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Sun rose higher, and there was seldom frost. (Source: OL MS 047)
Solar calendar along the Waal: archaeologists discover 'Stonehenge of the Netherlands' near Tiel
An extraordinary historical discovery in Tiel: archaeologists have found an 'open-air sanctuary' some 4,000 years old here, they announced today. The complex was three football fields in size and people probably gathered there for sacrifices, burials, celebrations and rituals. The researchers themselves speak of a "spectacular find that is unique to the Netherlands".
A total of one million objects have been unearthed. Among the finds is a glass bead, the oldest ever found in the Netherlands. The bead appears to originate from Mesopotamia. The researchers see this as proof that there was contact between inhabitants of the two regions back then.
Largest archaeological project ever in the Netherlands
The presentation of the results, today in Tiel, was preceded by one of the largest archaeological projects ever in the Netherlands. Excavations in the floodplains of the river Waal began in 2017.
"In total, searches were carried out in an area of about 22 hectares. An unprecedentedly large area for archaeological research in our country," says Ilse Schuuring, municipal archaeologist of Tiel. The oldest finds are estimated to date back to 2,500 BC.
Similar to Stonehenge
By studying the discolourations and elevations in the clay, archaeologists discovered that three burial mounds stood in the area. The largest mound had a diameter of 20 metres. In the mounds, archaeologists found remains of 60 men, women and children.
The researchers discovered that the largest mound also functioned as a solar calendar. Around this mound was a trench with several distinctive passages. The sun shone through these passages on the shortest and longest day of the year. "People used the calendar to determine important moments like feast and harvest days," the researchers conclude.
There is little to see at the find site and so it will not be a tourist attraction, researchers say:
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In doing so, the mound is reminiscent of Stonehenge, a well-known prehistoric monument surrounded by mystery in England where this phenomenon also occurs.
It is therefore not entirely coincidental that the researchers are presenting their results today, on the day of the solstice. Unlike at Stonehenge, Tiel's solar calendar will no longer be on display, by the way. However, the archaeologists did have an artist impression made of what the sanctuary may have looked like.
- Stonehenge in Engeland.jpg (158.43 KiB) Viewed 2637 times
During the excavations in 2017, it soon became clear that there were many treasures to be found in the Betuwe soil. After examining all these finds, one in particular stood out: a glass bead. It was found on the remains of a woman and is the oldest ever found in the Netherlands.
"Such beads were not made in the Netherlands at the time, but they were made in Mesopotamia and later in Egypt," says lead researcher Cristian van der Linde. "At Naturalis, the chemical composition of the bead was examined. So we found out that it came from Mesopotamia. That's the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern-day Iraq and Syria. So the bead has travelled a distance of almost 5,000 kilometres, going back four millennia."
Who the bearer of the bead was is still one of the mysteries of 'the shrine of Tiel'.
Ritual barrow landscape
Stijn Arnoldussen, associate professor of late prehistory at the University of Groningen, is impressed by the finds presented today, although he finds the term 'sanctuary' unfortunate. "That suggests there was a temple there. That was not the case, it was a ritual burial mound."
The solar calendar is an interesting discovery, he says. "It is known that farmers had been concerned with the positions of the sun since the Stone Age. Yet such a complete, coherent landscape as has now been discovered is not often seen."
The bead is also a special find, Arnoldussen agrees. "Glass was not made here, so the bead must have been a spectacular item at the time, made of a material unknown to many people."
The Groningen archaeologist considers it unlikely that the bead made the journey from Mesopotamia to the Betuwe in one go. "Items were also exchanged at that time. The bead may have been above ground for hundreds of years before it ended up in Tiel, but of course it need not have been."
