Browsing by Author "Braekmans, D"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    First World War Grave Concentration on the Western Front: Hooge Crater Cemetery, Belgium
    (2021-04) Martin, V; Shortland, A; Harrison, K; Braekmans, D
    The First World War took place between 1914 and 1918, with conflict occurring in Europe and across the globe. By the end of the War, the bodies of the British and Commonwealth dead were scattered across France and Belgium. It was decided to move single graves or small cemeteries into bigger cemeteries that were being built by the Imperial War Graves Commission. This process was called “concentration”, and involved searching the battlefields for graves, then excavating and attempting to identify the bodies present, prior to their reburial in a concentration cemetery. This thesis focuses on the concentration process and specifically examines a sample of graves from Hooge Crater Cemetery, Belgium. The main research aim is to understand the range of errors that occurred during concentration and identification, and how prolific they were. A historical and literature review was completed, followed by the analysis of data from 109 graves from Hooge Crater Cemetery that were re-exhumed in 1920. This proved that within the sample, a high number of errors occurred in the original concentration work. Following this, 163 burial returns containing the details of 1013 graves from Hooge Crater Cemetery were selected for detailed analysis. The information from these burial returns was gathered and reviewed, and where possible was plotted onto First World War trench maps. This data provides new insights into where and when bodies were concentrated, the type of methods used for identification and how these methods changed over time. The research presented here demonstrates that identification rates varied, and were influenced by several factors including burial location, quantity of body present, time of concentration and primary identification method used. Overall, this thesis expands our knowledge of First World War grave concentration, including how the battlefields were searched and how bodes were identified.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    First World War Grave Concentration on the Western Front: Hooge Crater Cemetery, Belgium
    (2021-04) Martin, Victoria; Shortland, A.; Harrison, K; Braekmans, D
    The First World War took place between 1914 and 1918, with conflict occurring in Europe and across the globe. By the end of the War, the bodies of the British and Commonwealth dead were scattered across France and Belgium. It was decided to move single graves or small cemeteries into bigger cemeteries that were being built by the Imperial War Graves Commission. This process was called “concentration”, and involved searching the battlefields for graves, then excavating and attempting to identify the bodies present, prior to their reburial in a concentration cemetery. This thesis focuses on the concentration process and specifically examines a sample of graves from Hooge Crater Cemetery, Belgium. The main research aim is to understand the range of errors that occurred during concentration and identification, and how prolific they were. A historical and literature review was completed, followed by the analysis of data from 109 graves from Hooge Crater Cemetery that were re-exhumed in 1920. This proved that within the sample, a high number of errors occurred in the original concentration work. Following this, 163 burial returns containing the details of 1013 graves from Hooge Crater Cemetery were selected for detailed analysis. The information from these burial returns was gathered and reviewed, and where possible was plotted onto First World War trench maps. This data provides new insights into where and when bodies were concentrated, the type of methods used for identification and how these methods changed over time. The research presented here demonstrates that identification rates varied, and were influenced by several factors including burial location, quantity of body present, time of concentration and primary identification method used. Overall, this thesis expands our knowledge of First World War grave concentration, including how the battlefields were searched and how bodes were identified.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Investigation of early medieval pottery production in Lower Austria: an archaeological science approach
    (2021-06) Polyak, T; Shortland, A; Braekmans, D; Herold, H
    This thesis aims to contribute to a better understanding of early medieval pottery production in Lower Austria by the scientific analysis of ceramics. The investigation is based on 135 potsherds, including graphite-containing ceramics, which originate from the Erlauf Valley and other sites of Lower Austria and Vienna. The ceramics are dated to the 1st–12th centuries AD, with a majority of samples (n=123) from the 6th–11th centuries AD. The potsherds are studied, in addition to macroscopic analysis, by four scientific methods: petrographic thin section analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). These methods are used to identify and characterise the origin and manufacturing technology of the ceramics in order to gain insight into wider aspects of pottery production such as the organisation of production, technological choices, traditions and innovation. The compositions of the studied ceramics are consistent with different parts of one geological unit, the Bohemian Massif. This information, together with the distribution of the pots, provides details about connectivity and suggests the presence of local, regional and supra-regional trade/exchange networks within the study area. Traces of the applied production techniques indicate a relatively low level of standardisation for most of the ceramics; observations in this regard along with scale, degree of control and specialisation are used to discuss organisation of production. Through the reconstruction of the ceramic making process, technological choices are examined, such as the use of a new raw material, graphite, from the 8th/9th centuries. The analysis of the manufacturing steps also sheds light on practices of different periods and reveals, for example, differences in raw material preparation between the 1st–7 th and 8th–9 th centuries, which suggest a more sophisticated technology of pottery production in the former than in the latter period in the Erlauf Valley.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    ItemMetadata only
    Technology and conservation of Chinese painted enamels
    (2021-07) Norris, Dana; Shortland, A.; Braekmans, D
    Chinese painted enamels are studied in this thesis with the goal of improving their conservation. To do this the material was studied through elemental analysis using two X-ray Fluorescence techniques and Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray spectrometry. All three techniques used in this study are non-destructive. The analytical sample set includes 131 examples dating from the inception of the technique in the early 18th century to modern production in the 21st century. Characterisation is used in this thesis to compare the compositions of each Chinese painted enamel colour to related artistic traditions including Chinese glass, cloisonné, overglaze enamels on porcelain, Limoges painted enamels and a late 17th century German painted enamel. Research on related materials was done with the aim of identifying the technological predecessors and exchanges for each colour in the palette. The results illuminate complexity in the development of the technique, which draws heavily on both Chinese and European technology. Manufacturing techniques, construction and degradation are documented through examination of artworks in museum collections, providing insight on the technical art history of the medium and its inherent vulnerabilities. Observations on condition have been used to recognise trends in degradation and link them to specific agents of decay and innate weaknesses from manufacturing. The results show that Chinese painted enamels are particularly vulnerable to physical force which occurs during handling and inappropriate support while on display or in storage. To mitigate future damage, recommendations on environmental conditions are made regarding temperature, humidity, and light levels.