An Iron Age burial and cult site in Dutch Limburg
Peter Alaca
finishing touches to the excavation of a very
special site near Lomm, between the Meuse and the
German border in Dutch Limburg [1]. It is a grave
field and cult site from the Iron Age (circa 800
to 12 BC.)
In 2006 started near Lomm the construction of a
high water channel as part of the project
Zandmaas of the Maaswerken [2]. This channel
should give the Meuse more space in times of high
water. Before the extraction of sand and gravel
operations, archaeological research is obligatory
in the framework of the Convention of
Malta/Valetta [3].
Already in 1999 and 2003 preliminary
archaeological investigations took place in the
area, which showed that especially in the Iron
Age people lived in the area, but also remains
and traces from the Stone Age, Bronze Age, the
Roman era and the Second World War came to light.
Because of that he National Office for
Archaeology, Cultural and Monuments (RACM),
labeled the entire 80 hectare planning area as
being of very high archaeological value, where
settlements, grave fields and fields, can be
studied in cohesion.
In 2007 an area of 5.3 hectares was excavated.
There were numerous traces found of Iron Age
farms and associated buildings, which have stood
on the highest parts of the former river
landscape of the Meuse.
The first graves, consisting of cremations and
charcoal, came already to light in the first week
of the excavation. Later other graves were also
discovered and prehistoric ditches, forming two
rectangles.
In recent weeks (2008), the grave field and
ditches are fully excavated. Some 50 burials were
found, wich makes the site one of the largest
late Iron Age grave fields in the Netherlands.
Grave fields of 20 or more graves from this
period in the Netherlands can be counted on the
fingers of one hand.
The graves are often without urns. They consist
of small clusters of cremations and charcoal,
believed to be buried in a cloth or rag. Also
associated structures, such as ring ditches and
burial mounds, are almost absent. Because of
these characteristics grave fields from the late
Iron Age are not quickly noticed during
archaeological fieldwork.
Among the finds associated with the burials are a
bronze fibula, fragments of glass bracelets and
urns. Some shards of pottery from the Roman
period indicate that burials took place up to the
beginning of our era.
The cult site is older than the burials and
consists of four ditches, making up a large
rectangle of about 33 x 37 meters. Within this
lies a smaller rectangle of about 7 x 8 meters.
They are dated to the Middle Iron Age (500-250
BC) and the archaeologists believe that the
ditches are marking an area in which ritual acts
were performed. Inside stood some small wooden
buildings and rows of posts.
Prehistoric cult sites in the Netherlands are
very rare and only barely archaeological
investigated.
The banks of the Meuse appear in this context of
great significance. For example, north of
Maastricht in Itteren [4] in the framework of the
Grensmaas project a possible second cult site
from the Iron Age is discovered.
This site will be examined later this year.
Source: www.racm.nl, 28 may 2008
http://tinyurl.com/6p3wao
1. Lomm <http://preview.tinyurl.com/5d8at3> (flash earth)
and <http://www.racm.nl/content%5Cimg%5Cp-maasw-lomm.jpg>
2.Maaswerken http://preview.tinyurl.com/5r8nar (www.maaswerken.nl)
3. Convention Malta <http://preview.tinyurl.com/6b6lg8>
(conventions.coe.int)
4. Itteren <http://preview.tinyurl.com/6fhqkg> (flash earth)
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p.a.