DOI chapter:
Grenzgänger, traders and the last hunter-gatherers of the North European Plain
DOI chapter:Molthof, Helle M.; Baetsen, Steffen: Two new Swifterbant settlements at Nieuwegein-Het Klooster, the Netherlands: preliminary site interpretation and overview of human remains
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.66745#0089
88
Two new Swifterbant settlements at Nieuwegein-Het Klooster, the Netherlands
Fig. 3 Cross-section of levee and residual channel on site B4/17 (photo: RAAP Archeologisch Adviesbureau).
Fig. 4 Pointed-bottomed pot with possible traces of black paint (photo: Restauratieatelier Restaura).
the fact that both sites yielded only a few features2
and no house plans, makes it difficult to interpret
the nature and sequence of the habitation.
The chronology of the sites is for now based
on the typology of pottery and flint artefacts, since
2 The low number of features might very well be the result of
the similarity in colour of the find layer and the underlying le-
vee soil. It is not clear whether this is caused by postdeposi-
tional processes (e.g. decomposition or washout of humus), or
whether there never was much difference at all. The fact that
there were no burial pits visible around the inhumations teach-
es us to be careful to interpret (absent) features as never having
existed.
there are very few 14C-dates available yet. The major-
ity of the sherds from site 1 are considered to date
to phase Swifterbant (SW) 2, 4,400-3,900 cal BC
(Ten Anscher 2012, 5, 7). They are tempered with
quartz and plant material (or sometimes sand), they
originate from both pointed-bottomed and round-
bottomed pots (and one flat-bottomed pot), and show
little decoration except for a few spatula impressions,
some fingertip impressions, and possible traces of
black paint on one pointed-bottomed vessel (Fig. 4).
On some pots, the surface is covered with an extra
layer of roughened clay, which is also known from the
pottery of Medel-De Roeskamp (see Ten Anscher /
Knippenberg, this volume) and Swifterbant-S3 (De
Two new Swifterbant settlements at Nieuwegein-Het Klooster, the Netherlands
Fig. 3 Cross-section of levee and residual channel on site B4/17 (photo: RAAP Archeologisch Adviesbureau).
Fig. 4 Pointed-bottomed pot with possible traces of black paint (photo: Restauratieatelier Restaura).
the fact that both sites yielded only a few features2
and no house plans, makes it difficult to interpret
the nature and sequence of the habitation.
The chronology of the sites is for now based
on the typology of pottery and flint artefacts, since
2 The low number of features might very well be the result of
the similarity in colour of the find layer and the underlying le-
vee soil. It is not clear whether this is caused by postdeposi-
tional processes (e.g. decomposition or washout of humus), or
whether there never was much difference at all. The fact that
there were no burial pits visible around the inhumations teach-
es us to be careful to interpret (absent) features as never having
existed.
there are very few 14C-dates available yet. The major-
ity of the sherds from site 1 are considered to date
to phase Swifterbant (SW) 2, 4,400-3,900 cal BC
(Ten Anscher 2012, 5, 7). They are tempered with
quartz and plant material (or sometimes sand), they
originate from both pointed-bottomed and round-
bottomed pots (and one flat-bottomed pot), and show
little decoration except for a few spatula impressions,
some fingertip impressions, and possible traces of
black paint on one pointed-bottomed vessel (Fig. 4).
On some pots, the surface is covered with an extra
layer of roughened clay, which is also known from the
pottery of Medel-De Roeskamp (see Ten Anscher /
Knippenberg, this volume) and Swifterbant-S3 (De