Dr. IJk van Hattum

I’m a postdoc at VUB and UGent studying Neolithic lifeways and mobility through dental anthropology and isotope analysis.

SHORT BIO

I am a postdoctoral researcher funded by the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO). I hold a Master’s degree in Archaeological Science from Leiden University and a PhD in Archaeology from Ghent University. My doctoral research investigated commingled human remains from Neolithic cave sites in the Belgian Meuse basin, combining dental anthropology and isotope analyses to explore life ways and mobility patterns.

In my current project, PROXIMEUSE, I build upon this work by examining new sites and proxies—including sulphur isotopes and dental non-metric traits—to gain deeper insights into Neolithic communities in the region. My research integrates bioarchaeological and geochemical approaches to reconstruct past human behavior, mobility, and regional connectivity.

BACKGROUND

• PhD in Archaeology (2024), Ghent University
• MSc Osteology and Funerary Archaeology (2015), Leiden University.
• BA in Archaeology (2012), Leiden University.

RESEARCH TOPICS

• Isotope ratio analysis
• Dental Anthropology
• Osteology
• Neolithic
• Prehistory

KEY PUBLICATIONS

• van Hattum, I., Irish, J. D., & De Groote, I. (2025). Subsistence and Behavioral Variation in the Neolithic Meuse Basin (BE): Insights From Dental Collections. American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 186(4), e70038.
• De Groote, I., Palmer, J., Robert, P., van Hattum, I., Rivollat, M., Bodé, S., ... & Boudin, M. (2024). 'Judith'and the six other unknowns: a biomolecular and physical anthropological study. In Judith of West Francia, Carolingian princess and first countess of Flanders (pp. 177-205). Brepols.
• Van Hattum, I, Costas‐Rodríguez, M., Hobin, K., Vanhaecke, F., Vandendriessche, H., Collet, H., ... & De Groote, I. (2023). First insights into human mobility in Neolithic Belgium using strontium isotopic analysis and proteomics: A case study of Grotte de La Faucille (Sclayn, province of Namur). American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 181(2), 231-249.
• Van Hattum, I., Irish, J. D., & De Groote, I. (2022). Oral health and childhood stress during the Final Neolithic in Grotte de la Faucille (Sclayn, BE). Notae Praehistoricae, 1(42), 179-198.
• Schats, R., van Hattum, I., Kootker, L. M., Hoogland, M. L., & Waters‐Rist, A. L. (2022). Diet and urbanisation in medieval Holland. Studying dietary change through carious lesions and stable isotope analysis. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 32(1), 142-155.
• De Groote, I., van Hattum, I., Halbrucker, E., Crombé, P., Van Maldegem, E., Pirson, S., ... & Vandendriessche, H. (2022). Report on the latest excavation campaigns at Grotte de la Faucille, Sclayn (BE) New radiocarbon dates for a better understanding of burial practice during the Final Neolithic. Notae Praehistoricae, 42(1), 161-177.
• Toussaint, M., Chevalier, A., De Groote, I., Goffette, Q., Lacroix, P., van Hattum, I., & Draily, C. (2022). Ossements humains du Néolithique à l’abri-sous-roche de la Roche aux Éperviers à Hulsonniaux (Houyet, province de Namur, Belgique). ARCHEO.-SITULA, 40, 81-104.