Situated within the vast Karakum desert of western Central Asia, the Merv oasis exhibits a trove of archaeological sites, owing to its rich ancient and medieval history. Likely due to its strategic location along the historic Silk Roads, the oasis boasts no less than three distinct urban sites, each corresponding to a different period.

During the Islamic Golden Age (8th-13th centuries CE), the city of Merv flourished as a significant centre of Islamic scholarship and occasionally served as a ...

Megalith building constitutes not only a past, but also a recent phenomenon, which is still practised today. The documentation and interpretation of recent megalith building traditions is offering potential aid in the interpretation of prehistoric monuments. Fieldwork in Sumba and Nagaland set up a frame to answer questions such as: Who is buried in the megalithic tombs and what kind of commemoration is connected to megalithic monuments? How are socioeconomic characteristics of the associated...

The Tripolye phenomenon, which displays a specific artefact complex and an extraordinary settlement layout, is also known for its so-called ‘mega sites’. Five of the largest ‘mega’ or giant settlements measure between 150-320 ha in size. These, and other big settlements, are concentrated in the Sinyukha River Basin, which is a central part of modern Ukraine. In this region, more than 100 different Tripolye sites are known.

The chronology of this region is the key to understanding not ...

Every year thousands of archaeological objects and artefact scatters are discovered by the public, most of them by metal-detector users, but also by people whilst out walking, gardening, or going about their daily work. Once recorded, these finds hold enormous potential in helping us understand the past. In England and Wales these finds are reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS), and since 2003 over one million finds have been recorded.This book explores the significance of PAS dat...

Mobilität ist für Formen des sozialen Zusammenlebens grundlegend. Doch welche Rolle spielte räumliche Mobilität in der Vergangenheit? Aus prähistorischen Zeitabschnitten wie etwa dem Neolithikum ist dazu noch immer wenig bekannt. Das gilt auch für die Siedlungsräume des nördlichen Alpenvorlandes. Deren Feuchtbodensiedlungen mit den hervorragend erhaltenen Resten in Seen und Mooren gehören seit 2011 zum UNESCO Welterbe und bieten eine einzigartige Forschungsgrundlage. Die dendrochron...

Het Nederlands slavernijverleden roept vele vragen op. Eén ervan is hoe het toch kon dat het christelijk geloof slavernij niet afkeurde maar theologisch ondersteunde. De bijbel weersprak niet dat mensen tot slaaf konden worden gemaakt. De gereformeerde theologie van de zeventiende en achttiende eeuw gaf samen met rechtsgeleerdheid, verlichtingsfilosofie, politiek en maatschappelijk denken vorm aan de koloniale ideologie van de Republiek der Verenigde Nederlanden.

Twee slaventheologieën onde...

The first ever large-scale synthesis on identity and social dynamics across archaic Macedonia (600-400 BC), Christos Giamakis’s book provides a detailed narrative exploring the role of power as displayed through material culture in the formation of group identities across the region. Giamakis focuses on data from nine cemeteries in the region combining multiple datasets including grave goods, osteological evidence, burial rites, tomb types and the organisation of the cemetery space in orde...

The aim of the thesis was to provide a framework for the identification and analysis of individual craftspeople in bifacial flint production. Flint production flakes from replications of South Scandinavian Late Neolithic daggers and Early Bronze Age sickles were the focus of the study, in contrast to research so far, mostly relying on finished and often exceptional pieces.

To identify technical traditions within technological systems and/or personal approaches to production, it is necessary t...

This book presents new interpretations of current healing practices in Cuba and the Dominican Republic juxtaposed against the European colonization of the Caribbean after 1492. By combining data from critical historical analyses and ethnographic fieldwork, this research examines current healing landscapes and their historical background in both countries.

This dissertation situates the continuous importance of non-institutional healing practices within the rich symbolism of Cuban and Dominican...

Cet ouvrage explore la transformation du paysage culturel de la région de Fort-Liberté sur le long terme. Il se base sur les traces de différents groupes sociaux façonnant le paysage culturel du lieu sur une longue période chronologique. Cette région renferme un patrimoine archéologique exceptionnel, sous la forme de vestiges amérindiens, de traces des premières villes coloniales espagnoles et d’habitations coloniales françaises. Habitée depuis environ l’an 3000 av. J.-C., cett...