Archaeology: a major tool in the reconstruction of the coastal evolution of Westergo (northern Netherlands)

The oldest phase of terp settlement on the marshes of Westergo is dated between the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (ca. 600 BC) and is found in the southern part of Westergo (the “old land”). During the next period (500 BC-500 AD) the “funnel-shaped tidal basin” in the northern part silted up to the supratidal level. The middle marsh zone in the funnel-shaped basin expanded during this period (1000 years) by ca. 5 km at the western and eastern sides of the basin and by ca. 10 km in the central part. This implies a mean marsh extension in this former tidal basin of ca. 5-10 m per year. In this paper, a reappraisal of the nature and genesis of the salt-marsh ridges of the northern Netherlands is presented.