De beer in de nederlandse pre- en protohistorie

So far no skeletal elements of the brown bear have been excavated in the Netherlands that can be dated in the tenth century. However, historical information and the much longer presence of the bear in adjacent Germany leads us to assume that somewhere till the tenth century this animal was part of the dutch fauna. In the western part of the dutch coastal area the existence of deciduous forests on the levees and in the innercoastal dune area will have provided a good natural environment for brown bear. It is to be expected that the bear will have been present in the medieval period in this part of Holland as well. Although the complete skull and a lower jaw of two individuals of brown bear (Ursus arctos L.), excavated in Valkenburg (Province of South Holland) can not be dated accurately, a medieval date should not be ruled out on above mentioned grounds.