Van de wal en het veld: nieuw archeologisch onderzoek aan Celtic fields

Samenvatting

Of banks and plots: new archaeological research on Celtic fields. Contrary to common belief, our understanding of the features of the Celtic field systems, which are considered typical of the Late Bronze Age to the Roman period, is quite limited. Questions such as ‘Why and how were Celtic field banks constructed?’, ‘How exactly did the alternation of habitation and agriculture work?’ and ‘How did Celtic field systems evolve?’ remain unanswered. To this end, new fieldwork in the Celtic field of Zeijen–Noordse Veld was undertaken during the summer of 2010. Seven small test-trenches were dug in Celtic field banks and plots. Provisional analysis shows that the banks evolved in several stages (initially raised from settlement debris and dung, and later with locally cut sods), but showed no signs of intensified farming towards.