Waaldijk 18 (2010)

Waaldijk 18

Commissioned by Brand BBA BV Becker & Van de Graaf carried out an archaeological desk study (BO) and an Inventory Field Study (IVO) exploratory phase (by means of drilling) at Waaldijk 18 in Dalem.

In the plan area, a building permit was required for planned new construction, for which archaeological research was necessary. For this, an existing building had to be demolished first. Excavation work for this demolition was only permitted to a limited extent by the water board because the building was located within the core and protection zone of the water barrier. When demolishing the building, therefore, only excavation work that was necessary for the demolition of the building and to remove all elements of the building from the dike body could be carried out. The slope had to be restored immediately after demolition in accordance with the adjacent slopes of the water barrier. Ground disturbance of the water barrier had to be limited to the bare minimum by order of the Water Board. The foundations of the planned new construction would not penetrate the current ground level due to raising the ground level.

riverbank

The plan area was located on the deposits of the Waal river belt (downstream of Tiel) in the southwestern part of the Central Dutch river area. Based on the desk research, it was expected that the subsurface of the plan area contained riverbank deposits could be present from the Waal. River banks have traditionally been attractive for human habitation. Since the Waal began to sediment from around 425 AD, habitation on the riverbank may have occurred from the end of the Late Roman period or the beginning of the Early Middle Ages. Archaeological values ​​may occur in the form of settlements, field complexes and graves. Since the riverbank increased by several phases of sedimentation, these remains can be found at several levels in the riverbank to be present.

Occupancy from the beginning of the 19th century^de century

The expectation for archaeological remains from the Late Middle Ages in the plan area was high given the location on a dike, the Waaldijk, which was probably constructed during the Late Middle Ages. Remains of habitation from the Late Middle Ages and Modern period are expected on this dike. Based on historical maps, habitation in the plan area was present from at least the beginning of the 19^de century.

Dike reinforcements

During the field investigation no evidence was found in the subsurface for the presence of riverbank deposits. However, extremely salty clay layers of the dike body were found in the subsoil. On and against this dike body, sandy and clayey raised layers were found in which rubble and archaeological finds from the New Age A-C were present. These raised layers may correspond to in situ raised residential layers or to dike reinforcements. Due to the recent date of these dike reinforcements and the fact that they are applied lower on the dike foot, these reinforcements are not present under and directly around the older house still present in the plan area and in the area directly at the top of the dike. The raised layers found are therefore probably raised residential layers over time that can be dated to the period from the New Age A on the basis of the archaeological finds. Only in the northern part of the plan area it remained unclear whether the raised layers were residential layers or dike reinforcements.

No follow-up research

Despite the possible presence of archaeological values ​​in the form of living layers in the subsurface of the plan area, an archaeological follow-up investigation in the form of test trenches could possibly result in damage to the dike or the possible dike reinforcement. For this reason, it was advised not to carry out an archaeological follow-up investigation in the plan area.