Abstract
Before the first sea dykes were constructed in the twelfth or thirteenth century CE, the coastal area of the Northern Netherlands was dominated by extensive salt-marsh. Habitation in this unstable maritime landscape was concentrated on relatively high ridges, often along tidal gullies. Because such ridges were still subject to flooding several times a year, people had constructed artificial dwelling mounds or terps (in Dutch: terpen or wierden) from the first colonization of the salt-marsh area in seventh century BCE. They started with one or more small house platforms, which were gradually raised and extended with layers of sods, dung, and trash. The present-day terps, often still clearly visible in the flat landscape, represent the final phase of their development. Although being constructed for a different reason and in a different landscape, terps can be compared to tells in the Eastern Mediterranean, also comprising many overlapping habitation layers that may cover a period of several thousand of years at the same site.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Besteman, J. C., Bos, J. M., Gerrets, D. A., Heidinga, H. A., & de Koning, J. (Eds.). (1999). The excavations at Wijnaldum (Reports on Frisia in Roman and Medieval Times 1). Rotterdam/Brookfield: Taylor & Francis.
Nicolay, J. A. W. (Ed.). (2010). Terpbewoning in oostelijk Friesland. Twee opgravingen in het voormalige kweldergebied van Oostergo (Groningen Archaeological Studies 10). Groningen: Barkhuis Publishing and the Groningen University Library.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Nicolay, J.A.W. (2015). Terp Excavation in the Netherlands. In: Carver, M., Gaydarska, B., Montón-Subías, S. (eds) Field Archaeology from Around the World. SpringerBriefs in Archaeology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09819-7_25
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09819-7_25
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-09818-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-09819-7
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawSocial Sciences (R0)