Willem Baetsen
PhD Candidate in Human Osteoarchaeology
I am a specialist in osteoarchaeology (the analysis and study of human remains in an archaeological context) with a varied career encompassing both academic and commercial work. I have been previously employed at Museum of London Archaeology as an Osteology Processor, have worked as a freelance osteoarchaeologist in the Netherlands, and for the past four years have been (and currently still am) in the employ of the largest commercial archaeological company in the Netherlands as Head Osteologist.
Of particular interest to me is health in, and the place of death, in medieval and post-medieval society, and the communication of (osteo)archaeological findings and the importance of osteoarchaeology to the public. These interests were born from the bulk of the work I have undertaken in the past decade, including the analysis and reporting of a couple of thousand individuals from contexts in both the UK and the Netherlands. For the past four years, the majority of my work has been aimed at the analysis and reporting of a large urban population excavated in Arnhem, the Netherlands.
As part of the Tobacco, Health and History project, I will be collecting data on the occurrence of congenital pathology and non-metric variation potentially arising from maternal exposure to tobacco in early pregnancy. This exposure can adversely influence foetal development and lead to negative health effects that persist throughout life. In this way, my research aims to demonstrate the influence of tobacco on population health since its first introduction into Europe.
Background
- BA Archaeology, 2011 (Leiden University, the Netherlands)
- MSc Forensic Archaeology and Crime Scene Investigation, 2012 (University of Bradford)
- MSc Human Osteology and Funerary Archaeology, 2017 (Leiden University, the Netherlands)
Key research interests
- Death and ((post-)medieval) society
- Non-metric variation
- Palaeopathology
- Public engagement
Main publications
- Dediu, D., S.R. Moisik, W.A. Baetsen, A.M. Bosman & A.L. Waters, 2021. The vocal tract as a time machine: inferences about past speech and language from the anatomy of the speech organs. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 376(1824)
Supplementary material - Baetsen, W.A. & G. Zielman (eds), 2020. Wat de nieuwe Sint Jansbeek boven water bracht: dood en leven in het Arnhemse verleden; Archeologisch onderzoek Sint Jansbeek te Arnhem, volume 2: Menselijk botmateriaal, bioarcheologisch onderzoek en grafgebruiken. RAAP report 4476-2. RAAP Archeologisch Adviesbureau B.V., Weesp: pp. 354-791.
- Zielman, G. & W.A. Baetsen (eds), 2020. Wat de nieuwe Sint Jansbeek boven water bracht: dood en leven in het Arnhemse verleden; Archeologisch onderzoek Sint Jansbeek te Arnhem, volume 1: Sporen, vondsten en hun context. RAAP report 4476-1. RAAP Archeologisch Adviesbureau B.V., Weesp: pp. 1-353.
- Blom, A.A., S.A. Inskip, W.A. Baetsen & M.L.P. Hoogland, 2018. Testing the sternal clavicle ageing method on a post-medieval Dutch skeletal collection. Archaeometry 60(6): pp. 1391-1402.
