Papers by Hans van der Plicht
Russian Journal of Theriology, 2018
Radiocarbon, 2007
It is now almost 10 yr since radiocarbon dating of cremated bone was first developed using the sm... more It is now almost 10 yr since radiocarbon dating of cremated bone was first developed using the small carbonate component contained within the hydroxyapatite-based inorganic fraction. Currently, a significant number of14C laboratories date cremated bone as part of their routine dating service. As a general investigation of cremated bone dating since this initial development, a small, cremated bone intercomparison study took place in 2005, involving 6 laboratories. Six cremated bone samples (including 2 sets of duplicates), with ages spanning approximately 1500–2800 BP, were sent to the laboratories. The results, which showed relatively good agreement amongst the laboratories and between the duplicate samples, are discussed in detail.
Scientific reports, Jul 6, 2016
Almost 150 years after the first identification of Neandertal skeletal material, the cognitive an... more Almost 150 years after the first identification of Neandertal skeletal material, the cognitive and symbolic abilities of these populations remain a subject of intense debate. We present 99 new Neandertal remains from the Troisième caverne of Goyet (Belgium) dated to 40,500-45,500 calBP. The remains were identified through a multidisciplinary study that combines morphometrics, taphonomy, stable isotopes, radiocarbon dating and genetic analyses. The Goyet Neandertal bones show distinctive anthropogenic modifications, which provides clear evidence for butchery activities as well as four bones having been used for retouching stone tools. In addition to being the first site to have yielded multiple Neandertal bones used as retouchers, Goyet not only provides the first unambiguous evidence of Neandertal cannibalism in Northern Europe, but also highlights considerable diversity in mortuary behaviour among the region's late Neandertal population in the period immediately preceding their...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2016
Significance We compiled a set of more than 250 radiocarbon dates related to the rock art, human ... more Significance We compiled a set of more than 250 radiocarbon dates related to the rock art, human activities, and bone remains in the Chauvet-Pont d'Arc Cave (Ardèche, France) and derive a modeled absolute chronology of the human and cave bear occupations of this site, presented here in calendar years. It provides an insightful framework for the successive events that occurred in the cave during the Paleolithic period.
The dynamics of the musk ox and primitive bison ranges during the ten different intervals of the ... more The dynamics of the musk ox and primitive bison ranges during the ten different intervals of the Late Pleistocene —Holocene is analyzed, as well as their changes under the climatic influence. The cold-adapted musk ox had the maximum range during LGM and LGT (the coldest intervals of the last glaciation). The more temperate bison had the maximum range during the Denekamp (=Briansk) Interstadial. Bison’ area became significantly smaller during the LGM under the influence of cold climate. The velocity of decreasing of musk ox range was higher than decreasing of bison range during the Holocene, what could be explained by progressive warming, uncomfortable for the musk ox. The new 14 С data obtained during this work in Groningen and other radiocarbon laboratories help to reconstruct the distribution of musk ox and primitive bison in Northern Eurasia during last 50 000 years.
We reconstructed the principal features of Bison priscus and Ovibos moschatus distribution during... more We reconstructed the principal features of Bison priscus and Ovibos moschatus distribution during last 50 Kyr BP in Northern Eurasia,,
Quaternary International, 2015
Antiquity, 2006
This update on radiocarbon calibration results from the 19th International Radiocarbon Conference... more This update on radiocarbon calibration results from the 19th International Radiocarbon Conference at Oxford in April 2006, and is essential reading for all archaeologists. The way radiocarbon dates and absolute dates relate to each other differs in three periods: back to 12400 cal BP, radiocarbon dates can be calibrated with tree rings, and the calibration curve in this form should soon extend back to 18000 cal BP. Between 12400 and 26000 cal BP, the calibration curves are based on marine records, and thus are only a best estimate of atmospheric concentrations. Beyond 26000 cal BP, dates have to be based on comparison (rather than calibration) with a variety of records. Radical variations are thus possible in this period, a highly significant caveat for the dating of middle and lower Paleolithic art, artefacts and animal and human remains.
Antiquity, 2010
The site of Tell Sabi Abyad in Syria offers a superb stratified sequence passing from the acerami... more The site of Tell Sabi Abyad in Syria offers a superb stratified sequence passing from the aceramic (pre-pottery) to pottery-using Neolithic around 7000 BC. Surprisingly the first pottery arrives fully developed with mineral tempering, burnishing and stripey decoration in painted slip. The expected, more experimental-looking, plant-tempered coarse wares shaped by baskets arrive about 300 years later. Did the first ceramic impetus come from elsewhere?
Quaternary International, 2011
Antiquity, 2002
New radiocarbon dates from four Moravian and Bohemian sites are presented and linked to previous ... more New radiocarbon dates from four Moravian and Bohemian sites are presented and linked to previous work on the depositional contexts of human fossils at similar sites in the region. Whilst dates from Mladeč confirm its early Upper Palaeolithic age, the chronologies of the other three sites require revision.
Quaternary International, 2012
The Holocene, 2011
In the light of the currently increasing drought frequency and water scarcity on oceanic islands,... more In the light of the currently increasing drought frequency and water scarcity on oceanic islands, it is crucial for the conservation of threatened insular vertebrates to assess how they will be affected. A 4000 yr old fossil assemblage in the Mare Aux Songes (MAS), southwest Mauritius, Mascarene Islands, contains bones of 100 000+ individual vertebrates, dominated by two species of giant tortoises Cylindraspis triserrata and C. inepta, the dodo Raphus cucullatus, and 20 other vertebrate species ( Rijsdijk, Hume, Bunnik, Florens, Baider, Shapiro et al. (2009) Mid-Holocene vertebrate bone Concentration-Lagerstätte on oceanic island Mauritius provides a window into the ecosystem of the dodo ( Raphus cucullatus). Quaternary Science Reviews 28: 14–24). Nine radiocarbon dates of bones statistically overlap and suggest mass mortality occurred between 4235 and 4100 cal. yr BP. The mortality period coincides with a widely recognized megadrought event. Our multidisciplinary investigations com...
Quaternary International, 2013
Quaternary International, 2014
Palestine Exploration Quarterly, 2005
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 2000
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Papers by Hans van der Plicht
Extensive excavations at Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria, have yielded an exceptional discovery: a sequence of cemeteries dated to ca. 6400 -5800 cal BC. Such evidence is extremely rare for the Late Neolithic in the Near East. Carbon ( δ13C) and nitrogen ( δ15 N) stable isotope analysis of collagen from human bone samples has provided isotopic profiles for 65 individuals. Previously, an isotopic analysis of faunal remains was conducted providing valuable baselines for the interpretation of the human isotope data. The current preliminary analyses of these two datasets provides interesting insights into the diets of the inhabitants of the sites. This data sheds light on issues such as subsistence strategies and social relations in food consumption within in the prehistoric community. An earlier pilot study which combined the radiocarbon data with a detailed analysis of the stratigraphy using Bayesian statistics, providing a robust chronology of the prehistoric cemeteries, has enabled us to also approach the stable isotopic data from a temporal perspective. The results of this investigation clearly confirm the usefulness of isotopic analysis in the case of the burials at Tell Sabi Abyad, and thus lay the basis for further research.
In februari werd in het gerenommeerde archeologische tijdschrift Antiquity een artikel gepubliceerd over de oudste mens van Nederland en de oudste kunst uit de Noordzee (Amkreutz et al. 2018). Beide vondsten zijn meer dan 13.000 jaar oud. Ze zijn uiterst zeldzame aanwijzingen voor de herbewoning van noordelijk Europa door de moderne mens na de kou van het laatste glaciale maximum van de laatste ijstijd. Deze bijdrage is een samenvatting van het betreffende artikel.
Summary
In February, a paper was published in the well-known archaeological journal Antiquity on the oldest human remains and the oldest art from the North Sea (Amkreutz et al. 2018). Both finds date to more than 13.000 years ago. They are very rare clues of the reoccupation of northern Europe after the Last Glacial Maximum of the last Ice Age. This contribution is a summary of that article.