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Photo report: Among archaeologists

26 February 2018

Archaeologists are, almost by definition, caught in the no-man’s land between the hidden and the public, the concealed and the visible. The Groningen Institute of Archaeology (GIA) of the University of Groningen has a very good reputation internationally, and its degree programme has been known as the best in the Netherlands for years. But where is the institute located? And, even if you know, what goes on behind the walls, in the cellars and in the attic of those monumental buildings surrounding the University Library? What happens in that somewhat atypical department of the Faculty of Arts? Digging, polishing, restoring, drawing, researching... This photo report gives you a look behind the scenes of the extraordinary and fascinating work at the Institute of Archaeology. Photos by Hesterliena Wolthuis.

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The Groninger Institute of Archaeology
De keet. Opgravingen beginnen met opgraafmateriaal. Linealen, touwen, onderstellen voor landmeetinstrumenten, helmen, scheppen. Alles wat je nodig hebt is te vinden in ‘De Keet’.The site shack. Excavations begin with digging tools. Rulers, ropes, frames for land survey instruments, helmets, shovels: Everything you need can be found in ‘The Shack’.
The site shack. Excavations begin with digging tools. Rulers, ropes, frames for land survey instruments, helmets, shovels: Everything you need can be found in ‘The Shack’.
De spoelkelder. Vondsten worden hier indien nodig verder afgespoeld, gezeefd en geborsteld. Voor het fijne werk ligt de tandenborstel klaar.The rinsing cellar. Finds are further rinsed, sieved and brushed here if necessary. There is also a toothbrush for the finer details.
The rinsing cellar. Finds are further rinsed, sieved and brushed here if necessary. There is also a toothbrush for the finer details.
De tekenkamer. Opgegraven objecten als aardewerk en sieraden worden nagetekend om ze later goed te kunnen bestuderen en vergelijken. Vorm, maten, decoratie, beschadigingen: alles wordt vastgelegd voor latere bestudering en om getekende reconstructies te kunnen maken. The drawing room. Excavated objects such as pottery and jewellery are drawn true to life for close study and comparison later on. Shape, size, decoration, damage: everything is recorded for later study and for creating reconstruction drawings.
The drawing room. Excavated objects such as pottery and jewellery are drawn true to life for close study and comparison later on. Shape, size, decoration, damage: everything is recorded for later study and for creating reconstruction drawings.
Het restauratielab. Bodemvondsten schoonmaken, soms met chemische middelen, soms met een ultrasoon trilapparaat. IJzer ontdoen van chloride die zorgt voor corrosie. Met scherven potten weer in elkaar puzzelen. Dat gebeurt allemaal in het restauratielab, zodat archeologen het gerestaureerde materiaal kunnen bestuderen.The restoration lab. Cleaning finds, sometimes with chemical agents, sometimes with an ultrasonic vibration device. Removing the chloride, which causes corrosion, from iron. Puzzling pots back together from shards. All of this takes place in the restoration lab, so that archaeologists can study the restored material.
The restoration lab. Cleaning finds, sometimes with chemical agents, sometimes with an ultrasonic vibration device. Removing the chloride, which causes corrosion, from iron. Puzzling pots back together from shards. All of this takes place in the restoration lab, so that archaeologists can study the restored material.
De bottenzolder. Op de bottenzolder kunnen studenten en onderzoekers vondsten uit opgravingen vergelijken met onderdelen van de vergelijkingscollectie. Van welk dier is dit bot en welk bot is het?The bone attic. The bone attic is where students and researchers can compare finds from excavations to items in the reference collection. What animal does this bone belong to and which bone is it?
The bone attic. The bone attic is where students and researchers can compare finds from excavations to items in the reference collection. What animal does this bone belong to and which bone is it?
De bottenzolderThe bone attic
The bone attic
De documentatieruimte. In 1918 zijn alle hunebedden opgemeten door de bekende archeoloog Van Giffen. Dit resulteerde in een hunebeddenatlas met tekeningen, plattegronden en foto’s. Hier een originele tekening van een opgemeten hunebed en een getekende voorplaat van het prototype van de atlas. The documentation room. All dolmens were measured by the famous archaeologist Van Giffen in 1918. This resulted in a dolmen atlas with drawings, maps and photos. This is an original drawing of a measured dolmen and a drawn front cover of the atlas prototype.
The documentation room. All dolmens were measured by the famous archaeologist Van Giffen in 1918. This resulted in a dolmen atlas with drawings, maps and photos. This is an original drawing of a measured dolmen and a drawn front cover of the atlas prototype.
De zadencollectie. Het Groninger Instituut voor Archeologie heeft een uitgebreide zadencollecties, met zaden, granen, bloemen en vruchten van over de hele wereld. Soms duizenden jaren oud. Vind je een zaadje, dan kan deze collectie je vertellen van welke plant het is. Belangrijk om iets te kunnen zeggen over landbouw en huishoudelijke gebruiken in het verleden.The seed collection. The Groningen Institute of Archaeology has a very extensive seed collection, including seeds, grains, flowers and fruits from all over the world. Some of these are thousands of years old. Whenever you find a seed, this collection will tell you which plant it is from. This is important for making claims about agriculture and domestic habits from the past.  
The seed collection. The Groningen Institute of Archaeology has a very extensive seed collection, including seeds, grains, flowers and fruits from all over the world. Some of these are thousands of years old. Whenever you find a seed, this collection will tell you which plant it is from. This is important for making claims about agriculture and domestic habits from the past.  
Last modified:12 March 2020 9.23 p.m.
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