Pollen Analytical Investigations in the Northern Netherlands with special reference to archaeology

For many years already there has been a close co-operation between archaeology and palynology. This co-operation is particularly concerned with the investigation of archaeological objects—sometimes even complete settlements—which were discovered in the peat. With the help of archaeologically well datable finds it was possible to obtain a dating of some parts of the pollen diagram and of stratigraphical phenomena as the recurrence surfaces in the Swedish raised bogs. Next, objects which were archaeologically not datable, viz. trackways and peat burials, could be dated more or less accurately by means of pollen analysis. In the last few years, moreover, attention has been paid to the pollen analytical investigation of samples from burial monuments. It was Waterbolk who worked out this method, and who attained important results. In this investigation much stress is laid on the correlation between archaeological and scientific phenomena. In this connection it was in the first place of much importance to have the disposal of a detailed diagram from a large raised bog whose pollen content cannot have been influenced to a great extent by local conditions. From this diagram reflecting the vegetation development in a given region alterations of the vegetation effected by climatic changes or human interference can be read. Moreover, by means of such a diagram other pollen analytical data from that given region—which have often been influenced by local conditions—can be compared better with those from other regions.