Unravelling an iron age landscape in the campine area of flanders

1. Unravelling an Iron Age Landscape in the
Campine area of Flanders (Belgium).
Meylemans E., Bastiaens J., De Bie M.
Flanders Heritage Agency

2. Introduction: objectives
-’Unravelling the Iron Age landscape’:
-Land use patterns, location choices, …?
-Landscape impact (vegetation; taphonomic
processes, …) ?;
-Chronology and evolution, continuity?

3. Introduction: study area
-Belgian Campine (‘Kempen’) area

4. Introduction: study area
General characteristics: -general flat topography;
-Several distinct higher ridges;
Campine cuesta
Ridge of Kasterlee
Campine plateau

5. Introduction: study area
General characteristics: -Sandy soils, but regional textural differences (yellow: sand; green: loamy sand; blue: sandy loam);

6. Introduction: study area
General characteristics: -Heavy impact from building activities (green) and agriculture;
-drift sand- (y) and ‘plaggen soil’ complexes (grey) .

7. Introduction: study area
General characteristics: -Heavy impact from building activities (green) and agriculture;
-drift sand- (y) and ‘plaggen soil’ complexes (grey) .

8. Introduction: materials and methods
-Remote sensing data (Lidar analysis);
-Archaeological data (Central Archaeological Inventory; preventive
archaeology);
-Palaeo-environmental analysis (natural and archaeological contexts);

9. Results Lidar analysis: Celtic Fields: ‘Kolisbos’ forest

10. ‘Celtic Fields’ ‘Ophovenerheide’

11. ‘Celtic Fields’ Historical park ‘De Hees’

12. Burial mound complexes: example domain Postel abbey

13. Other? (pre-?) historic trackways?

14. Other? Other field systems?
Celtic Fields
???

15. Other? Iron Age hillfort?

16. Relation with drift sand complexes?

17. Results: spread of CF based on Lidar

18. Results: spread of CF based on Lidar and aerial photographs
? ?
?

19. Results: relation spread of Celtic Fields (Lidar) and ‘historical’
forests

20. Evaluation CF complex ‘Kolisbos’ forest
-impact from ploughing;
-CF walls completely in humic B horizon;
-Plough damage (conversion to pine forest);
-’scatter’ of ceramics and charcoal fragments;
-charred cereal grains: (Hordeum, Triticum): 14C between 770 and 400 cal BC (95,4%) (Hallstatt plateau);
-other: Scleranthus annuus & Polygonum lapatifolium;
-macrobotanical remains ‘wetland’ vegetation (for example Alnus).

21. Results
-Archaeological data (Central Archaeological Inventory):
-before 1993 (pre- ‘archaeology decree’): strongly biased, mainly barrow research;
-1993-2004: preventive archaeology, limited in scale
-2004-2016: more general application of preventive archaeology
‘(objective dataset)’

22. Results: All locations with Iron Age features
-Triangles: Burial sites

24. Results: ‘Dated’ Iron Age sites/ features
-
Early (800-450 BC)
Middle (450-250 BC)
Late (250-57 BC)

25. Results: Combination of data at the CF complex of
‘Ophovenerheide’
-

26. Results: Example Retie-Molenakkers
(Schurmans et. Al in press: Bewoningssporen uit de Vroege en Midden- Ijzertijd in een geaccidenteerd landschap.)
-

27. Results: Example excavation Retie-Molenakkers
- -Early and Middle Iron Age occupation;
-In plaggen soil complex;
-SW-NE oriëntation of most structures;
-Continuity in building locations (small granary
structures);
-rows of postholes (fences?);
-complex of depressions and drift sand layers;
-local preserved agricultural layer;
-Iron Age drift sands;
-Results paleoenvironmentals studies not yet
available.

28. Results: Example excavation Hoogstraten-Kluis
-

29. Results: Example excavation Hoogstraten-Kluis
(Alma X.J.F. & Hazen P.J.M. 2015: Een nederzetting uit de vroege ijzertijd te Hoogstraten - De Kluis. Een archeologische
opgraving, VEC Rapport 27.)
-
-In area with reported CF’s from
aerial photographs
-Early Iron Age occupation;
-NW-SE oriëntation;
-Botanical analysis: -cereals (Panicum miliaceum;
Triticum sp.; Hordeum vulgare);
Weeds: Echinochloa crus-galli; Fallopia
Convolvulus; Rumex acetosella; Spergula
arvensis, …: weeds associated with local farming
practices

30. Results:
-Vosselaar: Lindenhoeve:
(Delaruelle, S., De Smaele, B. Van Doninck, J. 2008: Opgraving van een
woonerf uit de ijzertijd aan de Lindenhoeve in Vosselaar, Adak Rapport 1)
-Near Celtic Field complex
-Middle Iron Age house, granary
structures
and 2 wells
-Turnhout: Tijl & Nelestraat:
(Delaruelle S. & Van Doninck J. 2010: Uit Kempische bodem.
Recent archeologisch onderzoek in de regio Turnhout, AVRA Bulletin 10, 2009, p. 4-17.)
-Burial structures;
-well
-continuity late bronze- middle Iron Age?

31. Results: Example Retie Veldenstraat
-buried agricultural layer
under plaggen soil,
associated with Iron Age
ceramics;
-Diffuse spread of Iron Age
ceramics
-Ditch fragments and smal
number of postholes

32. Results: general characteristics archaeological record
-large number of ‘off site’ phenomena;
-’isolated’ (?) farmsteads;
-low density of features;
-general spread of ceramics, often associated with fossil ‘dirty’ layers;
-often continuity (late Bronze age) – EIA- MIA.
-’uniformity’ in orientation of structures.
-burial sites separated from settlement dwellings
-! Little attention to ‘dirty layers’ in archaeological research
-! very few sites with palaeo-environmental data

33. Results: Combined general distribution pattern (topography)

34. Results: Combined general distribution pattern (soil texture)

35. Results: Pollen diagrams

36. Results: Pollen diagrams

37. Results: Pollen diagrams (Beyens 1982)
WortelGroteGammelZondereigen
General: -Extension of ruderals and cereals;
-(slight) deforestation (foremost Betula)
-problematic chronology

38. Vuilvoort:
Munaut & Paulissen 1973: “… the cultivated species appear at
The start of the Subatlantic period at the same time as some ruderals (Artemisia,
Chenopodiaceae and Plantago)…”

39. Postel (I-VIII):
-Extension of Calluna vulgaris in all diagrams;
-Cereals between 1,1 and 4,8% (authors: arable fields in ‘immediate vicinity’);
-At the onset of the Subatlantic: deforestation and extension of Ericales and Poaceae.

40. Results: Pollen from burial mounds
General:
-Taphonomic and chronological problems;
-In general high values of Calluna, low values of Cerealia and
Poacea.
-Outside settlement/ agricultural areas?

41. Synthesis & conclusions:
-On a macroregional scale: EIA and MIA occupation preferentially
On higher ridges and on soils with higher loam content;
-Chronological continuity EIA > MIA; to a lesser extend into LIA;
-In these areas intensive occupation, with signs of deforestation;
Widespread occurrence of CF’s. ‘Open’ deciduous forest on the
higher grounds; high percentages of Alnus on the lower grounds;
-’Celtic Field style’ of agriculture on sandy soils with higher loam
content, but not on soils where loam is dominant texture?
-Low density pattern of settlements and off site phenomena >
‘wandering farmsteads’ (Gerritsen 2003).
-Uniform orientation of structures and fossil agricultural soil layers
Indication of presence of ‘Celtic Fields’? Cf. For example site of Bursch
(Scheele & Arnoldussen 2017);
-Exploitation triggered the development of drift sands, at least
on a local scale;
-Burial grounds separated from the field systems and settlements?

42. Synthesis & conclusions:
-In current archaeological practice:
-too little attention for fossil agricultural layers and
-too little attention for palaeoenvironmental analysis.
-Further evaluation of and fieldwork within Celtic Field
Complexes is needed.
-Relation with drift sand complexes? Are some of these
contemporary with Iron Age exploitation?
-Further research based on lidar data (CF’s, burial sites,
trackways, …) is needed.
-…