Katrien Van de Vijver

Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Prehistory and Anthropology, Department member

KU Leuven, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Graduate Student

Followers

Following

Co-authors

Public Views

InterestsView All (14)

Uploads

Papers by Katrien Van de Vijver

Brozou, A. et al. 2023. A dietary perspective of cat-human interactions in two medieval harbors in Iran and Oman revealed through stable isotope analysis. Sci Rep 13(1):12316

by Wim Van Neer, Bea De Cupere, Hervé Monchot, Katrien Van de Vijver, and Claudio Ottoni

Cats are hypercarnivorous, opportunistic animals that have adjusted to anthropogenic environments... more Cats are hypercarnivorous, opportunistic animals that have adjusted to anthropogenic environments since the Neolithic period. Through humans, either by direct feeding and/or scavenging on food scraps, the diet of cats has been enriched with animals that they cannot kill themselves (e.g., large mammals, fish). Here, we conducted carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratio analysis to reconstruct the diet of medieval cats and investigate cat-human interactions in two medieval harbor sites (Qalhât, Oman and Siraf, Iran). The analysis included 28 cat individuals and 100 associated marine and terrestrial faunal samples pertaining to > 30 taxa. The isotopic results indicate a high marine proteinbased diet for the cats from Qalhât and a mixed marine-terrestrial (C 4) diet for the cats from Siraf. Cats at these sites most likely scavenged on both human food scraps and refuse related to fishing activities, with differences in the two sites most likely associated with the availability of marine resources and/ or the living conditions of the cats. By shedding light on the dietary habits of cats from two medieval harbors in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, this study illustrates the potential of stable isotope analysis in reconstructing human-cat interactions in the past. Cats are hypercarnivorous animals, requiring a threefold consumption of protein compared to omnivorous species 1. Their high protein requirements stem from their metabolic adaptation to use protein and fat as energy sources 2,3 , as well as from their increased need for certain amino acids, such as taurine and arginine, which they cannot synthesize themselves 4-6. With a preference for consuming multiple, small meals throughout the day 7 , cats prey on small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates 8-10 , with prey size decreasing with increasing hunger 11. Predation occurs also as part of teaching or playing and, thus, not always results in the consumption of the prey 12. However, both the predation rate and the prey diversity seem to be higher in rural areas, where anthropogenic food is scarcer 13. Being opportunistic hunters with an ability to adjust rapidly to changing environments 14 , wild cats seem to have exploited the new hunting grounds that emerged from the development of permanent settlements, following the onset of agricultural activities 15,16. This resulted in their adaptation to human presence, and later on to the consumption of foods facilitated by humans 17. Either from direct feeding and/or from scavenging on human food scraps, cats have acquired access to animal taxa that they are not able to kill themselves, such as large mammals and fish 18,19. Today, the pet food industry incorporates a wide range of ingredients, including even foods of plant origin, such as grains and vegetables 18,19. Unlike dogs 20 , a cat's digestive system is not adapted to starch-rich foods; however, milled and cooked plant material can be metabolized 7 , and constitute part of a healthy diet, provided that

Download

the sepulchral deposition of coins at Roman Imperial and Late Roman Sagalassos

by Fran Stroobants and Katrien Van de Vijver

Journal of Archaeological Numismatics 9, 2019

F. Stroobants, S. Cleymans & K. Van de Vijver, the sepulchral deposition of coins at Roman Imperi... more

Non-adult Fracture Patterns in Late and Postmedieval Flanders, a Comparison of a Churchyard and a Church Assemblage

Childhood in the Past , 2019

The study of trauma in non-adults (<18 years) from archaeological assemblages is relatively recen... more The study of trauma in non-adults (<18 years) from archaeological
assemblages is relatively recent, partly because immature bones
present distinct injury patterns, while rapid healing and
remodelling can erase macroscopic evidence. However, non-adult
trauma provides information about age-related differences in risk,
and the lifestyles and social roles of immature individuals. This
study recorded possible fractures in 135 non-adults from a
churchyard and a church assemblage from medieval and postmedieval
Flanders, to evaluate the presence of fractures and
analyse type, prevalence, age distribution, and socio-economic
differences. Eighteen individuals presented lesions, including
typical non-adult injuries. Prevalence was generally low , but some
trends emerged. The churchyard had a higher prevalence, and
these individuals likely had a lower social background compared
to the church, suggesting socio-economic differences. In the
churchyard assemblage older non-adults showed an increased
prevalence, possibly related to occupational risks since many
children and particularly adolescents, worked as servants,
labourers, or apprentices.

Unraveling the Motives behind Multiple Burial in St. Rombout’s Cemetery in Mechelen, Belgium, Tenth–Eighteenth Centuries A.D.

Bioarchaeology International, 2019

The numerous multiple burials found in St. Rombout’s parish cemetery in Mechelen, Belgium, dating... more The numerous multiple burials found in St. Rombout’s parish cemetery in Mechelen, Belgium, dating from the tenth to eighteenth centuries A.D., raise questions about the circumstances of their construction. Simultaneous burial generally indicates an unusual mortality. This study explores possible circumstances of death to establish whether socioeconomic factors influenced the selection of individuals. A multidisciplinary approach associating the archaeological context with demographic and pathological data was used to examine possible motives for simultaneous burial. Two groups of multiple burials were selected, which were distinguished by their location in the cemetery and the number of phases of deposition and orientation. One group was radiocarbon-dated to the second half of the fifteenth–early seventeenth century and the other to after A.D. 1640.

The multiple burials were compared with each other and with contemporaneous single burials. Differences between the groups suggest different circumstances of death, although a macroscopic study did not reveal specific causes. While elevated mortality caused the construction of multiple burials, selection of individuals was influenced by socioeconomic background. The high number of adolescents and young adults, mostly male, differed from a natural mortality profile and from the single burials. Individuals from multiple burials showed a higher prevalence of growth disturbances, mechanical stress from a young age, and pathological lesions. The earlier group could be associated with abrupt mortality crises, while the later group may be associated with a Spanish military hospital.

Past life and death in a Flemish town. An archaeo-anthropological study of burials from the medieval and post-medieval St. Rombout's cemetery in Mechelen, Belgium (10th–18th centuries CE)

The excavation on St. Rombout's cemetery in Mechelen, Belgium yielded 4158 individual articulated... more The excavation on St. Rombout's cemetery in Mechelen, Belgium yielded 4158 individual articulated remains in 3617 graves. The burials showed relatively extensive variation in the construction of the graves and treatment of bodies, expressed by the presence of a coffin or objects, the orientation and position of the body and the number of individuals in the grave. To provide a more in-depth picture of social organisation and funerary practices, a sub-sample of 351 individuals was studied in detail through a contextual analysis. Burial characteristics related to wealth and social background were confronted with skeletal parameters, including age, sex and pathological changes which can be related to growth disturbances, trauma and physical stress, disease and dental health. The large number of burials and the long period of use of the cemetery, from the 10th to 18th century CE, provide an exceptional opportunity to observe changes over time as well as between groups buried in this parish churchyard.
The results showed differences in burial modes associated with age, sex and pathological changes that can be related to social age, gender and socio-economic background. They particularly reveal a possible sub-group in the population consisting of adolescents and young male adults, who showed indications for more severe physical stress, growth disturbances and disease and were buried in less expensive and more unusual graves.

St. Rombout's cemetery in Mechelen, Belgium (10th-18th century AD). A typical urban churchyard?

Download

Comparing maternal genetic variation across two millennia reveals the demographic history of an ancient human population in southwest Turkey

by Claudio Ottoni, Rinse Willet, and Katrien Van de Vijver

Download

Interpreting lime burials. A discussion in light of lime burials at St Rombout's cemetery in Mechelen, Belgium (10-18th centuries)

by Eline Schotsmans and Katrien Van de Vijver

Despite the widespread use of lime in burials in varied regions throughout history, there are few... more Despite the widespread use of lime in burials in varied regions throughout history, there are few documented cases of lime burials where the characteristics of the burial context, the skeletal remains and the lime inclusions have been studied in detail. The following study presents five archaeological lime burials from St. Rombout’s cemetery in Mechelen, Belgium (10-18th century). The findings raise several discussion points regarding the analysis and interpretation of lime burials. Lime can be present in different burial types, in single or multiple burials, in plain earth or coffin burials and with varied treatment of the human remains. Lime can have different physical appearances and vary chemically. It is not always clear how lime was applied to burials, what the intentions were and how it should be interpreted. The results of the skeletal analysis of the lime burials from Mechelen, including the demographic and paleopathological profile, combined with the study of the particular burial context and the lime component, offer important indications for interpretation. The study indicates that, while disease may have been one of the possible factors for the application of lime, it is likely that it was used for multiple purposes. Many questions remain unanswered. It is only by publishing more lime burials in the future and through multidisciplinary study, that those questions can be addressed.

Van de Vijver, K. and F. Kinnaer (2014) Reconstructing the execution and burial of 41 brigands in Mechelen during the Flemish Peasants’ War in 1798. In: C. Knüsel and M.J. Smith (eds.) The Routledge Handbook of the Bioarchaeology of Human Conflict. Routledge: 490-510.

The excavation of the parish cemetery of the St.Romboutscathedral in Mechelen, Belgium, yielded 4... more The excavation of the parish cemetery of the St.Romboutscathedral in Mechelen, Belgium, yielded 4158 articulated burials dating between the eleventh and the eighteenth century AD. Among these was a mass grave with the remains of around 40 male individuals dated in the late eighteenth century. The study of the individual remains and the various peri-mortem traumatic weapon-related lesions recorded on the bones identify the grave as that of 41 rebel peasants who were executed by French soldiers in the aftermath of the Flemish Peasants’ War on the twenty-third of October 1798.
The event is considered an important part of local history and there are numerous, often colourful and sometimes contradicting, accounts related to the rebellion and the execution. Extensive archival research produced the names, ages and provenance of the executed individuals and, in some cases, information on their occupation and lifestyle.
The study of the grave context and the skeletal remains allow the reconstruction of the events based on anthropological and archaeological information, including the identification of the peri-mortem weapon related lesions, and comparison with the extensive written sources.

Van de Vijver, K. (2012) The Uses of Field Anthropology on the Excavation of the St-Rumbold Cemetery, Mechelen, Belgium. In: P.D. Mitchell and J. Buckberry (eds.) Proceedings of the Twelfth Annual Conference of the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology: 175-181.

Anatolica, 2020

The so-called Rock Sanctuary, a distinctive limestone rock outcrop with natural cavities situated... more The so-called Rock Sanctuary, a distinctive limestone rock outcrop with natural cavities situated in the periphery of the Pisidian city of Sagalassos (SW-Turkey), was a natural feature that was served a variety of functions throughout its history. Rescue excavations carried out at the site mainly yielded evidence for the deposition of specialised offerings in the form of ceramic, glass, metal and stone vessels, pieces of personal adornment, instruments for textile production, but especially many thousands of fragments of terracotta figurines. All of these identified RS as a 'special-purpose site', a natural landform that was given a cultural significance, not by means of monumentalisation but through the activities that took place there during the Hellenistic and Roman Imperial periods. It was the combination of all these objects as a whole and the very context in which these were used and placed that made it possible to identify the site as a sanctuary, more particularly, a site of popular worship. This paper presents an overview of those excavations, highlighting the significance of this site in the landscape of Sagalassos and what it can tell us about the community that conceived it and used it as a cult site, outside of the sphere of official religious practice. RS thus offered a unique glimpse into an aspect of ancient life not previously known from Sagalassos.

Download