The Northern Times
  • News
  • Lifestyle
  • Culture
  • People
  • What’s happening
  • Economy
  • Opportunities
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Lifestyle
  • Culture
  • People
  • What’s happening
  • Economy
  • Opportunities
No Result
View All Result
The Northern Times
No Result
View All Result

Drought reveals medieval fortification near Noordlaren

by The Northern Times
August 6, 2018
in Dutch history
Home Dutch history

The longest dry spell in the past century in the Netherlands has had at least one silver lining: the foundation of a medieval fortification has been spotted in a field near the Groningen town of Noordlaren.

Translation by Traci White

Dagblad van het Noorden reports that the contours of three separate sites can be clearly seen in aerial photos taken on 2 August by Aerophoto Eelde. The circular patterns have become visible because the medieval pits retain water longer than the surrounding bone-dry soil.

Droogte onthult middeleeuws kasteel bij #Noordlaren https://t.co/BJX92JIg1e

— Dagblad v/h Noorden (@dvhn_nl) August 6, 2018

Diana Spiekhout, a PhD candidate at the University of Groningen whose research is focused on medieval castles, says that the Noordlaren site is part of four military defence structures that were built around 1400 by the bishop of Utrecht, and that they may have been built on top of an even older development.

The bishop was fighting a war with the province of Groningen and wanted to be able to close off the roads into the city. He also had a defensive line built consisting of walls and canals. The largest circle had three walls, two canals or moats and a tower. The two smaller circles may be similar fortifications, but Spiekhout says they could also be burial sites.

Parch marks

The persistent drought in parts of northern Europe have been a blessing for archaeologists: the dry conditions have helped identify several former buildings and settlements. “Parch marks” – the outlines of ancient structures in the soil – are revealed by the dried out soil.

Aerial photography carried out in the United Kingdom and Ireland have found previously unknown sites, including a henge near Newgrange, an 18th century mansion in Nottinghamshire and a Roman camp in Lyne.

Back in July, NOS reported that aerial surveys during droughts to search for archaeological ruins are less common in the Netherlands than across the channel. The practice used to be quite common – according to some Dutch archeaologists, the country was one fo the first to use planes to scan the landscape – but the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands stated a couple of weeks ago that there were no formal plans to look for ruins from the air.

Photo source: Aerophoto Eelde

Tags: archaeologycastledroughtfortGroningenhistorymedievalNoordlaren

Related Posts

Groningen’s Femke Rispens claims gold in Frisian Fierljeppen Championships
Sports

Groningen’s Femke Rispens claims gold in Frisian Fierljeppen Championships

August 22, 2023
Marathon Cup skating competition to start and end in the North
Sports

Marathon Cup skating competition to start and end in the North

July 18, 2023
Who what when where why: Keti Koti
Dutch history

Who what when where why: Keti Koti

July 5, 2023

Comments 1

  1. Daan says:
    5 years ago

    Thanks for putting the double circles around the circles.

Popular News

  • Groningen Market Day arriving with its biggest market to date

    Groningen Market Day arriving with its biggest market to date

    382 shares
    Share 153 Tweet 96
  • More explosions rock Groningen province

    408 shares
    Share 163 Tweet 102
  • University of Groningen facing financial trouble

    363 shares
    Share 145 Tweet 91
  • University of Groningen becomes first official TOEFL test center in the North

    346 shares
    Share 138 Tweet 87
  • Three people killed in Rotterdam shootings

    338 shares
    Share 135 Tweet 85
The Northerntimes is powered by: TopDutch

No Result
View All Result
  • Arts
  • Contributors
  • Covid-19 News
  • Covid Chronicles
  • authority
  • personal
  • photo reportage
  • professional
  • Crime
  • Culture
  • Drenthe
  • Dutch history
  • Econ 050
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Eurosonic Noorderslag
  • Friesland
  • Groningen
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Make it in the North
  • National
  • News
  • Nightlife
  • Opinion
  • Opportunities
  • Education
  • People
  • Expats
  • International students
  • Politics
  • Shopping
  • Sports
  • submitted articles
  • Top Dutch Business
  • Travel
  • Typical Dutch
  • Ukraine
  • Uncategorized
  • What’s happening
  • World

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Submit a article

Send in an article to be published on The Northern Times.

Send a news tip

Got a story idea or want us to be aware of anything?