Mans Schepers
Biographic Data
| ID | 5004623 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mans Schepers |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mans |
| FAMILY NAME | Schepers |
| SIGNATURE | SCHEPERS M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Groningen |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5819-2920 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 27 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 18 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Iwgp 2025
IWGP 2025: 300 archaeobotanists from far and wide take over Groningen. In July 2025, the University of Groningen hosted the twentieth meeting of the International Workgroup for Palaeoethnobotany (IWGP), organized by the Laboratory for Palaeobotany and Palynology of the Groningen Institute of Archaeology (GIA) and the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE). It was the second time since 1983 that the conference was organized in Groningen. After 44 ye…
Advancing Methodological Integration in Multi-Proxy Archaeobotany
Dutch wetlands hold key evidence for the onset of farming, yet plant proxies from levee records outside excavated settlements have been largely underused. This study applies a comparative framework to plant macroremains, pollen, phytoliths and charred herbaceous plant tissues (CHPT) from a levee core to assess wetland suitability for early agriculture. Proxies were sampled from identical horizons, converted to relative depth-wise densities and re…
Early animal management in northern Europe
The nature and timing of the transition to farming north of the Linearbandkeramik zone in Europe is the subject of much debate, but our understanding of this fundamental shift in lifeways is hampered by the low resolution of available data. This article presents new multi-proxy evidence from Swifterbant (4240–4050 BC), in the Dutch wetlands, for morphologically domestic cattle with two different dietary regimes. The authors argue that the results…
A meta-analysis of the presence of crop plants in the Dutch and German terp area between 700 bc and ad 1600
There is a long tradition of archaeobotanical research in and around the dwelling mounds, known as terps or Wurten (among other names), along the Wadden Sea coast. The present paper presents an overview of crop plants retrieved from 1,389 samples, from a total of more than 100 sites, spanning the Iron Age to the Early Modern Period. Traditionally, the area has been more associated with animal husbandry than with crop farming. The crops that do oc…
Palaeoassocia as a Methodological Tool for Phytosociological Analyses Is Further Developed
The earlier version of PALAEOASSOCIA involved a considerable input of manual labour in sorting species tables with association data to identify plant communities that could have been present. A large archaeobotanical dataset from the site of Best (The Netherlands) was used to judge whether this manual sorting results in subjective results. As these were found, we developed a fully automatic version of PALAEOASSOCIA, including this sorting process…
Botanische macroresten uit sloten als spiegel voor het landschap
Samples from ditches as a reflection of the landscape. Ditch-fill samples were taken from modern ditches in three different landscapes – the sandy heathland of Balloërveld, the peatland of Fochteloërveen and the woodland of Norg. This contribution focuses on the botanical macroremains collected from the ditch fills and how these remains may improve landscape-historical research. Microscopic research of the macroremains shows a difference between …
A conceptual model for botany–ceramics relations
It is widely acknowledged that context is of the utmost importance for the interpretation of the archaeological record. Context is often interpreted in terms of the feature or settlement in which a particular find was made, but context is also formed through association with other finds or finds categories. This conceptual contribution approaches the theme of context from the perspective of two major archaeological finds categories and/or discipl…
Wetland Reclamation and the Development of Reclamation Landscapes
Wetland reclamation has occurred under diverse geographic andsocio-political conditions. A single reclamation event however, forms only one step in the evolution of what we refer to as reclamation landscapes. This paper assesses how interacting physical geographical, cultural and biological processes shape the landscape diachronically. Using a triangular model, we compare two wetland landscapes: the Pontine marshes in central Italy, reclaimed as …
Between reclamation and restoration
This editorial introduces the context for a special issue of the Journal of Wetland Archaeology, co-edited by Mairi Davies, Tom Gardner, Benjamin Gearey, Tymon de Haas, Mans Schepers and Michael Stratigos. The volume is a result of a session of the 2021 Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists hosted virtually by Kiel University entitled ‘The Historical Ecology of Reclamation Landscapes: Towards a Cross-Cultural Comparative Pe…
Van traditionele archeologie naar ecologische archeologie
From traditional archaeology to ecological archaeology: looking back and looking ahead in a jubilee year. The start of archaeological research at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen dates back to 1920. From the 1930s, research on subfossil plant remains became integrated into the archaeological research. Three research disciplines became established: palynology, research on wood, and research on non-woody macro remains (in particular seeds and fruits…
Timing and Pace of Neolithisation in the Dutch Wetlands (c. 5000–3500 cal. BC)
This article presents an overview of the current evidence on the process of Neolithisation in the Dutch wetlands. Over the years, several models have been proposed with different perspectives on the timing and pace of the process: a long transition, an early short transition, and a late short transition. The applicability of any of these models is, of course, dependent of the evidence. In this article, we briefly discuss recently obtained data fr…
Human–environment interactions at a short-lived Arctic mine and the long-term response of the local tundra vegetation
Arctic mining has a bad reputation because the extractive industry is often responsible for a suite of environmental problems. Yet, few studies explore the gap between untouched tundra and messy megaproject from a historical perspective. Our paper focuses on Advent City as a case study of the emergence of coal mining in Svalbard (Norway) coupled with the onset of mining-related environmental change. After short but intensive human activity (1904–…
The common and the rare
There's more than meets the eye”
In this article, we present the results of a pilot study that adopts an interdisciplinary off‐site approach combining detailed surface survey, remote sensing analyses, geophysical prospections, geoarchaeological investigations and palaeoenvironmental analyses to investigate long‐term human‐environment interactions in the Pontine plain (Lazio, Central Italy). Focusing on a small study area just north of the ancient Roman way station of Ad Medias ,…
Reconstructing vegetation diversity in coastal landscapes
Het proefschrift gaat in op het reconstrueren van vegetatie op zeer gedetailleerd niveau. Het richt zich dus niet zozeer op de ontwikkelingen in de vegetatie over langere tijd, maar meer op het scheppen van een beeld zoals het er voor de prehistorische mens uitgezien moet hebben. Het landschap en de vegetatie vormen een belangrijk uitgangspunt voor de kansen en mogelijkheden die een gebied bood voor een breed scala aan menselijke activiteiten zoa…
Dung matters
This paper explores the relationship between standing vegetation and dung from hay-fed cattle and sheep. In an experimental study, hay is retrieved from a known hay field, surrounded by a semi-open landscape of hedgerows, forests and heather fields. The hay is fed to cattle and sheep, after which the dung is collected and from which the botanical remains are analysed, according to archaeobotanical standards. The results from the macro-remains are…
Roman impact on the landscape near castellum Fectio, The Netherlands
An objective method based on assemblages of subfossil plant macro-remains to reconstruct past natural vegetation
We present a new method of identifying past plant communities based on a palaeobotanical dataset. The dataset used as a case study consists of plant macro-remains retrieved from the Neolithic settlement Swifterbant S4, The Netherlands. Taxa were grouped based on their present-day concurrence values. Subsequently, phytosociological analysis was performed on the subfossil taxon groups using the software package PALAEOASSOCIA, adjusted for this type…
An objective method based on assemblages of subfossil plant macro-remains to reconstruct past natural vegetation
We present a new method of identifying past plant communities based on a palaeobotanical dataset. The dataset used as a case study consists of plant macro-remains retrieved from the Neolithic settlement Swifterbant S4, The Netherlands. Taxa were grouped based on their present-day concurrence values. Subsequently, phytosociological analysis was performed on the subfossil taxon groups using the software package PALAEOASSOCIA, adjusted for this type…
There's more than meets the eye”
In this article, we present the results of a pilot study that adopts an interdisciplinary off‐site approach combining detailed surface survey, remote sensing analyses, geophysical prospections, geoarchaeological investigations and palaeoenvironmental analyses to investigate long‐term human‐environment interactions in the Pontine plain (Lazio, Central Italy). Focusing on a small study area just north of the ancient Roman way station of Ad Medias ,…
Timing and Pace of Neolithisation in the Dutch Wetlands (c. 5000–3500 cal. BC)
This article presents an overview of the current evidence on the process of Neolithisation in the Dutch wetlands. Over the years, several models have been proposed with different perspectives on the timing and pace of the process: a long transition, an early short transition, and a late short transition. The applicability of any of these models is, of course, dependent of the evidence. In this article, we briefly discuss recently obtained data fr…
Dung matters
This paper explores the relationship between standing vegetation and dung from hay-fed cattle and sheep. In an experimental study, hay is retrieved from a known hay field, surrounded by a semi-open landscape of hedgerows, forests and heather fields. The hay is fed to cattle and sheep, after which the dung is collected and from which the botanical remains are analysed, according to archaeobotanical standards. The results from the macro-remains are…
Roman impact on the landscape near castellum Fectio, The Netherlands
Early animal management in northern Europe
The nature and timing of the transition to farming north of the Linearbandkeramik zone in Europe is the subject of much debate, but our understanding of this fundamental shift in lifeways is hampered by the low resolution of available data. This article presents new multi-proxy evidence from Swifterbant (4240–4050 BC), in the Dutch wetlands, for morphologically domestic cattle with two different dietary regimes. The authors argue that the results…
Palaeoassocia as a Methodological Tool for Phytosociological Analyses Is Further Developed
The earlier version of PALAEOASSOCIA involved a considerable input of manual labour in sorting species tables with association data to identify plant communities that could have been present. A large archaeobotanical dataset from the site of Best (The Netherlands) was used to judge whether this manual sorting results in subjective results. As these were found, we developed a fully automatic version of PALAEOASSOCIA, including this sorting process…
A conceptual model for botany–ceramics relations
It is widely acknowledged that context is of the utmost importance for the interpretation of the archaeological record. Context is often interpreted in terms of the feature or settlement in which a particular find was made, but context is also formed through association with other finds or finds categories. This conceptual contribution approaches the theme of context from the perspective of two major archaeological finds categories and/or discipl…
Wetland Reclamation and the Development of Reclamation Landscapes
Wetland reclamation has occurred under diverse geographic andsocio-political conditions. A single reclamation event however, forms only one step in the evolution of what we refer to as reclamation landscapes. This paper assesses how interacting physical geographical, cultural and biological processes shape the landscape diachronically. Using a triangular model, we compare two wetland landscapes: the Pontine marshes in central Italy, reclaimed as …
Human–environment interactions at a short-lived Arctic mine and the long-term response of the local tundra vegetation
Arctic mining has a bad reputation because the extractive industry is often responsible for a suite of environmental problems. Yet, few studies explore the gap between untouched tundra and messy megaproject from a historical perspective. Our paper focuses on Advent City as a case study of the emergence of coal mining in Svalbard (Norway) coupled with the onset of mining-related environmental change. After short but intensive human activity (1904–…
An objective method based on assemblages of subfossil plant macro-remains to reconstruct past natural vegetation
We present a new method of identifying past plant communities based on a palaeobotanical dataset. The dataset used as a case study consists of plant macro-remains retrieved from the Neolithic settlement Swifterbant S4, The Netherlands. Taxa were grouped based on their present-day concurrence values. Subsequently, phytosociological analysis was performed on the subfossil taxon groups using the software package PALAEOASSOCIA, adjusted for this type…
Reconstructing vegetation diversity in coastal landscapes
Het proefschrift gaat in op het reconstrueren van vegetatie op zeer gedetailleerd niveau. Het richt zich dus niet zozeer op de ontwikkelingen in de vegetatie over langere tijd, maar meer op het scheppen van een beeld zoals het er voor de prehistorische mens uitgezien moet hebben. Het landschap en de vegetatie vormen een belangrijk uitgangspunt voor de kansen en mogelijkheden die een gebied bood voor een breed scala aan menselijke activiteiten zoa…
Dung matters
This paper explores the relationship between standing vegetation and dung from hay-fed cattle and sheep. In an experimental study, hay is retrieved from a known hay field, surrounded by a semi-open landscape of hedgerows, forests and heather fields. The hay is fed to cattle and sheep, after which the dung is collected and from which the botanical remains are analysed, according to archaeobotanical standards. The results from the macro-remains are…
Roman impact on the landscape near castellum Fectio, The Netherlands
The common and the rare
There's more than meets the eye”
In this article, we present the results of a pilot study that adopts an interdisciplinary off‐site approach combining detailed surface survey, remote sensing analyses, geophysical prospections, geoarchaeological investigations and palaeoenvironmental analyses to investigate long‐term human‐environment interactions in the Pontine plain (Lazio, Central Italy). Focusing on a small study area just north of the ancient Roman way station of Ad Medias ,…
Van traditionele archeologie naar ecologische archeologie
From traditional archaeology to ecological archaeology: looking back and looking ahead in a jubilee year. The start of archaeological research at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen dates back to 1920. From the 1930s, research on subfossil plant remains became integrated into the archaeological research. Three research disciplines became established: palynology, research on wood, and research on non-woody macro remains (in particular seeds and fruits…
Timing and Pace of Neolithisation in the Dutch Wetlands (c. 5000–3500 cal. BC)
This article presents an overview of the current evidence on the process of Neolithisation in the Dutch wetlands. Over the years, several models have been proposed with different perspectives on the timing and pace of the process: a long transition, an early short transition, and a late short transition. The applicability of any of these models is, of course, dependent of the evidence. In this article, we briefly discuss recently obtained data fr…
Human–environment interactions at a short-lived Arctic mine and the long-term response of the local tundra vegetation
Arctic mining has a bad reputation because the extractive industry is often responsible for a suite of environmental problems. Yet, few studies explore the gap between untouched tundra and messy megaproject from a historical perspective. Our paper focuses on Advent City as a case study of the emergence of coal mining in Svalbard (Norway) coupled with the onset of mining-related environmental change. After short but intensive human activity (1904–…
Botanische macroresten uit sloten als spiegel voor het landschap
Samples from ditches as a reflection of the landscape. Ditch-fill samples were taken from modern ditches in three different landscapes – the sandy heathland of Balloërveld, the peatland of Fochteloërveen and the woodland of Norg. This contribution focuses on the botanical macroremains collected from the ditch fills and how these remains may improve landscape-historical research. Microscopic research of the macroremains shows a difference between …
A conceptual model for botany–ceramics relations
It is widely acknowledged that context is of the utmost importance for the interpretation of the archaeological record. Context is often interpreted in terms of the feature or settlement in which a particular find was made, but context is also formed through association with other finds or finds categories. This conceptual contribution approaches the theme of context from the perspective of two major archaeological finds categories and/or discipl…
Wetland Reclamation and the Development of Reclamation Landscapes
Wetland reclamation has occurred under diverse geographic andsocio-political conditions. A single reclamation event however, forms only one step in the evolution of what we refer to as reclamation landscapes. This paper assesses how interacting physical geographical, cultural and biological processes shape the landscape diachronically. Using a triangular model, we compare two wetland landscapes: the Pontine marshes in central Italy, reclaimed as …
Between reclamation and restoration
This editorial introduces the context for a special issue of the Journal of Wetland Archaeology, co-edited by Mairi Davies, Tom Gardner, Benjamin Gearey, Tymon de Haas, Mans Schepers and Michael Stratigos. The volume is a result of a session of the 2021 Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists hosted virtually by Kiel University entitled ‘The Historical Ecology of Reclamation Landscapes: Towards a Cross-Cultural Comparative Pe…
A meta-analysis of the presence of crop plants in the Dutch and German terp area between 700 bc and ad 1600
There is a long tradition of archaeobotanical research in and around the dwelling mounds, known as terps or Wurten (among other names), along the Wadden Sea coast. The present paper presents an overview of crop plants retrieved from 1,389 samples, from a total of more than 100 sites, spanning the Iron Age to the Early Modern Period. Traditionally, the area has been more associated with animal husbandry than with crop farming. The crops that do oc…
Palaeoassocia as a Methodological Tool for Phytosociological Analyses Is Further Developed
The earlier version of PALAEOASSOCIA involved a considerable input of manual labour in sorting species tables with association data to identify plant communities that could have been present. A large archaeobotanical dataset from the site of Best (The Netherlands) was used to judge whether this manual sorting results in subjective results. As these were found, we developed a fully automatic version of PALAEOASSOCIA, including this sorting process…
Early animal management in northern Europe
The nature and timing of the transition to farming north of the Linearbandkeramik zone in Europe is the subject of much debate, but our understanding of this fundamental shift in lifeways is hampered by the low resolution of available data. This article presents new multi-proxy evidence from Swifterbant (4240–4050 BC), in the Dutch wetlands, for morphologically domestic cattle with two different dietary regimes. The authors argue that the results…
Iwgp 2025
IWGP 2025: 300 archaeobotanists from far and wide take over Groningen. In July 2025, the University of Groningen hosted the twentieth meeting of the International Workgroup for Palaeoethnobotany (IWGP), organized by the Laboratory for Palaeobotany and Palynology of the Groningen Institute of Archaeology (GIA) and the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE). It was the second time since 1983 that the conference was organized in Groningen. After 44 ye…
Advancing Methodological Integration in Multi-Proxy Archaeobotany
Dutch wetlands hold key evidence for the onset of farming, yet plant proxies from levee records outside excavated settlements have been largely underused. This study applies a comparative framework to plant macroremains, pollen, phytoliths and charred herbaceous plant tissues (CHPT) from a levee core to assess wetland suitability for early agriculture. Proxies were sampled from identical horizons, converted to relative depth-wise densities and re…
Geography (15 works) · Archaeology (11 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (10 works) · Biology (10 works) · Ecology (10 works) · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research (6 works) · Wetland (6 works) · Computer Science (5 works) · Geology (4 works) · History (4 works)