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This article is written as a conclusive report after one year of field prospections in Gaasterland in the province of Fryslân in The Netherlands. In 2013, a total of 128 artifacts were discovered at ten different locations around the village of Oudemirdum. From these locations, two findspots were responsible for the majority of the finds, at the other findspots only few artifacts were discovered. In an analysis, it seemed that the artifacts were mainly consisting of flakes and cores while blade technology is rare. The artifacts are mainly consisting of flakes; so most likely these are originating from the broad Early- Neolithic to Early Bronze Age period. Most artifacts were found at two major findspots near Oudemirdum and indicating a local tool production, but meanwhile, as fifty percent of the artifacts fits in a ‘tool – category’, it seems that daily tasks were carried out as well, so it is quite possible we deal with (small?) seasonal camps with dual function: hunting, fishing and collecting on the one hand and tool production on the other. However, as the artifacts were surface- collected, no big conclusions can be hung on the artifacts and their relations, but it is clear prehistoric activity in this part of Gaasterland is not difficult to establish. As the majority of the finds will be of a later Neolithic date, so a possible relation with the Trechterbeker Culture (TRB) is not excluded, as this culture had flake -based tool manufacture and used cores as tools; but as no typical guideartifacts from the TRB, like axe fragments or shards were found, this remains uncertain, till new finds bring more light on the subject. |
