Papers by Youri van den Hurk
The grey whale, Eschrichtius robustus, occurred in the Atlantic Ocean until c.300 years ago, havi... more The grey whale, Eschrichtius robustus, occurred in the Atlantic Ocean until c.300 years ago, having been extirpated probably owing to hunting by humans. Three records of fossil grey whale bones were known previously from Cornwall and Devon in the 18th and 19th centuries. Morphological identification to species of cetacean remains from palaeontological and archaeological sites is problematic, because the bones are often fragmentary or have been modified by humans. The application of ancient DNA analysis and collagen fingerprinting (ZooMS) allows the identification of fragmentary and modified cetacean bone to species and/or generic level, thus offering new opportunities to understand the exploitation of cetaceans by human coastal communities. Analyses of cetacean bone from Orkney and Shetland have identified for the first time the presence of grey whale at archaeological sites in Scotland, extending the geographical range of records in Britain. These findings confirm for the first time that the seas around Scotland were part of the range of the grey whale in the eastern North Atlantic, thereby linking records of this species (from southern Scandinavia, the Northern Isles of and southwest Britain, the southern North Sea and Netherlands, to the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco) over a similar latitudinal range that the species still occupies in the Pacific Ocean.
The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology
Different Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age sites located in the Ras al-Hadd cape and Ras al-Ji... more Different Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age sites located in the Ras al-Hadd cape and Ras al-Jinz Bay area (Ash-Sharqiyyah South Governorate, Sultanate of Oman) have provided thousands of zooarchaeological dolphin remains suggesting a strong reliance on the exploitation of these animals. Dolphins are hard to identify to the species level due to a highly comparable interspecies osteological morphology as well as a general lack of extensive osteological reference collections. As a result, such remains are frequently identified as “dolphin”, without any further species identification being undertaken. In this study, we assess whether an osteometric method for distinguishing the nine dolphin species that are present in Omani waters can be used to identify the zooarchaeological specimens. Zooarchaeology by Mass-Spectrometry (ZooMS) was also undertaken on a subset of the specimens but proved ineffective due to the poor preservation of the material in an arid climate. This evidence strengthens the need for effective species identification methods based on traditional zooarchaeological methods. This research is based on our ongoing analysis of the thousands of dolphin remains from the Omani zooarchaeological assemblages.
Quaternary Science Reviews
The recent exploitation of marine species is relatively well documented and understood in terms o... more The recent exploitation of marine species is relatively well documented and understood in terms of impacts on species abundance, distribution, and resource use. In contrast, ancient exploitation of marine mammals remains poorly documented; in part, because a detailed meta-analysis of their presence in the zooarchaeological record is lacking. This is true in the Black Sea, where cetaceans are reported in the zooarchaeological record but have not yet been studied comprehensively. Here, we synthesize all available published and unpublished zooarchaeological data from 27 sites around the Black Sea, dating from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods (6500-6000 BCE) to the Medieval period (641e1475 CE), to document the extent and nature of the exploitation of the Black Sea cetacean species. The results suggest that cetacean exploitation was practised continuously in the Black Sea over a period of 8500 years from the Neolithic through to the Medieval period. This suggests a much longer history of marine mammal exploitation in the Black Sea than previously understood, pushing back the timeline of human impacts on the Black Sea marine fauna.
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Cetacean remains have been recovered from archaeological sites all over Europe, but are especiall... more Cetacean remains have been recovered from archaeological sites all over Europe, but are especially abundant in Scotland. These remains originate from all periods and have often been worked into artefacts or tools, including chopping blocks, plaques, combs, pegs, snecks and perforated vertebral epiphyseal discs. It still remains unclear which species were exploited and to what extent active whaling was undertaken in the region. To address these questions Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) was undertaken on 35 cetacean specimens from five sites in Scotland (Jarlshof, Brough of Birsay, Quoygrew, Deerness and Freswick Links), dating from the Iron Age to the post-medieval period. Furthermore, morphological analysis was performed on the material in order to optimise the ZooMS identifications. A large variety of species were identified, including high numbers of Balaenidae sp and Globicephalinae sp. Comparison with other ZooMS studies in north-western Europe revealed equally high ...
PLOS ONE
Suids (Sus sp.) played a crucial role in the transition to farming in northern Europe and, like i... more Suids (Sus sp.) played a crucial role in the transition to farming in northern Europe and, like in many regions, in the Netherlands pig husbandry became an important subsistence activity at Neolithic sites. Yet little is known about wild boar palaeoecology and hunting in the Late Mesolithic Netherlands with which to contextualize this transition. This paper presents the first multi-proxy analysis of archaeological suid remains in the Netherlands. It explores human-suid interactions at the Swifterbant culture sites of Hardinxveld-Giessendam Polderweg and De Bruin (5450–4250 BC) through biometric analysis, estimation of age-at-death, and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis. The results reveal targeted hunting of adult wild boar in the Late Mesolithic (5450–4850 BC), with a possible shift over time towards more juveniles. The wild boar in this period are demonstrated to be of comparably large size to contemporary northern European populations and exhibiting a wide range of diet...
Mammal Communications, May 21, 2021
The grey whale, Eschrichtius robustus, occurred in the Atlantic Ocean until c.300 years ago, havi... more The grey whale, Eschrichtius robustus, occurred in the Atlantic Ocean until c.300 years ago, having been extirpated probably owing to hunting by humans. Three records of fossil grey whale bones were known previously from Cornwall and Devon in the 18 th and 19 th centuries. Morphological identification to species of cetacean remains from palaeontological and archaeological sites is problematic, because the bones are often fragmentary or have been modified by humans. The application of ancient DNA analysis and collagen fingerprinting (ZooMS) allows the identification of fragmentary and modified cetacean bone to species and/or generic level, thus offering new opportunities to understand the exploitation of cetaceans by human coastal communities. Analyses of cetacean bone from Orkney and Shetland have identified for the first time the presence of grey whale at archaeological sites in Scotland, extending the geographical range of records in Britain. These findings confirm for the first time that the seas around Scotland were part of the range of the grey whale in the eastern North Atlantic, thereby linking records of this species (from southern Scandinavia, the Northern Isles of and southwest Britain, the southern North Sea and Netherlands, to the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco) over a similar latitudinal range that the species still occupies in the Pacific Ocean.
Ocean's Past Platform, 2020
Cranium, 2018
Recent onderzoek naar middeleeuwse walvisbeenderen in Nederland, aan de hand van Zooarchaeology b... more Recent onderzoek naar middeleeuwse walvisbeenderen in Nederland, aan de hand van Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS), leverde determinaties van vijf grijzewalvisbotten op. Subfossiele restanten van de grijze walvis zijn vaker aangetroffen in Nederland en de zuidelijke Noordzee, maar nog niet eerder werden deze in archeologische contexten aangetroffen in Nederland. Deze vijf middeleeuwse vondsten behoren tot de jongst gedateerde vondsten van de grijze walvis aan de Europese kant van de Noord-Atlantische Oceaan en suggereren dat de soort in ieder geval tot in de periode 750-1000 n. Chr. in onze wateren voorkwam en hier mogelijk een foerageergebied had. Of deze botten bewijs zijn van actieve jacht op deze dieren is niet duidelijk, aangezien botten van gestrande individuen ook geëxploiteerd konden worden.
Archaeo+Malacology Newsletter, 2021
DataverseNL, Sep 30, 2020
Paleo-Aktueel, Jun 1, 2021
The dataset includes the complete information on the vertebrate skeletons present in the Zooarcha... more The dataset includes the complete information on the vertebrate skeletons present in the Zooarchaeological Collections of the Groningen Institute of Archaeology, located in Groningen, the Netherlands. The collection dates back to the late 19th century and consists mainly of recent individuals. Special archaeological specimens (for example aurochs) are also present. The collection is open to Dutch and international researchers, students, and commercial users. The dataset is meant as an aid to prepare work and study visits. Short-term loans for exhibition, teaching, and analysis are possible. Currently, the dataset includes 4907 vertebrate specimens and include fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. The majority of the specimens consist of complete skeletons. Most taxa are endemic to Europe and the Near East. Information in the dataset vary from taxonomic identification (down to species, subspecies, even breed level), age, sex, origin, skeletal parts present. The dataset is in...
Open Quaternary, 2019
More than fifty years ago, Anneke T. Clason published the first English-language archaeozoologica... more More than fifty years ago, Anneke T. Clason published the first English-language archaeozoological study on Dutch faunal assemblages. Inspired by the anniversary of this landmark publication, this paper presents a status overview of Dutch archaeozoology organized in twelve themes (e.g. rituals, Mesolithic-Neolithic transition, medieval period). The paper also discusses the common methods applied in Dutch archaeozoology, and includes extensive supplementary material that summarizes data from gray literature in Dutch. Our aim is to provide a guide to archaeozoological questions pertaining to the Netherlands and open a window for researchers working outside the Netherlands to the highly active world of Dutch archaeozoology.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2021
Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing... more Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2021
Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing... more Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.
Environmental Archaeology, 2020
Medieval historical sources suggest that cetacean exploitation was, for large parts of Europe, re... more Medieval historical sources suggest that cetacean exploitation was, for large parts of Europe, restricted to the social elite. This appears to have also been the case for the Netherlands and Flanders. It remains unclear, however, how frequently active hunting was undertaken, and which species were targeted. Zooarchaeological cetacean remains are often recovered from Medieval (AD 400-1600) sites in the Netherlands and Flanders, however the majority of these specimens have not been identified to the species level, leaving a substantial gap in our knowledge of past cetacean exploitation. By applying ZooMS, as well as morphological and osteometric analyses, these zooarchaeological specimens were identified to the species level. This analysis revealed that the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis), sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), and grey whale (Eschrichtius robustus) were frequently exploited. Active whaling appears to have been undertaken as well, especially in Flanders and in Frisia (the northern part of the Netherlands). Zooarchaeological cetacean remains appear to be present with relative frequency at high-status sites such as castles, as well as ecclesiastical sites, confirming the historical evidence that the social elite indeed did have a taste for cetacean meat. However, cetacean products were also available outside of elite and ecclesiastical contexts.
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Papers by Youri van den Hurk
whale (Eschrichtius robustus)
from Wijster (Dr.)
The animal remains from the native Romanperiod
village at Wijster (province of Drenthe)
were published by Dr Anneke T. Clason in
1967. Most of the remains are poorly preserved
cattle and horse bone fragments. About half of
them come from animal graves in farmyards or
along village roads, which most probably are
ritual deposits. At the beginning of 2018, Ernst
Taayke found among the material from a grave
of a horse and a cow, animal grave 12, an
unidentified bone, find number 1266, that he
did not recognize. The bone was found to be a
bulla tympanica of a grey whale (Eschrichtius
robustus), a very rare find. Animal grave 12
was a ritual deposit in the yard of farmhouse
77, dated 3rd/4th century AD. In this paper we
discuss how we established the whale species,
the possible origin of the whale bone and the
meaning of the whale bone in this ritual deposit
of a horse and a cow.