Chronology of Wetland Hydrological Dynamics and the Mesolithic-Neolithic Transition along the Lower Scheldt: A Bayesian Approach

Abstract

ABSTRACT. The Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in the wetland margins of the southern North Sea basin occurred well over a millennium after the transition in neighboring loess regions. This article investigates the possible role of hydrological dynamics in the presence of the last hunter-gatherer-fishermen in these wetland regions. A Bayesian modeling approach is used to integrate stratigraphic information and radiocarbon dates both from accurately datable archaeological remains and key horizons in peat sequences in the Scheldt floodplain of northwestern Belgium. This study tests whether the Swifterbant occupation of the study area was contemporaneous with hiatuses in peat growth caused by organic clastic sedimentation due to increased tidal influences and local groundwater rise. The results suggest that the appearance of this culture followed shortly after the emergence of a brackish tidal mudflat landscape replacing a freshwater marsh.

Mesolithic hearth-pits: fact or fantasy? A reassessment based on the evidence from the sites of Doel and Verrebroek (Belgium)

“…However, this marked decrease in post-Mesolithic features does not necessarily contradicts our interpretation as ant hills, as several environmental changes can be responsible for a decrease in burnt ant nests. From the mid-Holocene large parts of the study area were confronted with a gradual rising of the groundwater table as an (in) direct result of sea level rise, favouring the development of coastal and riverine wetlands (Deforce, 2011;Niekus, 2005Niekus, /2006Verhegge et al, 2014). Even the higher sand dunes on which most "hearth-pits" discussed in this paper have been found were affected by this process, resulting in the formation of peat and the deposition of alluvial sediments.…”

Potential of cone penetrating testing for mapping deeply buried palaeolandscapes in the context of archaeological surveys in polder areas

“…During the Mid Holocene increased marine influence and rising ground water level changed the area into a large swamp, with the earliest basal peat growing from between 8345 and 7785 cal BP (Gilot, 1997). The lower regions were flooded by a peri-marine incursion starting between 6530 cal BP and 6410 cal BP (Verhegge et al, 2014) leading to the interfingering of (organicrich) clay into the peat deposits (Kiden and Verbruggen, 2001;Kiden, 2006). Recent Bayesian chronological modelling of this (organic-rich) clay facies situates the restart of the peat growth between 6090 and 5770 cal BP (Verhegge et al, 2014).…”

“…The lower regions were flooded by a peri-marine incursion starting between 6530 cal BP and 6410 cal BP (Verhegge et al, 2014) leading to the interfingering of (organicrich) clay into the peat deposits (Kiden and Verbruggen, 2001;Kiden, 2006). Recent Bayesian chronological modelling of this (organic-rich) clay facies situates the restart of the peat growth between 6090 and 5770 cal BP (Verhegge et al, 2014). Late Holocene flooding turned the area into a tidal mudflat environment resulting in a thick layer of estuarine deposits consisting of an alternation of sandy and clayey sediments (Kiden and Verbruggen, 2001;Kiden, 2006).…”

“…The oldest remains date back to the Final Palaeolithic and Early Mesolithic (Cromb e et al, 2011(Cromb e et al, , 2013, when the landscape was still a largely dry environment. A series of sites dating back to the MesolithiceNeolithic transition (Cromb e, 2005;Sergant et al, 2006;Cromb e et al, 2009) and attributed to the Swifterbant culture (Cromb e et al, 2011), are contemporaneous with a period of increased tidal influence (Verhegge et al, 2014). So far no direct archaeological evidence of human activity has been found that dates from the Middle Neolithic to the Middle Ages, when the area was a large peat marsh, but archaeological records from nearby locations in the Netherlands suggest that occupation took place even in these wet environments (De Clercq, 2009;De Clercq and Van Dierendonck, 2008).…”