The Vermaning Stones: Some Facts and Arguments
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THE VERMANING STONES: SOME FACTS AND ARGUMENTS Dick Stapert Biologisch-Archaeologisch Instituut, Groningen, NetheriaIlds ABSTRACT: This paper con cems a large-scale forgery affair, commonly known as the'Vermaning affair'. An attempt is made to recapitulate the most important facts and arguments that convinced the author that the artefacts in question are forgeries. KEYWORDS: Vermaning stones, forgeries, Middle Palaeolithic, Late Palaeolithic, Neolithic, postdeposi tional surface modifications, boulderclay, bouldersand, artificial gloss, traces of modem grinding. 1. INTRODUCTION occur on 'Late Pahieolithic' and 'Neolithic' arte facts sold by Vermaning, while a number of'Neoli From 1965 to 1986 at any rate, Mr. T. Vermaning thic' ground axes (from Vermaning's 'findspot' of (Assen; deceased in 1987) sold collections of arte Ravenswoud) must have been ground also with the facts to several museums in the Netherlands. In help of a modem grinding machine. 1975 the present author had the misfortune to discover that many of these artefacts are recent fabrications. I Among these are 'Middle Palaeoli 2. THE GEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT thic' 'collections' or 'isolated objects' (from the 'sites' ofHoogersmilde, Hijken, Ravenswoud, Eem It can be said that the term 'patina' is not well ster, Leemdijk, Blauwmeer, Voshaar, and others), defined in archaeology; elsewhere I have called it a parts of one 'Upper Palaeolithic' collection (from . dustbin-concept (Stapert, 1976a). Phenomena such 'Norgervaart'), parts of one 'Neolithic' collection as the following have been grouped under this term: (from'Ravenswoud'), and perhaps also parts of one white patina, yellow/brown patina, black patina 'Mesolithic' collection (from'Appelscha '). Several (also called'under-water patina' or'marsh patina') preliminary articles have been published, especially and gloss patina. The first three of these are about the'Middle Palaeolithic' collections (Stapert, unambiguous: their presence or absence can be 1975a; 1975b; 1980; see als o Stapert, 1976a; 1976b); established without any trouble. Gloss patina is a furthermore a report (unpublished) was prepared more problematical phenomenon in this respect for use in lawsuits in 1977 and 1978 (Stapert, (see 7 for some reasons why natural gloss patina can 1976c). One or possibly two isolated authentic be difficult to demonstrate; it apparent1y can be Middle Palaeolithic artefacts from the same Mr. confused with artificially created gloss, or with a Vermaning were also described (Stapert, 1985a). It certain smoothness created by frequent handling). should be mentioned here that Vermaning has also Whatever the genesis of gloss patina, mechanical sold many collections of authentic artefacts to (soil movements) or chemical or both, it can at least museums and collectors, mostly dating from the be said that flint surfaces with gloss patina are Late Palaeolithic and younger phases of prehistory. smoother than they would have been if no gloss It is stressed that the main falsifiable argument is patina had developed. Of course, I am discussing of a geological nature. It is based on the observation only natural postdepositional surface modifica of weathering phenomena on natural flintspresent tions here. in the bouldersand (the presumed find layer of the Apart from patinas, several other kinds of sur 'Middle Palaeolithic' Vermaning stones). The Ver face modifications on flint exist. In the northem maning stones in question do not show any kind of N etherlands especially, windgloss is a recurrent natural postdepositional surface modifications. Ad phenomenon. In my experience it is nearly always ditional arguments con cem the presence on many possibie to distinguish gloss patina from windgloss. Vermaning stones of artificial gloss, and flattened On one and the same piece, windgloss is often ridges between flake scars which were evidently vari�ble in iiltensity, while in most cases it is produced by the application of an electrically associated with 'small pits' (described in Stapert, driven grinding machine. Such ground ridges also 1976a). tv SE HIJKEN PROFILES EXC.AVATION 1973 NW " " ALTITUOE IN �. , " SE II NW " " , " " t:I C/l ...., ;l> D OI$TURBED � POOSOL IB) � BOULDER SAND � LDAMY B INFILTRATION ZONE !DARK) 8 lOA MY LAVERS D BOULOER CLAY '"O t11 :::o ...., Fig. I. Sections at the 'site' of Hijken (indicated by Vermaning), drawn during the B.A.J.-excavation in 1973. The sections are at right angles to the valley of the Vorrelveen. The vertical scale is exaggerated 2 x. The most northwestern part of section II is represented in figure 2. The stratigraphy here consists only of boulderclay and bouldersand; coversand is absent. The bouldersand is not an undifferentiated sediment, for some structure is visible. This consists ofloamy and more compact layers in the bouldersand, which is otherwise fairly coarse-grained. The drawing schematically shows the folIowing features: a. the stones in the bouldersand are most abundant at the base ofthis layer on top ofthe boulderclay. This is the case both in the coarser bouldersand and in the loamy layers where these Iie immediately on top ofthe boulderclay. In some places one can even speak of a compact pebble layer; b. In general, larger stones occur in the loamy layers than in the coarser bouldersand; c. Contortions due to cryoturbation are especiaIly c1early visible in the transition from boulderclay to bouldersand, though much distortion is also in evidence within the bouldersand. In some places, e.g. in the most northwestern part of section II, bands ofboulderclay have been distorted together with bouldersand in a complex manner (fig. 2). The loamy layers possibly represent solifluction leveis. Drawing by D. Stapert. The Vermaning stones 3 Other surface modifications on flint that are boulderclay in the same site, a striking difference is frequently encountered in the northern Nether apparent: the bouldersand flints are much more Iands are: frostsplitting; rounding of edges and often heavily weathered than the boulderclay flints. ridges (in most cases not as a result of fluviatile Most bouldersand flints show phenomena such as rolling, but probably because of slow solution windgloss, patinas, etc. In boulderclay severely processes in the soil and/or as one of the results of weathered flints als o occur, but these are ·scarce. the formation' of windgloss); and scratches, 'pres Most boulderclay flintsare not or hardly patinated sure cones' and'cryoturbation-retouch' as a resul t (low gloss may be present), and not or hardly of cryoturbation and similar soil movements (Sta affected by windgloss, though many flints occur pert, 1976a). ring in the uppermost l to 2 m of boulderclay are It is evident that in causing these various surface fragmented as a result of frostsplitting. The few modifications several different processes are at heavily weathered flints in boulderclay presumably work. Some of these alterations are the result of acquired their surface modifications when Iying at processes that are limited in time mainly to glacial the surface, before they were picked up by the ice periods, especiaIly the phenomena produced by sheet. Some boulderclay flints (and, of course, periglacial soil movements. Heavy windgloss also bouldersqnd flints) show phenomena that were mainly arose during gIaciaIs, but it is known that created during glacial transport, such as very coarse windgloss can also be created in recent sanddrifts. scratches and series of oblique pressure cones Other modifications arose as a consequence of the (Stapert, 1976a; see also fig. 4). On the majority of flints Iying at or near the surface for a long time. the bouldersand flints we see a wide range of surface alterations: a typical bouldersand flint exhibits, Hijken and Hoogersmilde are locations indicated for example, windgloss, brown or white patina, by Vermaning, situated on the boulderclay plateau scratches and rounding. Furthermore, bouldersand 2 of the province of Drenthe. The stratigraphy at flints have on average become more fragmented as these sites can be summarized as follows, going a result of frostsplitting than boulderclay flints. from bottom to top: boulderclay (till), bouldersand This has resulted in a gradual decrease in size ofthe (the alleged provenance of the'Middle Palaeolithic' flints. Larger pieces of flint show cracks due to frost Vermaning stones; this deposit is also called'cobble action along which splitting has not yet takenplace. sands': e.g. Ter Wee, 1979), and locally a thin layer Large, intact pieces of flint are virtuaIly absent from of coversand. According to Ter Wee (1966; 1979), bouldersand, and this has always been a problem mainly Late Glacial coversands are present on the for prehistoric flintworkers. It is known that frost higher parts of the plateau, as at the sites of Hijken splitting of flints still took place after the end of the and Hoogersmilde; only locally in depressions is Upper Pleniglacial, for example during the Late older coversand found. Dryas Stadial (Stapert, 1982c); this resulted in new Bouldersand can be described as a lag deposit faces on flints that now will still be relatively fresh. (weathering residue) originating from boulderclay, The conspicuous difference in weathering bet forrned over a long period of time. Locally the ween the bouldersand and the boulderclay flints bouldersand contains some coversand that was clearly means that the massive alteration of the incorporated into it as a result of solifluction and bouldersand flints took place after