The Oss-Noord project

After the first decade of large scale settlement research at Oss-Ussen (1974-1984), a second and a third decade followed (1986-2008). The present book is a report on the second decade of settlement excavations, all carried out under supervision of the first author. Started with a focus on the Bronze Age, the project developed into a large scale research of Iron Age and Roman Period settlements and cemeteries over a total area of about 13 ha. The ten campaigns of fieldwork functioned also as the fieldschool of the Faculty of Archaeology of Leiden University, so many of the archaeologists in Dutch Archaeology used their shovels and trowels for the first time in Oss. Due to its narrative style the book is not only meant for professional archaeologists but for everyone interested in Metal Ages and Roman Period in general and the local history of Oss specifically.The book is divided in two parts. Part 1 describes the results of the excavations in a personal account of how research goals developed in relation to ever changing theoretical and practical circumstances. It presents a synthesis of different study areas with a focus on how the past may have influenced new phases of settlement. In this synthesis also the fieldwork of the first decade and to some extent the third decade of excavations at Oss (Horzak) are taken into account. Part 2 describes the primary data of the 1986-1995 excavations on which the analyses are based. Due to these mass of data, we have restricted ourselves to a (large) selection of features and structures that yielded information for the synthesis in part 1.Contents:PrefacePART 1: AnalysisChapter 1: Introduction to the project1.1 Introduction1.2 The genesis of the Maaskant1.3 History of the Oss-North Project: continuity and change1.4 Aims of the project1.5 Research questions1.6 Structure of the book: a narrative approachChapter 2: Methods and methodology2.1 Introduction2.2 Field campaigns2.3 Staff and students2.4 Field methods and finds registration2.5 Documentation and descriptionChapter 3: Chronology and typology of structures3.1 Introduction3.2 Houses3.3 Outbuildings and granaries3.4 Wells and watering holes3.5 Ditches3.6 Fences3.7 FindsChapter 4: Excavations in the Mikkeldonk district4.1 Introduction4.2 History of reseach4.3 Episodes of settlement in the Mikkeldonk quarterChapter 5: Excavations in the Schalkskamp district (1990 - 1992)5.1 Short history of research5.2 Pits and wells of the Early Bronze Age - Middle Bronze Age: the first signs of habitation in the Schalkskamp area5.3 Late Bronze Age - Early Iron Age5.4 The Middle Iron Age5.5 Late Iron Age settlement: abandonment or disaster?5.6 The transition from the Iron Age to the Early Roman Period5.7 The Early Roman Period5.8 The Late Middle Ages re-use the old settlement area5.9 An anecdote about the early Modern PeriodChapter 6: Excavations in the Mettegeupel district (1993-1995)6.1 Background6.2 Diachronic development of the cultural landscapeChapter 7: Excavations in the Almstein district (1995)7.1 Introduction7.2 Three granaries from the Early or Middle Iron Age7.3 A settlement of the Middle to the Late Iron Age7.4 The Roman Period7.5 The Middle Ages and Modern PeriodChapter 8: Vegetation and crops in Oss-North8.1 Oss-North and the vegetation on the yards of its Bronze, Iron Age and Early Roman Age farms8.2 The crops of the Oss-North farmers during the Bronze Age and Iron AgeChapter 9: The animal bones of Mettegeupel, Mikkeldonk and Schalkskamp9.1 Introduction9.2 Methods9.3 Preservation9.4 General results9.5 Results per site9.6 DiscussionChapter 10: Glass, metal, stone, clay and wooden objects from Oss-Noord10.1 Introduction10.2 The La Tène glass jewellery from Oss-Noord10.3 Metal and metal production remains10.4 Sling bullets10.5 Stone and flint objects10.6 Loom weights and spindle whorlsChapter 11: Oss-North: the second decade of excavations at Oss; a synthesis11.1 Objectives11.2 Settlement dynamics11.3 Themes of supra-local interestPART 2: DescriptionChapter 12: Introduction to the catalogue12.1 Introduction12.2 Structure of the data presentation12.3 Descriptive elements12.4 Note on MapInfo as a publication tool12.5 Note on drawings and technicians12.6 Note on numbering12.7 Structure of the catalogueChapter 13: Features in the Mikkeldonk quarter13.1 Introduction13.2 Houses13.3 Granaries and outbuildings13.4 Pits and wells13.5 Fences, ditches and cart-tracks13.6 Funerary StructuresChapter 14: Features in the Schalkskamp quarter14.1 Introduction14.2 Houses14.3 Outbuildings14.4 Pits and wells14.5 Ditches and fences14.6 Funerary structuresChapter 15: Features in the Mettegeupel quarter15.1 Introduction15.2 Houses15.3 Granaries and outbuildings15.4 Pits and wells15.5 Ditches and palisades15.6 Funerary structuresChapter 16: Features in the Almstein quarter16.1 Introduction16.2 Houses16.3 Granaries16.4 Ditches and palisades