This chapter deals with plant remains retrieved during the excavation of traces left by the Bronze, Iron and Roman Age farming societies in Oss-North. Its two parts are not really related except... Show moreThis chapter deals with plant remains retrieved during the excavation of traces left by the Bronze, Iron and Roman Age farming societies in Oss-North. Its two parts are not really related except for the fact that the questions posed are tackled by using archaeobotanical methods. Subchapter 8.1 discusses the vegetation on the farmyards, subchapter 8.2 concerns the crops grown by the farmers. Show less
Stable isotope analysis of charred Bronze Age emmer wheat and barley excavated in the northwest Netherlands reveals high values of δ15N. Cultivation of the same cereal species under controlled... Show moreStable isotope analysis of charred Bronze Age emmer wheat and barley excavated in the northwest Netherlands reveals high values of δ15N. Cultivation of the same cereal species under controlled circumstances on the appropriate substrates provided baselines indicating that the prehistoric cereal fields must have been manured. Reconstruction of the size of the arable fields and livestock suggests that animal dung cannot have been the only source of fertilizer. Application of household waste and mud from ditches is considered as well as a possible effect from burning stubble. Growing of pulses was not practiced and therefore this method of ameliorating the soil has to be left out of the question. The outcome of the study presented here is that the Bronze Age farmers of the northwest Netherlands used several means to maintain the fertility of their arable land and that they may have adapted their strategy according to circumstances. Show less
