Palinurus
The Living Force
Source (Dutch only): 'Unieke sporen' van eerste landbouwers opgegraven in Gelderland
'Unique traces' of first farmers excavated in Gelderland
06 November 2020 16:15 - Last update: 1 day, 4 hours ago
flint blades - Image Rijkswaterstaat
Archaeological research in Angeren, Gelderland, has unearthed the remains at one location not only of hunters and gatherers, but also of the first farmers. These "unique traces" were found during the preparations for the extension of the A15 from junction Ressen to the A12, Rijkswaterstaat reported [in Dutch, with extra illustrations] on Friday.
"It is rare that remains of both forms of society are found in one place", writes Rijkswaterstaat. "The excavation provides new, exceptional insights into how people settled in one place and became farmers".
The agency points out that little is known about the period in which hunters and gatherers switched from a nomadic existence to a life in a fixed place with agriculture and cattle breeding. The discovery in Angeren, a village in the municipality of Lingewaard, allows archaeologists to investigate this further.
The objects found are about seven thousand years old. They include flints, rubbing stones to grind grain and seeds, and pieces of pottery from pots and pans. The remains have been excavated at a place where once a side arm of the Rhine could be found.
The first inhabitants lived on the banks, says René Isarin, archaeologist at the Department of Public Works. "They benefited from two landscapes: a high and dry area with a supply of nuts, fruit, seeds, roots and opportunities for farmland, and a wet area with fresh water, fish and other aquatic animals. And last but not least: possibilities for transport".
In Angeren, among other places, Rijkswaterstaat is carrying out preparatory studies because of the planned extension of the A15 and the widening of the A12 and A15. Two years ago, a Roman burial ground was found just southwest of Angeren, in the town of Bemmel.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)