NVFA (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Fysische Antropologie) organizes their annual Symposium on 20 November.

During this year’s NVFA Autumn Symposium, our invited speakers will present on their work within the chain of research on human skeletal collections excavated in the Netherlands in both commercial and academic projects. The Valetta Treaty (European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage) mandates that any developments involving destruction of the subsurface in the Netherlands, and potentially of archaeological remains held within it, must be preceded by archaeological research conducted by certified archaeological contractors. During such research, archaeological human remains are regularly encountered. Our speakers will discuss aspects of the excavation, analysis, curation, and future accessibility of human skeletal collections in the Netherlands. New excavations of large numbers of human remains not only provide valuable information on the life and death of past populations, but also provide important training opportunities for students and researchers in excavation and anthropological analysis. Existing collections, curated at different facilities throughout the Netherlands, offer important opportunities for comparative analysis, thereby augmenting knowledge on the past. Comparative research on collections from different contexts brings specific challenges, including using appropriate methods for comparison of samples of varying size, completeness, and state of preservation. Finally, the long-term curation and ensuring accessibility to students and researchers of collections involves both financial and ethical considerations.

12:00-12:10 Introduction by President of the NVFA, Dr. Hayley Mickleburgh

12:10-12:25 Dutch depot skeletons. Possibilities and limitations for research – Dr. Rachel Schats

12:30-12:45 From draft to depot. The process of a graveyard excavation from a municipal point of view – Steven Jongma

12:45 – 13:00 Break

13:00 – 13:15 Introduction to the Skeletal Collections Curated by the Laboratory for Human Osteoarchaeology at Leiden University – Dr. Sarah Schrader

13:20-13:35 The Cultural Heritage Agency’s (RCE) reference collection of human remains: Introduction and management ethics – Martijn van Haasteren & Norbert Eeltink

13:40 – 14:00 Questions and wrap up

See this link for program and abstracts in Pdf >>>

Abstracts:

Dr. Rachel Schats – Leiden University

“Dutch depot skeletons. Possibilities and limitations for research.”

The municipal and provincial depots in the Netherlands curate an incredible amount of archaeological material, including skeletal collections. Yet, the way these individuals are preserved and stored differs greatly per collection, depending on their excavation and curation history and focus of depot. In this talk, I will discuss some observations from visiting the various depots in Netherlands and what possibilities and limitations depot skeletons have for future osteological research.

Steven Jongma – Delft City Archaeologist

“From draft to depot. The process of a graveyard excavation from a municipal point of view.”

During the summer of 2021 an excavation took place in the choir of the ‘Nieuwe Kerk’ in Delft. It was a complex project with a long and bumpy run-up. This presentation focusses on the role of the municipality from the first plans to the future disclosure of the collection. Besides a review of the preliminary results, it deals with politics, public outreach, process-management, ethics and more.

Dr. Sarah Schrader – Leiden University

“Introduction to the Skeletal Collections Curated by the Laboratory for Human Osteoarchaeology at Leiden University.” 

The Laboratory for Human Osteoarchaeology at Leiden University currently curates more than 2,000 skeletons from various sites across the Netherlands. I will review the content of the collections, summarize the previous research that has been done, and discuss what our future plans are for this material.

Martijn van Haasteren & Norbert Eeltink – RCE, Aestimatica

“The Cultural Heritage Agency’s (RCE) reference collection of human remains: Introduction and management ethics”

Abstract will follow.