From a modern-day perspective, it may seem odd that people should have chosen to dwell in the open salt-marsh landscape along the Wadden Sea coast. While the beauty of the salt marshes is widely acknowledged, the idea of living there seems to suggest struggle and misery. Yet the salt-marsh settlers, dwelling on their settlement mounds or terps, did not just ‘survive' or ‘get by', but actually managed to live a good life, by embracing this marshy world and its peculiarities.
This collection of papers focuses on foraging, farming and food preparation in the context of the salt-marsh environment. The various contributions celebrate the career and work of Annet Nieuwhof, who has been an inspirational colleague and great friend to many of us. She passionately embraced terp research, always actively stimulating cooperation across disciplines as well as national borders. Reflecting some of Annet's wide-ranging interests, the present volume is dedicated to her in friendship and gratitude.
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Contents
Preface VII
Johan Nicolay & Mans Schepers
1 Annet Nieuwhof: an influential archaeologist with a keen eye for the general public 1
Egge Knol
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Trends in archaeology 1
1.3 The relevance of public support 2
1.4 Annet as an inspired terp researcher 2
1.5 Terps: stories for the general public 6
1.6 Conclusion: a shining example 7
2 Dwelling mounds and their environment. The use of resources in the Roman Iron Age 9
Annette Siegmüller
2.1 Introduction 9
2.2 Terps and their surroundings: towards a model 10
2.3 The terp settlements 12
2.4 The direct environment of terps 13
2.5 The wider surroundings of the terps 17
2.6 Conclusion 22
3 The distribution and subdivision of farmland on the medieval and prehistoric salt marshes of the northern Netherlands. A retrogressive model of the (pre-)Frisian farm, based on historical sources from the Early Modern period 27
Gilles de Langen & J.A. (Hans) Mol
3.1 Introduction 27
3.2 The Frisian farm in the 16th century 29
3.3 Lines of social and commercial continuity in 11th- to 15th-century Friesland 33
3.4 The high-medieval farm on the embanked salt marsh 34
3.5 Biessum, Hogebeintum and Hitzum as case studies 36
3.6 Lines of social and economic continuity in 5th- to 11th-century Friesland 47
3.7 The Frisian and pre-Frisian farm on the open salt marsh: discussion 50
3.8 Conclusion 51
4 Ploughing the salt marsh. Cultivated horizons and their relation to the chronology and techniques of ploughing 57
Johan Nicolay & Hans Huisman
4.1 Introduction 57
4.2 Cultivated horizons in the salt-marsh region of Friesland and Groningen 58
4.3 For comparison: cultivated horizons and plough marks in the German salt-marsh area 65
4.4 Ard and mouldboard plough: chronology and (combined) use 67
4.5 Conclusion 72
5 Vegetation horizons: human or natural? 77
Ernst Taayke, Harm-Jan Streurman & Hans van der Plicht
5.1 Introduction 77
5.2 The dating of vegetation horizons 78
5.3 Human activity and the presence of VHs in the Groningen terp area 79
5.4 Discussion: an alternative interpretation of VHs 85
5.5 Conclusion 85
6 More than beans and barley: juicy fruits, nuts and collected wild plants from the terp region 91
Mans Schepers & Karl-Ernst Behre
6.1 Introduction 91
6.2 Methodology 92
6.3 Results 93
6.4 Discussion 100
6.5 Conclusion 101
7 The use of animals in settlements on the Dutch and German Wadden Sea coast, 600 BC-AD 1500 109
Wietske Prummel & Hans Christian Küchelmann
7.1 Introduction 109
7.2 Methods 110
7.3 Animal husbandry: variation in time and place 114
7.4 Wild animals: hunting and fishing 115
7.5 Food of animal origin at Wadden Sea coastal sites 118
7.6 Conclusion 119
8 Food remains and ‘cooking pots' from the salt marshes in the northern Netherlands 129
Tania F.M. Oudemans & Amy Kuiper
8.1 Introduction 129
8.2 Traditional ceramic studies and vessel use 130
8.3 Organic residue analysis - a new perspective on vessel use 133
8.4 Inventory of material from the terps in the northern Netherlands - two case studies 135
8.5 Discussion and suggestions for further research 137
8.6 Conclusion 138
9 Cooking up connections, dishing out diffusion. The culinary connections of ceramic griddle plates in northeast Africa 141
Steven Matthews
9.1 Introduction 141
9.2 Archaeology of bread 142
9.3 Connecting cuisines: The archaeology of griddle gastronomy 146
9.4 Sahelian cereals, elevated eragrostis and barley breads 151
9.5 Culinary connections 153
9.6 Conclusion 155
10 Cultural heritage does not stop at borders! Dutch-German research in the coastal region. Past and perspectives 161
Jan F. Kegler
10.1 The ancestors: Van Giffen, Zylmann and Haarnagel 161
10.2 Cross-border research: Houwingaham and Land of Discoveries 162
10.3 Research now and tomorrow: an unpublished terp excavation and a call for collaboration 163
10.4 Future research methods and themes 166
10.5 Towards a new research project 169
10.6 Conclusion 171
Bibliography Annet Nieuwhof 175
Wietske Prummel & Egge Knol