Author Archive

Syverson, Valerie J. & Donald R. Prothero. 2010. Evolutionary Patterns in Late Quaternary California Condors. – PalArch’s Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology 7, 1: 1-18

Front_syverson_protheroAbstract Pleistocene fossils related to the living California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) have been found in several locations in western North America. Different authors have either assigned these to the species G. amplus or considered them a chronological subspecies of G. californianus. We examined the morphology of the genus Gymnogyps from the late Pleistocene to the present, using hundreds of specimens from the asphalt deposits of Rancho La Brea (RLB) and 62 partial modern skeletons. The limb bones (using seven variables on each element) and skulls (using 13 variables) were quantitatively compared using bivariate and multivariate techniques. No significant size or shape change through time was apparent in RLB samples ranging from the late Pleistocene (35,000 radiocarbon years b.p.) to the early Holocene (9000 radiocarbon years b.p.), suggesting evolutionary stasis in the face of the climatic changes of the last glacial-interglacial cycle. Proximal limb elements and skulls showed patterns of variation consistent with a species distinction between the RLB specimens and modern G. californianus. This confirms Fisher’s (1944) contention that the RLB species is referable to G. amplus Miller 1911, and not referable to the modern species. A set of specimens from a 9000-year-old Indian midden in Oregon as well as the presence of Gymnogyps in early Holocene Pit 10 at RLB suggest that the modern and ancient Gymnogyps may have coexisted with each other as well as with humans, and not died out or become dwarfed with the extinction of the rest of the Pleistocene megafauna, as suggested by some authors.

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BOOK REVIEW: PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology, 7(3) (2010)

DOP frontNicholas Warner about Schijns, W. With contributions from O. Kaper & J. Kila. 2008. Vernacular Mud Brick Architecture in the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt and the Design of the Dakhleh Oasis Training and Archaeological Conservation Centre. – Oxford, Oxbow Books (Dakhleh Oasis Project Monograph 10)

Much has changed in the environment of the Dakhleh Oasis since the research published in this monograph was carried out in 1997, but this does not diminish its value. Rather it emphasizes the need for further thorough documentation of traditional habitats in Egypt before they dissappear entirely, swept away by a tide of structures of concrete, steel, fired brick and cheap limestone blocks. The impetus for this study was provided by….


Gregory Bearman & William A. Christens-Barry. 2009. Spectral Imaging of Ostraca. – PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology, 6(7) (2009)

20091201_artikelAbstract By analogy with ancient texts, infrared imaging of ostraca has long been employed to help improve readings. We report on extensive spectral imaging of ostraca over the visible and near infrared. Spectral imaging acquires the complete spectrum for each pixel in an image; the data can be used with an extensive set of software tools that were developed originally for satellite and scientific imaging. In this case, the spectral data helps explain why infrared imaging works to improve text legibility (and why not in some cases). A better understanding of the underlying imaging mechanism points the way for inexpensive methods for taking data either in the fi eld or at museums.

Author’s request: with revised email address and acknowledgement.


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BOOK REVIEW: PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology, 7(1) (2010)

PotManual1Augusto Gayubas about Wodzińska, A. 2009. A Manual of Egyptian Pottery. Volume 1: Fayum A-Lower Egyptian Culture. – Boston, Ancient Egypt Research Associates.

Dr. Anna Wodzińska, who works at the Institute of Archaeology of the University of Warsaw (Poland), is the head of the Ceramics Team of AERA (Ancient Egypt Research Associates) Field School. The main aim of the AERA Field School is to teach and train archaeological techniques for both, students and experienced archaeologists alike. Wodzińska developed for AERA four pottery manuals…

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BOOK REVIEW: PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology, 6(10) (2009)

ockinga_coverJ. Moje about Ockinga, B.G. 2005. A Concise Grammar of Middle Egyptian. An Outline of Middle Egyptian Grammar by Hellmut Brunner Revised and Expanded. 2nd Edition. – Mainz, Philipp von Zabern

Bei der vorliegenden Grammatik handelt es sich um eine Weiterentwicklung des ‚„Abrisses der Mittelägyptischen Grammatik“ von Hellmut Brunner, die 1960 erstmals publiziert wurde. Die vorliegende Arbeit von Ockinga ist dabei die zweite Auflage in englischer Sprache, die sich inhaltlich nicht von der deutschen Fassung unterscheidet.

Nach den Vorworten zu jeder Auflage (pp. XI-XII) findet sich eine kurze Introduction (pp. XIII-XVI) zum Aufbau des Buches und seinen Intentionen. Dazu setzt Ockinga…

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André J. Veldmeijer. 2009. Studies of Ancient Egyptian Footwear. Technological Aspects. Part x. Leather Composite Sandals. – PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology, 6(9) (2009)

Veldmeijer_coverAbstract The tenth part in the series on the manufacturing technology of ancient Egyptian footwear (phase I of the Ancient Egyptian Footwear Project) presents 15 so-called ‘leather composite sandals’. These well made sandals, usually in bright colours and decorated, are known from New Kingdom contexts; they were not a common commodity. Although the focus is on the technological aspects, several other topics will be dealt with nonetheless, albeit in passing, among which the preliminary typology.



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NEWS: Spectacular discovery of first‐ever Dutch Neanderthal Fossil skull fragment unveiled by Minister Plasterk in National Museum of Antiquities

Foto: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig (D)

Foto: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig (D)

For the first time ever, a fossil of a Neanderthal has been discovered in the Netherlands. The skull fragment, over 40,000 years old, with its characteristically thick Neanderthal eyebrow ridge, was found off the coast of Zeeland, dredged up from the bottom of the North Sea. Huge quantities of fossil bones have been brought to the surface from this seabed since 1874, however, this is the first time a Neanderthal fossil has been found. The unique discovery was officially unveiled on the 15th of June by Ronald Plasterk (Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science) at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (National Museum of Antiquities) in Leiden, where it is on display to the public starting from June 16th.

The discovery of the first Neanderthal fossil on Dutch territory is of tremendous importance to the cultural heritage of the Netherlands and a milestone for Dutch archaeology and palaeontology. The discovery also underlines the archaeological and geological richness of the North Sea. During the Ice Age, this area was mostly a dry lowland plain rather than a sea. Stone tools of Neanderthals and large quantities of fossil bones of mammoths and other Ice Age animals have been trawled up from the bottom of the North Sea regularly. Never before have researchers found fossils of the actual Neanderthals themselves, though.

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Haan, de, H.J. 2009. Building the Great Pyramid by Levering. A Mathematical Model. – PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology 6, 2: 1-22

Abstract A review of the extensive literature on the building of the Egyptian pyramids reveals that so far this problem has not been treated in a systematic, quantitative way. The present study aims at filling this gap by means of an integrated mathematical model, taking into account the interaction between various activities involved, such as quarrying, transportation and building. I focus my attention on the largest pyramid, the one built by Khufu.

The model simulates an efficient project co-ordination by balancing supply and demand of the building material, with all activities related to the growth of the pyramid and assuming a constant total workforce. This makes it possible to determine the effect of different building methods and of the productivity of the workers on the workforce required for the various tasks. In this paper only one building method has been considered, namely levering. Calculations have been carried out for two sets of input data, indicated as base case and maximum case.

Assuming a project duration of 20 years with 2624 working hours per year, the workforce for this building method is estimated to range from 4 000 to 10 000 men directly involved in the building of the pyramid and the supply of the necessary material.


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BOOK REVIEW ISSUE PalArch’s Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology 5, 2 (2008): 13-17

  • H.J.M. Meijer about Martill, D.M., G. Bechly & R.F. Loveridge. 2007. The Crato fossil beds. Window into an ancient world. – Cambridge, Cambridge University Press
  • A.J. Veldmeijer about Mol, D., W. van Logchem, K. van Hooijdonk & R. Bakker. 2007. De sabeltandtijger uit de Noordzee. – Norg, Drukware
  • I.J.J. Nieuwland about Wellnhofer, P. 2008. Archaeopteryx. Der Urvogel von Solnhofen – München, Friedrich Pfeil and Bollen, L. 2008. Der Flug des Archaeopteryx. Auf der Suche nach dem Ursprung der Vögel – Wiebelsheim, Quelle und Meyer

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BOOK REVIEW ISSUE PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology 5, 2 (2008): 1-6

  • A.J. Clapham about Cappers, R.T.J. 2006. Roman foodprints at Berenike. Archaeobotanical evidence of subsistence and trade in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. – Los Angeles, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, University of California, Los Angeles (Berenike Reports 6, Monograph 55)
  • A.J. Veldmeijer about Parkinson, R. 2008. The painted tomb-chapel of Nebamun. Masterpieces of ancient Egyptian art in the British Museum. – London, British Museum Press
  • C.H. van Zoest about Small, L. 2006. Napoleon on the Nile. Soldiers, Artists, and the Rediscovery of Egypt. – New York, Dahesh Museum of Art

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Newsletter 5, 2 (July 2008)

News on the Activities of the PalArch Foundation
Vertebrate Palaeontology News
News on the Archaeology of Northwest Europe
Four-year IAE meeting Rhodes André J. Veldmeijer
Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections Richard H. Wilkinson
Proceedings of the 11th meeting of the Dutch 7Vertebrate Palaeontology Group Natasja den Ouden 
Prof. Dr. S.K. Donovan awarded 
Megalith Memory Natasja den Ouden
Egypt in Photographs Zbigniew Kosc
PalArch: a new design Ilja Nieuwland
Colophon / Call for papers


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Warrimont, de, J.P.L.M.N. 2007. Prospecting Middle Palaeolithic open-air sites in the Dutch-Belgian border area near Maastricht. – PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Northwest Europe 1, 3: 40-89

Abstract Since 1981 a series of brickyard quarries to the north and west of Maastricht, in the municipalities of Maastricht (The Netherlands) and Lanaken (Belgium), have been intensively and successfully prospected for human artefacts and faunal remains from the Pleistocene by scrutinising the vertical sections of exposed loess, which in many places is over ten m deep. These efforts were accompanied by extensive geostratigraphic surveys, which have been crucially important in dating the finds and reconstructing the palaeolandscape. Excavation programmes as well as ancillary studies were subsequently carried out at three of these quarries: Maastricht-Belvédère, Veldwezelt-Hezerwater and Kesselt-Op de Schans, each of which yielded multiple Middle Palaeolithic occupation horizons. This article describes the history of these excavations and studies, looking in some detail at the preliminary prospecting work that led to the discovery of this wealth of archaeological open-air sites. A separate description is provided of the litho- and chronostratigraphic frameworks of the three quarries, which has been key in establishing the chronology of Pleistocene occupation of this area. There is particular focus on the landscape and traces of occupation during the Belvédère Interglacial complex at Maastricht-Belvédère and the Weichselian Glacial at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater. The traces of fire and the macrofaunal remains encountered in the respective archaeological horizons are also discussed, and in particular their significance: are these natural phenomena or evidence of interventions by Pleistocene humans?


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W.M. van Haarlem about Jánosi, P. 2006. Die Gräberwelt der Pyramidenzeit. – Mainz am Rhein, Philipp von Zabern

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N. den Ouden about Ridley, M. 2004. Evolution. Third Edition. – Malden, Blackwell Publishing

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J. Moje about Hornung, E., R. Krauss, D.A. Warburton. Eds. 2006. Ancient Egyptian chronology. – Brill, Leiden

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J.J. Brakenhoff about Pätznick, J.-P. 2005. Die Siegelabrollungen und Rollsiegel der Stadt Elephantine im 3. Jahrtausend v. Chr. Spurensicherung eines archäologischen Artefaktes. – Oxford, Archaeopress (BAR International Series 1339)

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B.L. Beatty about Wallace, D.R. 2007. Neptune’s Ark, from Ichthyosaurs to Orcas. – Berkeley, University of California Press

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S. Ikram about Fay, B. 2001, 2005, 2006 & Brunner Traut. 2004. Spaziergang durch das Ägyptische Museum Berlin/A stroll through the Egyptian Museum; Gesichter aus dem Römischen Ägypten Fayum Porträts/Ancient faces from Roman Egypt: Fayum portraits; Tutanchamun/Tutankhamun; Tiergeschichten aus dem Pharaonenland. – All published by: Mainz am Rhein, Phillip von Zabern

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Newsletter 5, 1 (January 2008)

News on the Activities of the PalArch Foundation
Publications in the January Issue
News on the Archaeology of Northwest Europe
Proceedings of the 10th meeting of the Dutch Vertebrate Palaeontology Group John W.M. Jagt
Palarch at the SVPCA Natasja den Ouden
Egypt in Photographs Zbigniew Kosc
Monsters in Manhattan and Haarlem Brian L. Beatty
Colophon / Call for papers


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S. Uljas about Winand, J. 2006. Temps et Aspect en Égyptien. Une Approche Sémantique. – Leiden, Brill (Probleme der Ägyptologie 25)

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P. Storm about Lewin, R. & R.A. Foley. 2005. Principles of human evolution. – Oxford, Blackwell Publishing

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P. Storm about Horn, H.G. 2006. Neandertaler + Co. Eiszeitjägern auf der Spur. Streifzüge durch die Urgeschichte Nordrhein-Westfalens. – Mainz am Rhein, Philipp von Zabern

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Stapert, D. 2007. Neanderthal children and their flints. – PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Northwest Europe 1, 2: 16-39

Abstract As pioneer studies at the Magdalenian sites of Pincevent and Etiolles have shown, refitting analyses can reveal the presence of those learning the craft of flint knapping, i.e. children. This approach was successful especially at Upper Palaeolithic sites. Learners can be recognized by their incompetent flaking, and also by typical beginners’ errors such as ‘face battering’ and ‘stacked steps,’ as shown in experiments by Shelley (1990). For reasons unknown to me, and in contrast to the Upper Palaeolithic, it is quite unusual to come across children in the literature about the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic. In most cases, ‘flint failures’ from these periods are attributed to poor-quality raw material. In this paper it is argued, by means of several examples, that in many cases children may be responsible. In his monograph about the main Saalian find level in the Maastricht-Belvédère quarry, De Loecker (2006) mentions that at Site K relatively many cores show phenomena such as stacked steps and face battering. It is suggested that this reflects the presence of children practising their flint knapping skills, rather than the poor quality of the local raw material. The absence of the classic Levallois technology, and the use of the simpler discoidal cores instead, may also be seen in this light. This article describes a series of implements from several sites of the Rhenen Industry in The Netherlands, dating from the Early Middle Palaeolithic. A ‘pic’ and a handaxe-like core reveal incompetent flaking, and the pic-like object also shows ‘face battering’ on both faces. These artefacts, as well as several small cores and a ‘micro-Levallois-flake,’ are interpreted a specimens made by learners in the art of flint working. A miniature handaxe, only 4.4 cm long, is tentatively interpreted as an instructive toy made by an adult for a child. Finally, a few enigmatic objects from the Late Middle Palaeolithic in the northern parts of The Netherlands are also interpreted as pieces worked by children. In the discussion chapter, the literature is searched for further possible examples of this phenomenon. It is concluded that the activities of children are overlooked in studies of the older phases of the Palaeolithic. + erratum.


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W.M. van Haarlem about Keeper and Staff of the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan. 2007. The British Museum Book of Ancient Egypt. – London, British Museum Press

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Bringmans, P.M.M.A. 2007. First evidence of Neanderthal presence in Northwest Europe during the Late Saalian ‘Zeifen. – PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Northwest Europe 1, 1: 1-15

Abstract The Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene transition (MIS 6/5e transition), which has been observed within the loamy sediments of the VLL and VLB sites at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater, was a period of remarkable change in both climate and environment. Indeed, the incipient VLL-VLB soil horizons at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater seem to represent Late Saalian phases of pedogenesis under boreal conditions just prior to the MIS 6/5e transition. The pedostratigraphical position provides a firm basis to conclude that the VLL and VLB soil horizons at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater represent the terrestrial equivalent of the Late Saalian ‘Zeifen Interstadial’ (MIS 6.01), whereas the capping GSL unit seems to represent the terrestrial equivalent of the so-called ‘Kattegat Stadial’. Indeed, assuming that Northwest Europe was too hostile for humans during the extremes of MIS 6 and given the pattern highlighted by Gamble (1986) that Northwest Europe seems to be a bit of a wasteland during MIS 5e, then the VLL and VLB sites at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater offer unique snapshots of people appearing in Northwest Europe for a short spell (MIS 6.01) and then going away again. Indeed, during the period of climatic amelioration during the ‘Zeifen Interstadial’ (ca. 133,000 years BP), which followed the Saalian Glacial Maximum (ca. 135,000 years BP), Northwest Europe probably saw a significant demographic expansion and the development of ‘new’ Middle Palaeolithic technologies. During the Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene transition phase, semi-rotating parallel/prismatic and opportunistic core reduction strategies and ‘small tools’ were in place at the VLL site at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater. So-called ‘expedient’ core reduction strategies wereused to flake locally-found low-quality lithic raw materials. At the VLB site at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater, the same trend towards ‘parallel’ core reduction was also present. However, it is very interesting to see that at the VLB site, Levallois core reduction has also been attested.


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M. Overbeeke about McNamara, K. & Long, J. 2007. The evolution revolution. Design without intelligence. – Melbourne University Press

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N. den Ouden about Rudner, R. 2000. A chorus of buffalo. A personal portrait of an American icon. – New York, Marlowe & Company

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J. Moje about Bricault, L. M.J. Versluys, P.G.P. Meyboom. Eds. 2006. From Nile into Tiber. Egypt in the Roman World. Proceedings of the IIIrd International Conference of Isis Studies, Leiden, May 11-14. – Leiden, Brill

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C. Wallner about Elewa, A.M.T. Ed. 2006. Predation in organisms. A distinct phenomenon. – Heidelberg, Springer Verlag

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Newsletter 4, 3 (October 2007)

News on the Activities of the PalArch Foundation
Publications in the October Issue
News on the Archaeology of Northwest Europe
Proceedings of the 9th meeting of the Dutch Vertebrate Palaeontology Group
Let’s Hear it for Neanderthal! Carlos Grau
Egypt in Photographs Zbigniew Kosc
Museums and the Art Loss Register Ingrid Blom-Böer
Musealising University Collections Marieke van der Duin
14th Symphosium of IWGP, Kraków, Poland, 17-23 June 2007 Ingrid Heijen & Wouter van der Meer
Fishing for Fossils Natasja den Ouden
Conference Report: Nature Behind Glass Marieke van der Duin
Messel on Tour Natasja den Ouden
Colophon / Call for papers


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A. van Heteren about Uelsberg, G. Ed. 2006. Roots. Wurzeln der Menschheit. – Mainz am Rhein, Phillipp von Zabern

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Wild, J.P. & F. Wild. 2007. The textiles from Sikait (Egyptian Eastern Desert). – PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology 2, 2: 9-17

Abstract The 2003 season at Sikait yielded ten textile fragments from six different late Roman contexts. They were not examined on site; but the photographs on which the descriptions below are based were of sufficiently fine resolution to enable most of the basic data to be extracted.


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Naguib, S.–A. 2007. The shifting values of authenticity and fakes. – PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology 2, 1: 1-8

Abstract The present article discusses the shifting values of authenticity and fakes. Using a biographical approach and the notion of things’ social life it examines an Egyptianised relief which according to the author is probably the work of the ‘Master of Berlin’, Oxan Aslanian, and investigates the wider context in which the object was conceived. The period under consideration is from the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century. The article goes on to explicate that fakes of ancient Egyptian art were circulated through multiplex social networks involving antiquities dealers, fakers and academics from different cultural backgrounds. By following the trajectories of these objects we may reconstruct their environments and map the web of social networks tied to them.


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J.W.F. Reumer about Martin, A.J. 2006. Introduction to the Study of Dinosaurs. Second Edition. – Oxford, Blackwell Publishing

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P. Crombé about Milner, N. & P. Woodman. 2005. Mesolithic Studies at the Beginning of the 21st Century. – Oxford, Oxbow Books

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V. Chauvet about Kanawati, N. & M. Abder–Raziq. 2005. Mereruka and his Family. Part I: The Tomb of Meryteti. – Oxford, Aris and Phillips (The Australian Centre for Egyptology: Reports 21)

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H.J.M. Meijer about Erwin, D.G. 2006. Extinction. How life on earth nearly ended 250 million years ago. – Princeton, Princeton University Press

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R. Mairs about Hughes, G.R. (with contributions by B.P. Muhs & S. Vinson). 2005. Catalog of Demotic Texts in the Brooklyn Museum. – Chicago, The Oriental Institute (Oriental Institute Communications No. 29)

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A.J. Veldmeijer about Kite, M. & R. Thomson. 2006. Conservation of leather and related materials. – Amsterdam, Elsevier

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J.E. Jeffery about Hammer, Ø. & D. Harper. 2006. Paleontological Data Analysis. – Oxford, Blackwell Publishing

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Newsletter 4, 2 (April 2007)

News on the Activities of the PalArch Foundation 
Publications in the April Issue
Egypt in Photographs Zbigniew Kosc
Natural History Museum Rotterdam: the History and Collections of a Museum Natasja den Ouden
What is a palaeontologist? A Field Identification Guide Carlos Grau
Colophon / Call for papers


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J.M. Tebes about Bienkowski, P. & K. Galor. Eds. 2006. Crossing the Rift. Resources, Routes, Settlement Patterns and Interaction in the Wadi Arabah. – Oxford, Oxbow (Levant Supplementary Series Volume 3)

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M. Wedel about Tidwell, V. & K. Carpenter. Eds. 2005. Thunder–Lizards: The Sauropodomorph Dinosaurs. – Bloomington, Indiana University Press

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F. Hagen about Jasnow, R. & K.–Th. Zauzich. 2005. The Ancient Egyptian Book of Thoth: A Demotic Discourse on Knowledge and Pendant to the Classical Hermetica (Volume I & II). – Wiesbaden, Otto Harrasowitz

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Veldmeijer, A.J. 2007. Preliminary report on the leatherwork from Roman Berenike, Egyptian Red Sea Coast (1994–2000). – PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology 1, 1: 1-36

Abstract The excavations at Berenike during the 1994–2000 season yielded various finds of skin and leather. Leatherwork is one of the neglected fields in the study of ancient Egypt and it is therefore that this paper presents the leatherwork from this important site, even though the material has not been studied in as much detail as would be necessary. All discussed objects were excavated from early Roman rubbish layers.


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S. Sachs about Everhart, M.J. 2005. Oceans of Kansas: A Natural History of the Western Interior Sea. – Bloomington, Indiana University Press

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M. van der Duin about Ambrose, T. & C. Paine. 2006. Museum basics. Second edition. – London/New York, Routledge

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I.J.J. Nieuwland about Videler, J.J. 2005. Avian Flight. – Oxford, Oxford University Press (Oxford Ornithology Series, Volume 15)

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A.J. Clapham about Prance, G., Sir & M. Nesbitt. 2005. The Cultural History of Plants. – London/New York, Routledge

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J. Moje about Morenz, L.D. 2004. Bild–Buchstaben und symbolische Zeichen. Die Herausbildung der Schrift in der hohen Kultur Altägyptens. – Fribourg, Academic Press/Göttingen, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht (Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis 205)

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B.L. Beatty about Herrel, A., T. Speck & N.P. Rowe. Eds. 2006. Ecology and Biomechanics: A Mechanical Approach to the Ecology of Animals and Plants. – Boca Raton, CRC Taylor & Francis

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A.J. Veldmeijer about Wedel, C. 2005. Nofretete und das Geheimnis von Amarna. – Mainz am Rhein, Philipp von Zabern (Bildbände zur Archäologie)

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A.J. Veldmeijer about Strudwick, N. 2006. Masterpieces of Ancient Egypt. – London, The British Museum Press

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A.J. Veldmeijer about Hellenbarth, J. 2006. Gräber und Tempel. Archäologische Stätten in Oberägypten und Nubien. 2007. – Mainz am Rhein, Philipp von Zabern (calender)

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Newsletter 4, 1 (January 2007)

News on the Activities of the PalArch Foundation
Publications in the January Issue
The View from Here Carlos Grau 
Proceedings of the 8th meeting of the Dutch Vertebrate Palaeontology Group Natasja den Ouden
www.PalArch.nl and electronic publishing in Egyptology André J. Veldmeijer 
Egypt in Photographs Zbigniew Kosc
Forward to the Past. An Analysis of Future-oriented Research in the Heritage Field Marieke van der Duin
Colophon / Call for papers


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T. Vereenooghe about Connoly, J. & M. Lake. 2006. Geographical Information Systems in Archaeology. – Cambridge, Cambridge University Press (Cambridge Manuals in Archaeology)

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R. Nyord about Strudwick, N.C. 2005. Texts from the Pyramid Age. – Leiden, Brill (SBL Writings from the Ancient World 16)

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Harrell, J.A. 2006. Archaeological geology of Wadi Sikait. – PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology 4, 1: 1-12

Abstract Emerald, a green transparent variety of beryl, was one of the most highly prized gemstones in antiquity. The earliest known emerald mine is located in the valley of Wadi Sikait in Egypt’s southern Eastern Desert, where mining probably began toward the end of the Ptolemaic period in the 1st century BC. Most of the mining activity, however, dates to the Early and Late Roman periods (1st to mid–2nd centuries and 4th to early 6th centuries AD, respectively) with much reduced activity during the Middle Roman period (late 2nd to 3rd centuries AD). The Romans referred to emerald as smaragdus and named the Sikait region Mons Smaragdus or Emerald Mountain. An archaeological geology survey of Wadi Sikait was undertaken for the purpose of mapping the distribution of ancient mine workings, deducing the ancient mining methods, and describing the geologic occurrence of emerald. It was found that emerald and other green beryls occur within the contact zone between phlogopite schist and intrusive quartz and pegmatite veins. The workings, which were excavated in the softer phlogopite schist with flat–edged chisels and pointed picks, are mostly shallow open–cut trenches that follow the quartz/pegmatite veins. Some workings continue as much as 100 meter underground and are still largely unexplored. Steatite and quartz mica schist also occur in Wadi Sikait and were quarried by the Romans for building stone.


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J.W.F. Reumer about Milson, C. & S. Rigby. 2004. Fossils At A Glance. – Oxford, Blackwell Publishing

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J.W.F. Reumer about Cowen, R. 2005. History of Life. 4th Edition. – Oxford, Blackwell Publishing

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S.K. Donovan about Hou Xian–Guang, R.J. Aldridge, J. Bergström, D.J. Siveter, D.J. Siveter & Feng Xiang–Hong. 2004. The Cambrian Fossils of Chengjiang, China. – Malden, Blackwell Publishing

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J. Moje about Hofmann, E. 2004. Bilder im Wandel. Die Kunst der ramessidischen Privatgräber. – Mainz am Rhein, Philipp von Zabern

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G. Metz about Raven, M.J. & W.K. Taconis. 2005. Egyptian Mummies: Radiological Atlas of the Collections in the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden. – Turnhout, Brepols (Papers on Archaeology of the Leiden Museum of Antiquities 1)

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H.J.M. Meijer & A.J. Veldmeijer about Unwin, D.M. 2005. The Pterosaurs from Deep Time. – New York, Pi Press

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A.J. Veldmeijer about Peacock, J. 2005. Shoes. The Complete Sourcebook. – Londen, Thames & Hudson

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P.F.B. Jongste about Halsted, J. 2005. Bronze Age Settlements in the Welsh Marshes. – Oxford, Archaeopress (BAR British Series 384)

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Newsletter 3, 4 (October 2006)

News on the Activities of the PalArch Foundation
Publications in the October Issue 
An Impression of the IWAA Conference 2006 
The Indonesian Wild Man. In Search of the ‘Orang-Pendek’ on Sumatra Marcel van Beurden
Dover Museum and the Dover Bronze Age Boat Peter Clark
Egypt in Photographs Zbigniew Kosc
‘Scientific Creationism’ overseas. The Export of Fundamentalist American Culture to Europe and Australia Ilja Nieuwland
Colophon / Call for papers


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T.J.M. Van Dooren about Vincent, T.L. & J.S. Brown. 2005. Evolutionary game theory, natural selection and Darwinian dynamics. – Cambridge, Cambridge University Press

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E.N.A. Heirbaut about Jager, S. & E. van Ginkel. Eds. 2005. Archeologie van de Stellingwerven. Rendierjagers, boeren en ontginners in het stroomgebied van Tjonger en Linde. – Oldeberkoop, Stichting Stellingwarver Schrieversronte

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P. Storm about Lee, R.B. & R. Daly. Eds. 2004. The Cambridge encyclopedia of hunters and gatherers. – Cambridge, Cambridge University Press

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F. Hagen about Kurth, D. 2003. Der Oasenmann. – Mainz am Rhein, Philipp von Zabern (Kulturgeschichte der antiken Welt 103)

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M. Signore about Spalinger, A.J. 2005. War in ancient Egypt – Oxford, Blackwell Publishing

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Reader, C.D. 2006. Further considerations on development at Giza before the 4th Dynasty. – PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology 3, 2: 12-25

Abstract Two previous papers produced by Vandecruys have been critical of the theories of erosion of the Sphinx by rainfall run–off, previously advanced by Reader. In a final response to Vandecruys’ theory that the extant degradation can be attributed to shallow groundwater movement, Reader explains the limitations of Vandecruys’ groundwater model and further discusses the case for development at Giza before the 4th Dynasty.


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Vandecruys, G. 2006. Response to Reader (2006): more geological and archaeological data on the Sphinx discussion. – PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology 3, 1: 1-11

Abstract In a review of the critiques raised by Vandecruys (2006), Reader (2006) clarifies his position on the geological and archaeological situation of the Sphinx, and adds extra data to support his case. The current paper will outline exactly how and why Reader’s response fails to attribute the Sphinx to the Early Dynastic era, and why a 4th Dynasty dating is still most likely when checked against the available evidence.


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J.W.F. Reumer about Kahlke R.–D. & D. Mol. 2005. Eiszeitliche Grosssäugetiere der Sibirischen Arktis. Die Cerpolex/Mammuthus–Expeditionen auf Tajmyr. – Stuttgart, E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung (Nägele und Obermiller; Senckenberg–Buch 77)

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M.C. van der Plas about Wessen, K. 2005. Simulating human origins and evolution. – Cambridge, Cambridge University Press

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R. Nyord about Martin, G.T. 2005. Stelae from Egypt and Nubia in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, c. 3000 BC–AD 1150. – Cambridge, Cambridge University Press (Fitzwilliam Museum Publications)

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BOOK REVIEW ISSUE PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Northwest Europe 3, 2 (2009): 1-3

  • H. van Enckevort about Goodman, P.J. 2007. The Roman city and its periphery. From Rome to Gaul. – London/New York, Routledge

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I.J.J. Nieuwland about Meen–mann Chang. Ed. 2003. The Jehol Biota. The emergence of feathered dinosaurs, beaked birds, and flowering plants. – Shanghai, Shanghai Scientific and Technical Publishers

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V. Chauvet about McFarlane, A. 2004. Mastabas at Saqqara. Kaiemheset, Kaipunesut, Kaiemsenu, Sehetepu and others. – Oxford, Aris and Phillips (The Australian Centre for Egyptology Reports 20)

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J.A.S.M. Bosman about MacMahon, A. & J. Price. Eds. 2005. Roman working lives and urban living. – Oxford, Oxbow Books

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J. Moje about Lembke, K., C. Fluck &G. Vittmann. 2004. Ägyptens späte Blüte. Die Römer am Nil. – Mainz am Rhein, Philipp von Zabern

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J. Moje about Houston, S.D. Ed. 2004. The first writing, script inventory as history and process. – Cambridge, Cambridge University Press

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J. de Vos about Goren–Inbar, N. & J.D. Speth. Eds. 2004. Human paleoecology in the Levantine Corridor. – Oxford, Oxbow Books

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M.H. Kriek about Goldfinger, E. 2004. Animal anatomy for artists. The elements of form. – Oxford, Oxford University Press

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A.J. Veldmeijer about Sliggers, B. Ed. 2006. Dino’s en draken. Fossielen in mythen en volksgeloof. – Bussum, Uitgeverij Thoth

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O.E. Kaper about Dunand, F. & C. Zivie–Coche. 2004. Gods and men in Egypt 3000 BCE to 395 CE. – Ithaca/London, Cornell University Press

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S. Ikram about Mulville, J. & A.K. Outram. Eds. 2005. The zooarchaeology of fats, oils, milk and dairying. – Oxford, Oxbow Books

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Newsletter 3, 3 (July 2006)

News on the activities of the PalArch Foundation
Publications in the July issue
Proceedings of the seventh meeting of the Dutch Vertebrate Palaeontology Group
About Shya Chitaley André Veldmeijer
Beyond exhibits: education and research at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History Shya Chitaley
Egypt in photographs Zbigniew Kosc
Colophon / Call for papers


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L.G.L. van Hoof about Bailey, D., A. Whittle & V. Cummings. Eds. 2005. (Un)settling the Neolithic. – Oxford, Oxbow Books

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A.J. Veldmeijer about Dodson, A. & D. Hilton. 2004. The complete royal families of ancient Egypt. – London, Thames & Hudson

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Reader, C.D. 2006. Response to Vandecruys (2006). The Sphinx: dramatising data….and dating. – PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology 2, 1: 1-13

Abstract In a previous paper (Vandecruys, 2006), the evidence presented by the current author for re–dating the Sphinx of Giza and a number of other structures present within the Giza necropolis has been reassessed. Following this re–assessment, Vandecruys has raised a number of objections to the current author’s thesis. The current paper provides a response to the criticism of Vandecruys and presents further arguments in support of Early Dynastic development at Giza, of which the Sphinx is considered to have formed an important element.


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M. Overbeeke about Westenholz, G. & R.S. Bianchi. 2004. Dragons, monsters and fabulous beasts. – Jerusalem, Bible Lands Museum

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W.A. Out about Jones, G. 2005. Environmental Archaeology. The Journal of Human Palaeoecology. Volume 10, 1. – Oxford, Oxbow Books (Association for Environmental Archaeology)

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J. Moje about Höveler–Müller, M. 2005. Am Anfang war Ägypten. Die Geschichte der pharaonischen Hochkultur von der Frühzeit bis zum Ende des Neuen Reiches ca. 4000 – 1070 v. Chr. – Mainz am Rhein, Philipp von Zabern (Kulturgeschichte der Antiken Welt 101)

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A. Bednarski about De Keersmaecker, R.O. 2005. Travellers’ graffiti from Egypt and the Sudan. IV. Elkab, the rock tombs. – www.egypt–sudan–graffiti.be

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B.L. Beatty about Klevezal, G.A. 1996. Recording structures of mammals: determination of age and reconstruction of life history. – Rotterdam/Brookfield, A.A. Balkema

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B.L. Beatty about Hillson, S. 2005. Teeth (2nd Edition). – Cambridge, Cambridge University Press (Cambridge Manuals in Archaeology)

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G. Metz about Gordon, A.H. & C.W. Schwabe. 2004. The Quick and the Dead: Biomedical Theory in Ancient Egypt. – Leiden, Brill (Egyptological Memoirs 4)

PDF file (228 KB)


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