Oldenholtwolde A Hamburgian Family Encampment Around a Hearth

The well-preserved archaeological site at Oldeholtwolde (Friesland, the Netherlands) was inhabited by a small group of people - probably a family - during the final phase of the last Ice Age, some 13,000 years ago. They were reindeer hunters of the Hamburgian tradition, and camped here for a few weeks around a heart: a shallow pit paved with sandstone slabs and containing willow charcoal. This book focuses on the analysis of the ca. 10.000 flint artefacts from Oldeholtwolde. These are subjected to modern approaches such as refitting analysis and spatial analysis, resulting in insights into the daily life of the Stone Age hunters. Refitting is putting back together what the flint knapper has split apart. In this way not only the flint technology can be studied, but also spatial patterns within the site. Moreover, refitting made it possible to identify three individual knappers on the basis of differences in their level of know-how: most probably a father and two sons. Spatial patterns were analysed using the computer package, ANALITHIC, allowing the integration of various analytical approaches. In this way, a dynamical reconstruction of the site's occupation could be created. The book contains extensive documentation and illustrations.Johansen, L. is the author of 'Oldenholtwolde A Hamburgian Family Encampment Around a Hearth' with ISBN 9789058095497 and ISBN 9058095495.