Skip to ContentSkip to Navigation
University of Groningenfounded in 1614  -  top 100 university
About us Latest news News

New approach to the burial culture of terp dwellers

03 June 2015

PhD student Annet Nieuwhof has conducted research which included studying a number of remarkable prehistoric skulls. In her thesis, she presents an entirely new view of the rituals, including the burial culture, in the terp dwelling era. According to Nieuwhof people did not cremate their dead but kept or buried the skulls and bones in their houses after their excarnation (defleshing), all of which was part of ancestral worship.

The weekly online video magazine Unifocus highlights topics related to the University of Groningen in the fields of research and society, student life, teaching, policy and internationalization. Watch the latest Unifocus.

Last modified:17 September 2021 11.52 a.m.
Share this Facebook LinkedIn
View this page in: Nederlands

More news

  • 30 September 2025

    People will always be needed

    If we are to believe the media, AI will make these and many more jobs obsolete in the near future. Professor Ana Guerberof Arenas has her doubts, at least when it comes to her own field: translation.

  • 18 September 2025

    Returning history to the community

    The Groningen earthquake problem continues to occupy us. University lecturer Yuliya Hilevich works as a project advisor and internship supervisor for the "Eyewitnesses to Gas Extraction" project, which focuses entirely on the oral testimonies of...

  • 16 September 2025

    Space for art: How creativity and science can complement each other

    The Dutch countryside is in a state of transition: land use conflicts are surfacing, infrastructural developments are changing the landscape, and quality of life is under pressure due to population decline and ageing. Cultural geographer and social...