Living in the Rhine-

Meuse delta during the

Middle Bronze Age

1500-1050 BC

The Eigenblok House Site

Peter Jongste

Hazenberg Archeologie Leiden

1. Introduction

2. The Rhine-Meuse Delta

3. The Bronze Age in the RMD

4. Eigenblok:

-Setting and location

-House site 5

-Long house and

outbuilding

-Activities and use

THIS

PRESENTATION

Middle Bronze Age:

1800-1050 BC

INTRODUCTION

Regions Middle Bronze Age sites

THE RHINE-MEUSE DELTA

(CENTRAL RIVER AREA)

Early Bronze Age and Middle Bronze Age (2000-1300 BC.)

Middle Bronze Age (final phase 1300-1050 BC.)

Middle Bronze Age sites

Wijk bij Duurstede

Dodewaard Zijderveld

Eigenblok

Setting and location

EIGENBLOK

Site 5

Site 6

Site 4

Site 3 Site 2

Site 1

EIGENBLOK

HOUSE SITE 5

longhouse

“bus shelter”

well

granaries

palissade

barrow

pits

Eigenblok site 5

1st phase: LN-EBA barrow

(around 2000 BC)

2nd phase: setting up MBA

house site around 1500 BC

House site in use for 30-60 yrs

1-2 generations

Durability of wood: Oak 25-30 yrs

Eigenblok: Alder - 5-15 yrs

Prevention, shelter, repair?

- Longhouses

- Focus on cattle

- Indoor stalling

- Fences & field boundaries

- Well defined farmsteads

- Association with barrow

(dated from LN-EBA)

House: central element of house-site

Size house site: 50 x 50 m

Regularity and “sudden” introduction

around 1500 BC

5m0

Site 5, af b 3.27Huisplattegrond v an huis 1, schaal 1:200Diepte v an de palen schaal 1:100, t.o.v . 0,78 +NAP

EBL_S&S_af b3_27.WOR

EIGENBLOK

LONGHOUSE & OUTBUILDING

10m0

NNNNNNNNN

EBL_S&S_af b3_28.WOR

af b3.28, Site 5Plattegronden v an de bijgebouwen schaal 1;200Diepte v an de palen schaal 1:100

structuur 1 diepte van de palenaangegevne t.o.v. 0,69 +NAP

structuur 7diepte van de palenaangegevne t.o.v. 0,56 +NAP

structuur 6diepte van de palenaangegevne t.o.v. 0,55 +NAP

structuur 5 diepte van de palenaangegevne t.o.v. 0,71 +NAP

structuur 4diepte van de palenaangegevne t.o.v. 0,61 +NAP

structuur 3 diepte van de palenaangegevne t.o.v. 0,67 +NAP

structuur 2 diepte van de palenaangegevne t.o.v. 0,70 +NAP

Gewicht in grammen per segment

2.020 to 6.180820 to 2.020260 to 820

0 to 260

Site 5, af b 3.23Verspreiding v an de v ondsten per segment

10m0

NNNNNNNNN

EBL_S&S_af b3_23

EIGENBLOK

ACTIVITIES & USE

Foot steps on the dance floor…

Now: building Eigenblok in practice

by Leo Wolterbeek