Talks by Kate Verkooijen
The amber spacers (Bernsteinschiebers, plaquettes d’espacement) are some of the most iconic artef... more The amber spacers (Bernsteinschiebers, plaquettes d’espacement) are some of the most iconic artefacts of the European Bronze Age; not for their undoubted original beauty, but because of what they may be able to tell us about the cultural and chronological relationships between North-west and Central Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean during the 2nd millennium BC. In 1940 Merhart first drew attention to the similarities between the spacers found at Kakovatos in Mycenaean Greece with those from the Bavarian site of Asenkofen. He illustrated these beads, along with several others from the South German Tumulus Culture, demonstrating their variety of perforation patterns. Comparison of these patterns between the three regions has been at the heart of the interpretation of the relationships of these cultural areas and of the spacers themselves. However, the present condition of the amber means that it is difficult to determine these patterns with certainty. In 1993 Harding expressed the view that this situation could only be remedied by x-raying the beads. Obtaining these x-rays has been one focus of the speaker’s recent PhD and she presents here the results of that research.
Co-presentation by Alison Sheridan (National Museums Scotland) and Kate Verkooijen (University of... more Co-presentation by Alison Sheridan (National Museums Scotland) and Kate Verkooijen (University of Exeter).
Title: Archaeological Interpretations of Craftworking and “The Châines that Bind...”
In this paper the speakers present a dialogue between a) contemporary archaeological interpretation of ancient craft working practice with its related theory and b) actual craft practice from the point of view of a craftperson/artist/experimental archaeologist. Archaeologists are increasingly connecting with contemporary craftspeople in pursuit of an understanding of how ancient craft activities may have been organised across a range of aspects, mostly approached through the concept of the ‘châine operatoire’. These approaches seek to pin down the processes of ‘making’ into definable ‘steps’ through which, amongst other things, comparisons may be made between different ‘Communities of Practice’ or how particular individual craftspeople might be identified through their work. However, there remain certain ephemeral and often unarticulated aspects to craft practice which have important effects on the practical actions of craftspeople and which cannot be measured by these approaches. Through the example of two Early Bronze Age artefacts (the Shaw Cairn amber spacer plate necklace and the perforated cigar-shaped object of cannel coal from Stanhope, Co. Durham) the speakers seek to develop a dialogue between these two spheres. Alison Sheridan discusses an archaeologist’s approach to interpreting ancient craft working while Kate Verkooijen reveals why craftspeople get that sinking feeling when they hear those two innocent questions “How did you make it?” and “How long did it take you?”.
Faience is a vitreous material which has received a lot of attention due to its key role in quest... more Faience is a vitreous material which has received a lot of attention due to its key role in questions of trade and exchange across Bronze Age Europe. The main investigative approach in Britain has been analysis of the excavated artefacts (Newton and Renfrew: 1970; Sheridan, Eremin and Shortland: 2005). Elsewhere, much experimental work has been done, essentially focusing on replicating Egyptian material (Vandiver: 1983; Nicholson and Peltenburg: 2000; Tite et al., 1983;1986;2007). Debate on the Bronze Age faience found in Britain has been dominated by discussion of whether it was imported or locally produced (Harding: 2000; Sheridan and Shortland: 2004). Very little work has been done on which kinds of local materials this would entail in a British context. Similarly, the majority of firing of experimental artefacts has been in electric kilns - with the notable exception of Eccleston (2008) in Armana. Such apparatus was not only (obviously) unavailable in the Bronze Age but also produces a completely different kind of kiln atmosphere (oxidising) as opposed to the atmosphere (reducing) produced by a charcoal furnace. These two types of kiln require completely different firing regimes.
This paper presents the experimental work of the author and her colleagues in attempting to a) produce faience using available British materials and b) successfully fire faience in reducing-atmosphere charcoal furnaces. The first has given some very good results which are the basis for the next round of research. The second has been perfected and can be reliably repeated as required. The less successful results of experimental firings during the research have been found to match some published Bronze Age faience artefacts in appearance. Using the insights produced so far from this research some conclusions can be drawn about the skills, experience and practice of British Bronze Age faience makers and the objects they produced.
Papers by Kate Verkooijen
The focus of this report and catalogue is the amber discovered at Bernstorf, Freising district be... more The focus of this report and catalogue is the amber discovered at Bernstorf, Freising district between 1997 and 2005. 56 pieces of amber were recovered over a period of nine years. Of these, 50 were studied by the author in October 2014 at the Archäologische Staatssammlung (State Archaeological Collection) in Munich (ASM). The amber and gold finds have been attributed to the Bronze Age, but strong differences of opinion still remain about their authenticity. The rather disparate publication history of the site and its finds has made it difficult for those not intimately involved to build a coherent picture of the situation. The aim of this current paper is, for the first time, to present and discuss the amber assemblage as a whole by building on the additional, but still incomplete, information about the amber which was provided in the recent publication of a collected volume about the archaeology of, and archaeological investigations at Bernstorf. This provides an opportunity to review interpretations of and research on the amber which have been ongoing over twenty years. This report begins with a brief introduction to the history of archaeological activity on the site. Amber as a material is introduced and its various characteristics described. Next, the amber from Bernstorf is examined in more detail. For the first time a chronological listing of all the amber and gold finds is published. A discussion follows about the amber and the various analyses and interpretations over the years. New evidence and interpretations proposed in the 2016 Bernstorf volume are critically assessed. Although this report touches on where the Bernstorf amber would fit into a wider European Bronze Age context, a full discussion of this is not included. On the basis of the physical condition of some of the amber, the author’s conclusion is that the amber found at Bernstorf was not placed there during the Bronze Age, but in more recent times. The report concludes with a catalogue of the 56 amber pieces.
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Talks by Kate Verkooijen
Title: Archaeological Interpretations of Craftworking and “The Châines that Bind...”
In this paper the speakers present a dialogue between a) contemporary archaeological interpretation of ancient craft working practice with its related theory and b) actual craft practice from the point of view of a craftperson/artist/experimental archaeologist. Archaeologists are increasingly connecting with contemporary craftspeople in pursuit of an understanding of how ancient craft activities may have been organised across a range of aspects, mostly approached through the concept of the ‘châine operatoire’. These approaches seek to pin down the processes of ‘making’ into definable ‘steps’ through which, amongst other things, comparisons may be made between different ‘Communities of Practice’ or how particular individual craftspeople might be identified through their work. However, there remain certain ephemeral and often unarticulated aspects to craft practice which have important effects on the practical actions of craftspeople and which cannot be measured by these approaches. Through the example of two Early Bronze Age artefacts (the Shaw Cairn amber spacer plate necklace and the perforated cigar-shaped object of cannel coal from Stanhope, Co. Durham) the speakers seek to develop a dialogue between these two spheres. Alison Sheridan discusses an archaeologist’s approach to interpreting ancient craft working while Kate Verkooijen reveals why craftspeople get that sinking feeling when they hear those two innocent questions “How did you make it?” and “How long did it take you?”.
This paper presents the experimental work of the author and her colleagues in attempting to a) produce faience using available British materials and b) successfully fire faience in reducing-atmosphere charcoal furnaces. The first has given some very good results which are the basis for the next round of research. The second has been perfected and can be reliably repeated as required. The less successful results of experimental firings during the research have been found to match some published Bronze Age faience artefacts in appearance. Using the insights produced so far from this research some conclusions can be drawn about the skills, experience and practice of British Bronze Age faience makers and the objects they produced.
Papers by Kate Verkooijen
Title: Archaeological Interpretations of Craftworking and “The Châines that Bind...”
In this paper the speakers present a dialogue between a) contemporary archaeological interpretation of ancient craft working practice with its related theory and b) actual craft practice from the point of view of a craftperson/artist/experimental archaeologist. Archaeologists are increasingly connecting with contemporary craftspeople in pursuit of an understanding of how ancient craft activities may have been organised across a range of aspects, mostly approached through the concept of the ‘châine operatoire’. These approaches seek to pin down the processes of ‘making’ into definable ‘steps’ through which, amongst other things, comparisons may be made between different ‘Communities of Practice’ or how particular individual craftspeople might be identified through their work. However, there remain certain ephemeral and often unarticulated aspects to craft practice which have important effects on the practical actions of craftspeople and which cannot be measured by these approaches. Through the example of two Early Bronze Age artefacts (the Shaw Cairn amber spacer plate necklace and the perforated cigar-shaped object of cannel coal from Stanhope, Co. Durham) the speakers seek to develop a dialogue between these two spheres. Alison Sheridan discusses an archaeologist’s approach to interpreting ancient craft working while Kate Verkooijen reveals why craftspeople get that sinking feeling when they hear those two innocent questions “How did you make it?” and “How long did it take you?”.
This paper presents the experimental work of the author and her colleagues in attempting to a) produce faience using available British materials and b) successfully fire faience in reducing-atmosphere charcoal furnaces. The first has given some very good results which are the basis for the next round of research. The second has been perfected and can be reliably repeated as required. The less successful results of experimental firings during the research have been found to match some published Bronze Age faience artefacts in appearance. Using the insights produced so far from this research some conclusions can be drawn about the skills, experience and practice of British Bronze Age faience makers and the objects they produced.