear analysis in combination with experimental archaeology (Spithoven, 2018). The research question was: 'What was the function of the Mesolithic small (<88,5mm) barbed bone points from the North Sea and what does this contribute to our understanding of subsistence strategies of the inhabitants of the North Sea Basin?' The function of the small barbed bone points from Mesolithic Doggerland could be inferred from use wear analysis. The points are all (heavily) curated weapon tips (Spithoven, 2018, p. 89). The research area is only a small part of Mesolithic Doggerland, namely the sand extraction areas that are used to reinforce the coast of Zuid-Holland, which already yielded about 800 of these small barbed bone/antler points. The curation of these points, the function as weapon tips and the overrepresentation within the archaeological record of Mesolithic Doggerland suggest that these weapons were used very frequently (Spithoven, 2018, p. 94). Therefore, it can be inferred that hunting was one of the most important subsistence strategies.

n Groß, D., Lübke, H., Meadows, J. and Jantzen, D. (Eds.), Working at the sharp end: from bone and antler to Early Mesolithic life in Northern Europe. Untersuchungen und Materialien zur Steinzeit in Schleswig-Holstein und im Ostseeraum 10: Kiel/Hamburg., 2019

Bone and antler barbed points form one of the most common categories of finds from the submerged ... more Bone and antler barbed points form one of the most common categories of finds from the submerged prehistoric landscape of the North sea, also known as ‘Doggerland’. They are usually found in redeposited sediments from the off-shore coastal zone. Some 30 years ago a first analysis of these hunting weapons was published,
based on more than 400 finds. Meanwhile their numbers have doubled and verge on 1000, making them oneof the larger artefact groups from this relatively unknown area. Also the number of sites from which thesepoints derive has increased due to coastal reinforcement and the extension of Rotterdam harbour. Gradually more information is becoming available that these points can contribute to inter-site distinctions and different subgroups. While there is a need for further dating and chronological control, this find group, in combination with for instance characteristic lithic finds and human remains, might in the future provide a better grip on the communities of hunter-gatherers that inhabited this area. This is of particular importance since within the
spectrum of finds there are two size groups. The smaller points, of a length of up to 88.5 mm, appear to form a separate group of points in the find spectrum of Western and Northern Europe.

Books by Merel Spithoven-Stikkelorum

Resurfacing - Doggerland - Bovenwater, 2021

Brochure about the NWO project: Resurfacing Doggerland: Environment, humans and material culture ... more Brochure about the NWO project: Resurfacing Doggerland: Environment, humans and material culture in a postglacial drowning landscape.

Pots and Practices: An experimental and microwear approach to Early Iron Age vessel biographies, 2020

This third volume of the BEFIM series addresses the life history of vessels from the Early Celtic... more This third volume of the BEFIM series addresses the life history of vessels from the Early Celtic hillfort settlements of Heuneburg and Vix-Mont Lassois, from a detailed examination of the manufacturing process to the use and modifications of the final products. Pivotal was an extensive experimental program of dozens of experiments directed at a better understanding of the way this pottery was made and used.

The participation of an experienced potter allowed us to reproduce exact replicas of the different wares and explore in detail the traces of production and the effect of temper, baking temperature and so forth on the development of production traces and wear. Especially variations in the temper material, like the frequently observed addition of calcite in the archaeological pottery, strongly affected the characteristics of the use wear traces that subsequently developed from the preparation of different products (grape wine, honey wine, different kinds of porridge etc.).

The effect of alcohol production, including fermentation, on the pottery was also explored. We also tested the effect of different gestures of preparing food and drink (mixing, stirring, pounding), different ways of storage and handling, and the manner of consumption like decanting using various kinds of utensils.

The traces we observed on the experimental vessels, using an integrated low and high power approach, formed the basis for our interpretation of the archaeological wares from the Heuneburg and Vix-Mont Lassois. Our data on the life history of the pottery added to a more detailed insight into foodways, including drinking habits, of the Early Celtic communities of Central Europe. This book presents in detail the experimental program and the archaeological observations.

Read online or buy at: https://www.sidestone.com/books/pots-and-practices

2021 PAPERS by Merel Spithoven-Stikkelorum

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2021

Barbed bone points originally deposited in Doggerland are regularly collected from the shores of ... more Barbed bone points originally deposited in Doggerland are regularly collected from the shores of the Netherlands. Their typology and direct 14C dating suggest they are of Mesolithic age. However, the species of which the barbed points were made cannot be identified based on morphological criteria. The bones used to produce the barbed points have been intensively modified during manufacture, use, and post-depositional processes. Here, we taxonomically assess ten barbed points found on the Dutch shore using mass spectrometry and collagen peptide mass fingerprinting alongside newly acquired 14C ages and δ13C and δ15N measurements.
Our results demonstrate a sufficient preservation of unmodified collagen for mass spectrometry-based taxonomic identifications of bone and antler artefacts which have been preserved in marine environments since the beginning of the Holocene. We show that Homo sapiens bones as well as Cervus elaphus bones and antlers were transformed into barbed points. The 14C dating of nine barbed points yielded uncalibrated ages between 9.5 and 7.3 ka 14C BP. The δ13C and δ15N values of the seven cervid bone points fall within the range of herbivores, recovered from the North Sea, whereas the two human bone points indicate a freshwater and/or terrestrial fauna diet.
The wide-scale application of ZooMS is a critical next step towards revealing the selection of species for osseous-tool manufacture in the context of Mesolithic Doggerland, but also further afield. The selection of Cervus elaphus and human bone for manufacturing barbed points in Mesolithic Doggerland is unlikely to have been opportunistic and instead seems to be strategic in nature. Further, the occurrence of Homo sapiens and Cervus elaphus bones in our random and limited dataset suggests that the selection of these species for barbed point production was non-random and subject to specific criteria. By highlighting the transformation of human bones into barbed points – possibly used as weapons – our study provides additional evidence for the complex manipulation of human remains during the Mesolithic, now also evidenced in Doggerland.