Locations
inner city of
Haarlem.
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 fter the discovery of bronze in the Middle East around 3000 BC. rich bronze cultures arose in areas where copper or tin ores were found: Ireland, South England and Central Europe.
Because both metals were not found in the same area a system of barter and exchange arose in a rather quickly in order to bring the two ores together.
The Danish and Baltic shores where large amounts of amber were found were involved in this barter.
Some of these new trade-routes passed through the Dutch shore-area.
In the beginning of the Bronze Age bronze was an elite object only to be obtained by local leaders. The 'common people' kept on using stone tools.
As from the Middle Bronze Age hunting was no longer an important source for nutrition because of the transition to agriculture.
A need for good cultivation grounds arose. These were rare so that the first field systems arose. Fences, hedges and trenches were build up to emphasize the ownership of the land and to control it but also to keep the animals out.
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Impression of a Bronze Age farm.
Foto taken at Archeon by R. de Rijk.
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A Bronze Age farm was 15 to 30 meters long and 5 to 6 meters wide. One halve was used to live in, the other halve was to stable the cattle. Quite often a ditch was digged around the building. Not only to drain the ground but also to keep the cattle away from the vulnerable walls. All constructions were made of wood, clay, reed and straw (=plaster).
There were storages, stock- and garbage pits, cattle grazings and some arable lands. New in the Bronze Age were detached, rectangular grainsilo's on piles.
The farming communities seem to be completely selfsupporting for their nutrition.
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Traces of Bronze Age occupation in the city-centre of Haarlem were found at the Stationsplein, the Grote Markt and the Ridderstraat.
In the Ridderstraat some ditches were found which originally drained the arable land. In the occupation layer a charred grain (photo) was found besides some fragments of pottery.
Additional potsherds from the Early and Middle Bronze Age (2000-1100 BC.) were found at excavations at the Schoutensteeg and the Grote Markt. These potsherds can originate from a Wikkeldraad-, Hilversum-, Drakestein- or Larenpot.
Jansweg
potsherds from
Wikkeldraadpottery were found.
Potsherds from the Late Bronze Age found at the Grote Markt.
(Move your mouse over the photo in order to see the sketch.)
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The decoration on wikkeldraadpottery (1800-1500 BC.) was placed upon with a wrapped branch or firestone, sometimes combined with little holes in the neck of the pot.
Out of the wikkeldraadpottery, the Hilversumculture (1800-1200 BC.) developed, influenced by the south of England. The urns were simple, barrel-shaped and thick. The decoration was usually made by finger- and nail pressings, on and a few cm. under the rim, combined by pressings of rope into the wet clay.
From this the Drakestein-urns (1600-1400 BC.) which were not always decorated, and the very simple Laren-urns (1400-1200 BC.) evolved.
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At Klein Heiligland post holes, which probably belonged to a house, were found during an observation. The investigated pits contained lots of pottery from the Early and Middle Bronze Age (2000-1100 BC.), especially Hilversumculture.
Outside the city-center remains of occupation were found in the Zuiderpolder. Here a fieldcomplex was found on a sand barrier. West of this site, on a parallel sand barrier, at Liewegje, another fieldcomplex was found. Evidence suggests that people crossed the swampy area between both sand barriers in prehistoric times.
In the Hekslootpolder ditches, pits and post holes were found besides the marks of an
ard.
Remarkable was the discovery of part of a circle with a diameter of 65 to 73 meter.
Pollen-research confirms that the bushy landscape slowly got a more open character. This could be the result of human or climate interventions.
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 racks between different connected places arose. It's likely that, in our region, the sand barriers were used for this purpose.
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Big loads were carried by an oxcart.
Foto taken at Archeon by R. de Rijk.
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Foreign traders also used these tracks. To guarantee a free passage they maintained 'good' contacts with local leaders by exchanging gifts.
About 1500 BC. cattle, corn, salt, jewelry, amber, fur, tin, copper and bronze were exchanged.
Although it wasn't common to lose bronze valuables, the material could be re-used very well. That's one of the reasons that bronze objects are rarely found.
During the Bronze Age the dead were buried individually, usually in a grave mound, or as (after-) interment in the grave mound of their anchestors.
From these graves a few bronze grave gifts are known.
In the Velserbroekpolder, north of Haarlem, near a Bronze Age settlement, a grave mound was found. It contained a rich grave with two golden hair slides and a bronze decorated axe.
Post holes of a possible grave mound were found at Blekersveld in Overveen next to tracks of a Bronze Age settlement, with a field and flakes.
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Reconstruction of a grave mound
Photo made in Archeon.
In Vogelenzang bronze objects and amber beads were found while digging a pond in 1895. Probable tracks of post holes of a house were found as well.
During an excavation of a Hilversumculture settlement at the Tweede Doodweg in Vogelenzang lots of pottery fragments, scrapers and flint arrowheads were found. Also some flint cores and flakes were found. This indicates that flint was still worked at this place.
The most interesting find was a faience (an early kind of glass) bead with cultural links with the Wessex culture (Stonehenge) in England.
In Velsen (across the estate Waterland) a bronze pick was found which appeared to be identical to the picks that were found in the graves of the Wessex culture.
In the Netherlands (for instance at the beach of IJmuiden) amber was found, though in smaller quantities than at the Danish and Baltic coasts.
During an excavation of a settlement of the Hilversum, Drakestein culture in Velsen (south of the Noordzeekanaal) half products and beads, which were broken while drilling through, were found, besides a few amber beams.
The excavation in Velsen also produced bone objects, picks, chisels, discs (probably spindle whirls) and a hammer. A special discovery was an object in the shape of two connected rings, these might have been part of an archery-equipment
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© Archeologische Werkgroep Haarlem, Nieuwe Gracht 3, 2011 NB Haarlem, the Netherlands.
used literature
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