scholarly journals The Fields that Outlived the Celts: The Use-histories of Later Prehistoric Field Systems (Celtic Fields orRaatakkers) in the Netherlands

2018 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 303-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stijn Arnoldussen
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Stable Form ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
History Of ◽  
Non Local ◽  
Field Plots

The Celtic field research programme of Groningen University involves research excavations of Dutch Celtic fields or raatakkers: embanked field plots thought to date to the Iron Age (c. 800 calbc–12bc). In this paper, detailed attention is given to (a) the palaeoecology of raatakkers; (b) the relationship between habitation and agriculture in such systems; and (c) their dating and use-life. Counter-intuitively, it is argued that the macro-remains from crops such as barley, wheat, millet, and flax recovered from Celtic field banks represent a non-local (settlement) signal rather than document local agricultural regimes. Palynological approaches, in which a more local signal can be preserved but which also show evidence for details of the agricultural regime such as manuring strategies and fallow cycles, are argued to be more appropriate avenues to study local agricultural strategies. A discussion of the relations between habitation and agriculture shows that house sites uncovered within Dutch Celtic fields are almost invariably placed in positions partly overlapping banks. Moreover, in most cases such settlement traces appear to date to the Middle or Late Iron Age, raising the question of where the initial farmers of the Celtic fields lived, as the communities planning and first using these Celtic fields probably pre-dated the Iron Age. A critical review of existing dates and discussion of new OSL and AMS dates has shown that bank construction of Dutch Celtic fields started around the 13th–10th centuries calbcand continued into the Roman era. The chronostratigraphies preserved in the banks testify to a sustainable agricultural regime of unprecedented time-depth: centuries of continued use make the system employing raatakkers the most enduring and stable form of farming known in the history of the Netherlands.

Formation and Land-Use History of Celtic Fields in North-West Europe – an Interdisciplinary Case Study at Zeijen, the Netherlands

2003 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theo Spek ◽  
Willy Groenman-van Waateringe ◽  
Maja Kooistra ◽  
Lideweij Bakker
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Roman Period ◽  
Soil Tillage ◽  
North West ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
History Of

Celtic field research has so far been strongly focused on prospection and mapping. As a result of this there is a serious lack of knowledge of formation and land-use processes of these fields. This article describes a methodological case study in The Netherlands that may be applied to other European Celtic fields in the future. By interdisciplinary use of pedological, palynological and micromorphological research methods the authors were able to discern five development stages in the history of the field, dating from the late Bronze Age to the early Roman Period. There are strong indications that the earthen ridges, very typical for Celtic fields in the sandy landscapes of north-west Europe, were only formed in the later stages of Celtic field agriculture (late Iron Age and early Roman period). They were the result of a determined raising of the surface by large-scale transportation of soil material from the surroundings of the fields. Mainly the ridges were intensively cultivated and manured in the later stages of Celtic field cultivation. In the late Iron Age a remarkable shift in Celtic field agriculture took place from an extensive system with long fallow periods, a low level of manuring and extensive soil tillage to a more intensive system with shorter fallow periods, a more intensive soil tillage and a higher manuring intensity. There are also strong indications that rye (Secale cereale) was the main crop in the final stage of Celtic field agriculture.

Bottlenecks in the Implementation of On-Site Wastewater Treatment Plants on a Large Scale in The Netherlands

1990 ◽  
Vol 22 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 291-298
Author(s):  
Frits A. Fastenau ◽  
Jaap H. J. M. van der Graaf ◽  
Gerard Martijnse
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Domestic Wastewater ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Definition Of

More than 95 % of the total housing stock in the Netherlands is connected to central sewerage systems and in most cases the wastewater is treated biologically. As connection to central sewerage systems has reached its economic limits, interest in on-site treatment of the domestic wastewater of the remaining premises is increasing. A large scale research programme into on-site wastewater treatment up to population equivalents of 200 persons has therefore been initiated by the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Physical Planning and Environment. Intensive field-research work did establish that the technological features of most on-site biological treatment systems were satisfactory. A large scale implementation of these systems is however obstructed in different extents by problems of an organisational, financial and/or juridical nature and management difficulties. At present research is carried out to identify these bottlenecks and to analyse possible solutions. Some preliminary results are given which involve the following ‘bottlenecks':-legislation: absence of co-ordination and absence of a definition of ‘surface water';-absence of subsidies;-ownership: divisions in task-setting of Municipalities and Waterboards; divisions involved with cost-sharing;-inspection; operational control and maintenance; organisation of management;-discharge permits;-pollution levy;-sludge disposal. Final decisions and practical elaboration of policies towards on-site treatment will have to be formulated in a broad discussion with all the authorities and interest groups involved.

Unraveling the Occupation History of the Cremation Cemetery at Wijnegem/Blikstraat (Belgium)

Radiocarbon ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 1645-1656
Author(s):  
Guy De Mulder ◽  
Mark Van Strydonck ◽  
Mathieu Boudin ◽  
Ignace Bourgeois
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Early Iron Age ◽  
Late Bronze Age ◽  
Funerary Monuments ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
History Of

ABSTRACTRecently a cremation cemetery was excavated at the site of Wijnegem where 29 cremation graves and 9 funerary monuments were uncovered. Thirty radiocarbon (14C) dates were carried out, mostly on cremated bone but also 10 charcoal samples were dated. Twenty-four cremations were studied. Four ring ditches were dated by charcoal samples from the infill of the ditch. The 14C dates showed an interesting long-term occupation of the cemetery. Different phases were ascertained. The history of the cemetery starts in the northern part of the site around a circular funerary monument. Two cremations were dated at the transition of the Early to Middle Bronze Ages. Two other graves represent the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Ages. The main occupation period dates between the end of the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. Finally, an isolated cremation grave marks the definite abandonment of the site during the Late Iron Age.

scholarly journals Forging the trowel, hammering the Dacians: Marxism and Late Iron Age Archaeology in Romania (1948–1989)

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 23-62
Author(s):  
Alin Henț ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social History ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Communist Regime ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Key Events

The aim of this paper is to make a critical evaluation of the Romanian historiography from 1948–1989 which had as a subject of study the social history of the northern Balkan communities in the Late Iron Age period. The two years that I have chosen have both a symbolical and a chronological value. The year 1948 marks the beginning of an extensive and radical process of political, economic, social, and cultural changes, while the year 1989 symbolizes the fall of the Romanian “communist” regime. I propose a contextual analysis, which takes into account the evolution of the “communist” regime, as well as some key events that shaped the discourse. Through this evaluation, I want to intervene in the symbolic struggles that had as a final stake the Late Iron Age archaeology from Romania. Without claiming an objective analysis, I want to offer an alternative to the distorted portrayals which had existed so far. Although labelled as a “Communist” or “Marxist” historiography, it never strayed too far from the nationalist ideology, creating massive distortions along its way. In almost 50 years, the Romanian Late Iron Age historiography has gone from a formal and superficial application of Marxist theories, to a relative liberalization, and finally returned to an almost right‑wing discourse over the Dacian past. Moreover, I will show, in contrast to the classical post‑Communist view that the Late Iron Age archaeology in Romania was in touch, at least at some point, to the contemporary historiographical debates.

Memories of the Past in Roman Britain

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zena Kamash
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Memory Studies ◽  
Memory Process ◽  
Roman Britain ◽  
Social Instability ◽  
The Past ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Creation

After setting out the history of memory studies and the role of archaeology in these studies, this chapter examines three realms of memory in Roman Britain: the burial of memories; the reorganization of landscapes and memories; and the building of religious memory. First, I explore how burying people and objects can be part of the memory process, focusing on embodied actions and the use of legendary topographies in the landscape. I then examine how different memory communities responded to major periods of landscape reorganization, linking this to wider discussions about the creation and maintenance of identity in Roman Britain. Finally, I explore the Romano-Celtic temple phenomenon. I argue that the construction of temples was linked to the kinds of memory-making that are particularly prevalent in times of social instability, a phenomenon seen as part of a broader set of processes that began in the late Iron Age.

scholarly journals Isolated and backward Westerwolde (Groningen, the Netherlands)? A confrontation of archaeological and historical data from the Middle Ages in a wider geographical context

2021 ◽  
pp. 273-344
Author(s):  
Henny A. Groenendijk ◽  
Remi Van Schaïk
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
19Th Century ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Critical Study ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
The North ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
The 19Th Century

The aim of this paper is to question the supposed isolated and backward position of the region of Westerwolde, in the north-eastern part of the Netherlands. Westerwolde’s geographically rather isolated position has traditionally been brought forward to explain its backward image. Progressive peat growth ever since the Bronze Age occupation had transformed Westerwolde into an island. It was abandoned in the Late Iron Age, only to be recolonized in the early Middle Ages. During the 19th century, romantics were still admiring Westerwolde’s arcadian scenery and cultural traditions. In contrast, from the mid-19th century until well into the 20th century, protagonists of modern agriculture criticized its backward farming methods and standard of living, as well as its poor infrastructure. The central issues we address here is whether critics were justified in describing it as backward in the 19th century and whether concrete indications for this assumed backwardness are to be found in previous centuries. To jump from early medieval times to the 19th century is too big a leap, but combining archaeological and ecological data with a renewed and more critical study of written sources against the background of huge landscape transformations has brought a nuanced understanding of how Westerwolde evolved. We present new insights for the period starting with the conquest of Frisia and Saxony by the Carolingians and the introduction of Christianity, when missionaries and newly founded monasteries acquired agricultural assets and rights in the conquered region, up to the late Middle Ages. We therefore analyze church foundations, livelihoods or economic conditions of existence in connection with occupation structures, infrastructure and exchange of consumer goods interdisciplinarily. Conservatism appears easily confused with backwardness, and an aversion to innovation, with indifference, as underlying external factors often forced the inhabitants to adopt a wait-and-see attitude. Westerwolde is viewed continuously in connection with the adjacent regions of Drenthe and Lower Saxon Emsland.

scholarly journals Paleopathological peculiarities of the Lower Volga Sauromates

2020 ◽  
pp. 171-183
Author(s):  
Evgenii Vladimirovich Pererva
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Volga Region ◽  
Soviet Period ◽  
Lower Volga Region ◽  
Pathological Conditions ◽  
Lower Volga ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
History Of ◽  
First Time

This article discusses the paleopathological peculiarities of nomadic population of Sauromates, which originated from the kurgan burials of the Lower Volga region. The skeletal remains of 20 individuals were examined. In the process of work with anthropological material, was applied a standard program for assessing the instance of pathological conditions on skeleton developed by A. P. Buzhilova (1995, 1998). The national scholars of Soviet and post-Soviet period (B. N. Grakov, K. F. Smirnov, D. A. Machinsky, V. E. Maksimenko, M. G. Moshkova) dealt with the problems of genesis, periodization and evolution of the culture of the Lower Volga Sauromates. The history of anthropological examination of the nomads of the Lower Volga region of the VI – V centuries BC is scarce. This research is the first attempt for analyzing the pathological conditions on skeletal remains of the Lower Volga Sauromates. Paleopathological studies of skeletal remains of the nomads of the VI – V centuries BC from the territory of Lower Volga have not been conducted prior to that. Paleoanthropological materials are introduced into the scientific discourse for the first time. Some sculls of Sauromatian period have traces of unnatural deformation. The revealed pathologies on the anthropological materials of population of the VI – IV centuries BC from the territory of Lower Volga allow including it into the group of nomadic cultures of the Early Iron Age. The anthropological materials of the VI – IV centuries BC show evidence of using the skills of primitive medicine, as well as the knowledge of military field surgery.

Roman Field-System Earthworks in the Birklands and Belhaugh Hays, Nottinghamshire

Britannia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
pp. 298-304
Author(s):  
Steve Malone
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Lidar Data ◽  
Considerable Potential ◽  
Field System ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
History Of ◽  
Field Systems

ABSTRACTProcessing and analysis of LiDAR data in Nottinghamshire has identified the survival of earthwork field-systems beneath woodland in some of the oldest established parts of Sherwood Forest. The morphology and alignment of these field-systems strongly suggest that they represent a survival of the late Iron Age and Roman brickwork-plan field-systems of North Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire with considerable potential to elucidate the history of abandonment of these fields and the establishment of Sherwood Forest.

The Daima Sequence and the Prehistoric Chronology of the Lake Chad Region of Nigeria

1976 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Connah
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Lake Chad ◽  
Late Stone Age ◽  
Chronological Sequence

An intensive archaeological field research programme conducted between 1963 and 1969 in the Lake Chad region of Nigeria has established the outlines of a prehistoric chronological sequence for the area. The excavations at Daima form the key to this sequence which also includes excavated evidence from Bornu 38, Kursakata, Shilma, Yau, Ajere and Birnin Gazargamo together with surface information from 70 other sites. Twenty radiocarbon dates indicate settlement of the area from the end of the second millennium B.C. (or the last quarter of the second millennium if the dates are corrected to calendar years) to the sixteenth or seventeenth century A.D. Evidence of occupation earlier than the second millennium B.C. may have to be sought in the highlands south of the lake area.In the firki clay plains, south of the lake, it may be possible to trace the evolution of a Late Stone Age pastoralist economy into an Iron Age cereal cultivator economy. In the undulating sandy country, west of the lake, village settlements focused around the Yobe River seem to have developed, in response to external stimulus, the urban civilization which historical sources indicate at Birnin Gazargamo by the sixteenth century A.D. The contrasting environments designated ‘Firki’ and ‘Yobe’ had an important influence on the character of human settlement indicated by the archaeological evidence.It is suggested that the prehistory of this region merits far greater attention than it has yet received and that the presence in this area of settlement mounds, with substantial depths of deposit, offers a wonderful opportunity for large-scale excavation programmes. Further surface investigations would also be justified, however, as the writer suspects that more prehistoric sites remain to be located in the area.

scholarly journals Archaeological investigations on the Süttő plateau in 2018

2019 ◽  
pp. 527-539
Author(s):  
Zoltán Czajlik ◽  
Katalin Novinszki-Groma ◽  
László Rupnik ◽  
András Bödőcs ◽  
Eszter Fejér ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Early Iron Age ◽  
Burial Site ◽  
Archaeological Heritage ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
Interdisciplinary Research Project ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Right ◽  
Archaeological Sciences

The Early Iron Age site complex of Süttő is located on a loess plateau on the right bank of the Danube. After a long history of research of the Early Iron Age fortified settlement, tumulus groups and flat cemetery, between 2013–2017, some pioneer investigations were carried out using non-invasive methods. In 2018, members of the Institute of Archaeological Sciences of the Eötvös Loránd University and the Archaeological Heritage Protection Directorate of the Hungarian National Museum conducted an interdisciplinary research project (archaeological excavation, geophysical measurements, metal detecting survey, systematic field walking, geological drilling) on the plateau in the framework of the Interreg DTP Iron Age Danube project. As a result of intensive research, it became clear that aside from the Early Iron Age necropolis, the eastern part of the plateau was used as a burial site in the Early Bronze Age, as a settlement in the Late Bronze Age, and we must consider the existence of a Late Iron Age settlement in this area as well.

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