Kleine Haarsekade 125 – 126 (2001)

Small Haarsekade 126 Gorinchem

On Friday 3 August 2001, following the proposed sale of the location and the application for a building permit by Archeomedia BV on behalf of the Environmental Service South Holland South (MZHZ) an exploratory archaeological soil investigation was carried out (in combination with environmental soil investigation (report C01-468.O, Arnicon BV) at the location of the Kleine Haarsekade between 125 and 126 in Gorinchem. The location had a surface area of ​​approximately 4000 m² and was fallow. There is a ditch between the location and the Kleine Haarsekade.

River banks

The Alblasserwaard and the Vijfheerenlanden were established in the Belvedere memorandum as an area of ​​archaeological value and therefore research was important for the archaeological soil archive. The Vijfheerenlanden form a transition zone between the peat meadow landscape of the South Holland Waards and the river landscape of Gelderland. Very elongated reclamation villages characterize the landscape of the period during the reclamation of the landscape. The river systems were of great importance for older settlements in the area. The existing riverbanks offered possibilities for settlement from the Mesolithic to the Roman period and the Middle Ages.

The sale of the location and the resulting planned new construction with the associated earthmoving could pose a threat to the archaeological values ​​in the plan area. Based on the national and provincial regulations, in particular the Treaty of Malta, the Belvedere Note and the Provincial Environmental Policy Guidelines, an inventory of the archaeological values ​​in the area had to be made. Based on the Indicative Map of Archaeological Values ​​(IKAW) of the National Service for Archaeological Heritage (ROB) in Amersfoort, the research location is part of an area with a medium archaeological encounter probability. A large number of archaeological sites in the vicinity of the research location are included in the ROB's ARCHeological Geographic Information System (ARCHIS).

Research objective

The exploratory research consisted of a preliminary research (historical research), a Standard Archaeological Inventory (SAI), supplemented with a site inspection and an exploratory drilling research, the Supplementary Archaeological Inventory (AAI). The drilling research was carried out at the location of the new construction of the barn and the house. The results of the AAI could therefore only be used for this location. The archaeological sites and values ​​from the area were included in the research for the SAI.

The province of South Holland tested the results of the research. The results of the SAI and the AAI were included in the planning. The research related to archaeological sites from Prehistory to the Modern Period.

The aim of the exploratory soil investigation was to determine the presence or absence of archaeological values ​​and to what extent the future use of the location would influence any archaeological values ​​in the area.

Conclusions

During the field exploration no archaeological indicators were found at the research location. No archaeological indicators were found in the borings either.

Based on the drillings, the soil structure and the absence of archaeological finds, the research location can be interpreted as a location with a low archaeological expectation value.

The medium probability of finding on the Indicative Map of Archaeological Values ​​of the ROB was therefore not confirmed.

Impression of life on a prehistoric mound by Kelvin Wilson.

Donken

The area of ​​the Alblasserwaard and the Vijfheerenlanden has been inhabited by people since prehistoric times. The habitation in the Mesolithic and Neolithic took place on dunes. The old river dunes were an ideal place for people in prehistory to settle. Archaeological research, including for the Betuwe line, has shown that these old river dunes were ideal places to live for people from prehistory at the transition from the Late Mesolithic to the Early Neolithic (5000-4000 BC). The dunes were visited by semi-nomadic people, who lived from fishing, hunting and collecting edible wild plants. In the younger phases, the dunes were inhabited more permanently and agriculture was gradually introduced. Due to the covering with river sediments, the organic material in particular, such as plant remains and animal bones, has been excellently preserved, which means that excavations of peat can provide information about the food supply and the way of life of these people. In the municipality of Gorinchem a fragment of a hammer axe from the Neolithic was found in sand. Unfortunately, hardly any traces of habitation from the period before the Roman period were found.

Habitation on the river ridges

In the Alblasserwaard and the Vijfheerenlanden there is a system of stream ridges and ridges. These are the fossil remains of freshwater tidal rivers and creeks from the Iron Age (deposits of Tiel I, 500 - 200 BC). Due to differential subsidence, the sandy-silty filling of the former watercourses protrudes in the form of ridges above the surrounding areas, the basins that are built up of clay and peat. In the Roman period (12 BC - 450 AD) this complex with many small strongly branched stream belts system became an ideal place for people to settle. In ARCHIS nine find reports can be found that are related to the Roman period. The finds made within the municipality of Gorinchem consist of traces of habitation, charcoal, a millstone and ceramics. Due to the increasing influence of the water, the settlements were abandoned around 270 AD. Indications of habitation during this period (3^de all 9^de century) are missing so far.

Exploitation

From the 10^de century, the peat areas in the Utrecht-Holland peat area were successively developed. In the 11^de century, the reclamations in the Alblasserwaard were in full swing. The reclamations were started from the existing or newly dug watercourse. The ditches were dug as much as possible parallel and approximately perpendicular to the reclamation base in order to obtain the most effective possible drainage of the convex peat. Side and rear embankments were constructed to keep out the water from adjacent reclamations or peat that had not yet been reclaimed. The farms were built on the head of the plots, so that elongated settlements (farm ribbons) were created. The mention of the presence of 10^de Century pottery such as Pingsdorf (yellow-white baking pottery) in ARCHIS shows that the area around Gorinchem was developed quite early.

In 1872, there was a farm with gardens around it at the research location. 1 Historical Atlas South Holland, Bonnebladen, 1872 – 1913 (1:25.000) map 527 Nothing was found of this farm during the exploratory archaeological research. Before the 20th century, the Haarsekade west of the research location was a stream (watercourse dug for the towpath and drainage of the polder). This was filled in with household waste at the beginning of the 20th century.

Northeast of the research location a river dune and a stream belt are present under the current surface. The river dune may have been inhabited during the later prehistoric period (4000-2000 years ago). Northeast of the research location the prehistoric stream belt is crossed with a stream belt from the Roman period. 2Cultural-historical Main Structure (CHS) map 1a, Archaeology, characteristics These stream belts and river dunes are indicated on the CHS map (map 1b, Archaeology, values) as structures with a reasonable to very high probability of archaeological traces.

Nicholson, C. (2001) Exploratory Archaeological Soil Investigation Kleine Haarsekade 125-126 in Gorinchem, Archeomedia Report A01-468-Z02, Nieuwerkerk on the IJssel. flipbook | PDF (1,76 MB)

NB The location names in this report are incorrect