Settlement and land use on crevasse splay deposits; geoarchaeological research in the Rhine-Meuse Delta, the Netherlands

Abstract

AbstractUntil recently, most archaeologists assumed that human occupation of the Dutch river area in the Neolithic period and Bronze Age was rare and predominantly seasonal. Settlement and land use were thought to be limited to abandoned alluvial ridges and aeolian dunes. However, recent archaeological research revealed that Neolithic and Bronze Age human activity occurred at many locations in the Rhine-Meuse Delta. Human settlement and agricultural land use in the Rhine-Meuse delta from at least 3200 BC to 1100 AD was much more common than previously thought. Crevasse splay complexes of active and abandoned river systems proved to have provided favourable sites for settlements. These elevated areas were suitable for agriculture, as they were fertile, easy to plough and possessed suitable hydrological conditions. In addition, people could exploit the surrounding floodplain for hunting, fishing or herding their cattle. Furthermore, the river or residual river channel was near for transport. From the start of the Middle Bronze Age B (1400 BC) occupation of crevasse splay deposits in the delta was widespread. Farmsteads were built on splays that varied in size and morphology. Some locations were abandoned after a few decades, while others remained occupied during a much longer period. During the period of occupation, the crevasse splays gradually lost their relatively high position in the landscape due to subsidence and ongoing sedimentation on the floodplain.LIDAR data combined with digital coring databases and/or detailed soil maps have proven to be an excellent method to identify and map crevasse splays and archaeological sites on these. The resulting new maps form a major basis for archaeological prospection and preservation policy.