Archaeologists have discovered an earthen wall on the former Vijfsluizen sports field in Vlaardingen, which, according to the municipality, is possibly the oldest dike in the Netherlands. It is an earthen wall from the second century BC.
According to the municipality of Vlaardingen, no such construction has been found in the Netherlands before from that period, regional broadcaster reports Rijnmond. Homes will be built on the former sports field.
The construction consists of two rows of twenty meters of posts, which have a wall of wickerwork. The structure was probably one and a half to two meters wide and between half and one meter high. It is not yet entirely clear what its function was. Possibly the earth wall served as a dike and had to hold back the water.
Not completely preserved
Archaeologist Jeroen Flamman of archaeological consultancy Vestigia expects that the building will actually be much longer. “But this is inside the job site. How it is out there, we need to look at with another study.”
The earthen wall is not completely exposed yet. “The investigation is still going on and we are going to excavate a part of the dike body,” says Flamman. “Outside the construction project, the embankment will be retained in the soil, but that is not possible within the construction area. Sand will be poured over it, piles will be driven and sewers will be constructed. That cannot be preserved.”
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