Major Bronze Age settlement found in Son, Netherlands

During a rescue excavation prior to the construction
of a highway junction at Ekkersrijt (Son) a major
Bronze age settlement is found, perhaps the largest
in the Netherlands, and certainly the largest in the
south.
From the c 30 houses, until now 20 are excavated, one
from the early Iron Age. They are c. 25 meters long
and 7 wide. Also 50 other buildings, two burial
mounds, and cremations are found.
The site was largely undisturbed because it was left
in the early Iron Age and never built again.
Not only the size of the settlement is special, but
also that the farms were placed ad regular distances
around a burial mound. This regularity shows that
(most)farms were not succesive, bud stood there at
the same time.
The excavation will continue this summer, and it is
not possible to preserve anything in situ. It will be
complete distruction.

For the site see http://tinyurl.com/6fzr3v
(flashearth)
This shows the site under excavation in 2007, when
already five farms were found. A ring ditch is
visible, probably around one of the mounds.
If you like to see the site in birds eye view,
click on the Windows logo bottom left.

On this page is shown what is happening. The
excavation is visible on photos 5-7
http://www.ed.nl/specials/fotoalbums/randwegfotos/

Short videos of the excavation broadcasted last week:
http://tinyurl.com/3vpv2s (Omroep Brabant)
Choose 'videofragment' then 'Verslag Imke van de Laar'

http://tinyurl.com/5uyepp (Eindhovens Dagblad)

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p.a.




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