98 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 14, 1889.

I. NOTE A VISITERA F O O ST P MOUN T AALZUMDA N NORTI , H FRIESLAND, HOLLAND ROBERY B . T MUNRO, M.D., SECRETARY.

Every one who is conversant with the physical conditions of Holland knows that,- were it not for its huge dikes, a large part of its most fertile land would be submerged. Before these bulwarks were constructed almos whole th t f Frieslano e d must have been swampy marshes, inter- spersed here and there with sandbanks. At the present time these low- lying districts look, to the casual observer, as if they were a dead level; but, on closer inspection, it will be seen that there are, at more or less regular distances, certain elevations or low mounds of considerable extent, whose summits rise somewhat above the level of the dikes ; so that, if the tides by any calamity had free access, these mounds would appear as so many islands scattered over the country. It is on these elevations that churche villaged san generalle ar s y built tild l,an recently nobody seemed thino t k anything about their origin. discoveres feA wa w t i year o dsag that the interior of some of these mounds was composed of a rich ammoniacal deposit, which agriculturists foun havo t d higea h fertilising power when sprea thein do r fieldsexcavatioe Th . f thio n s substance for manuring purpose formw simportanno n a s t industry landey an d an , proprieto happenworkablo a n rwh ow o st e terp—i.e., free buildingf eo on s — is on the way to realise a small fortune. When a terp is to be worked they proceed thus:— bass Ait e closo g canat sufficien du p eu s i l admio t t t large boats, whic thee har n loaded witl part stuffe al sentd hth f o so an t , tho country. As the workings advance, the canal is also advanced, so that the boats are always close up to the diggings. In the course of these operation observes wa t i s d that bone f largso e animals, pottery, and other relics of human industry were occasionally turned up. By degrees these oft-repeated discoveries drew the attention of antiquaries, and Dr Pleyte of Leyden is now publishing a large illustrated work on the antiquities of Holland, in which a conspicuous place is given to the terpen mound theid san r contents , howeveris t I . officee somo th ,t f e-o bearers of the Museum of the Friesch Genootschap at Leewarden, more VISIT TO A TEEP MOUND AT AALZUM. 99

especially Mr C. H. F. A. Corbelijn Battaerd, its conservator, that I cam indebte e informatioth r e subjecfo dth n o nt containe n thii d s notice. In this museum are stored up most of the objects hitherto found in the terpen mounds collectione th d an , , already uniqu s kindit f edails o , i d yan rapidly increasing s ordera , s have been issue solde b tha d relico o t n t e sar without being in the first place submitted to the authorities of the Museum. Like most countries e earlth , y tradition f Hollano s d have been forgotten or ignored, and in its annals little mention is made of the terpen. In explanation of the origin and early use of the word, Dr Pleyte quotes from Ocko van Scharl a passage to the effect that one of the ancient kings of Friesland, named Adgillus, who reigned towards the end of the sixth century d causedha , n accoune ravageo , th n inundatioa f f o to s n which took place four years prior to his ascension, a large number of elevated places to be formed, so as to give shelter to man and beast in e evena recurrencth f o t f thio e s danger. These mounds were then called terpen. Pliny also states (Hist. Nat., xvi ) tha Cauc1 e . th t i (Frisians) wern ei e habith f constructino t g artificial mound n whico s h they built their houses, so as to be beyond the influence of the waves and tides.

" Vast i meatuoib dierus bi , m noctiumque singularum intervallis, effusun i s immensum agitur ooeanus, operiens aeternam rerum naturae controversiam dubiumque terra sit an pars maris. Illic misera gens tumulos obtinet altos ceu tribunala extructa manibu d experimenta s a altissiini aestus casia it s impositis, navigantibus similes cum integant aquas ciroumdata, naufragis vero cum recesserint, fugientesqu marm cu ei pisces circa tuguria venanturn No . pecude haberes mhi lactn no , e ali t finitimisu feri, m scu quidee n , m dimicare contingit, omni prooul abacto frutice. Ulva et palustri junco funes nectunt ad praetexeivnda piscibus retia, captumque manibus lutum ventis magis quam sole siccantes terra cibo rigentit se a septentrione viscer urunta asu . Potus nonnisi ex imbre servato scrobibus in vestibulo domus. Et hae gentes, si vincantur hodi popula e o Romano, servir t profectoe dicuntes s e a It ., multis fortuua parcit in poenam." Mr Dirks, president of the Friesch Genootschap, as early as 1871, at e Internationath l Congres t Bolognaa s , characterised these mounds a s analagou e terramarth o t s a bed n Italy—i s e sons terramare"C de t s 100 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUAEY 14, 1889.

historique t i remaine st j"bu 1 o Professodt r Pigorin Eomf o i shoo t e w that they were identica s regarda l s internal structuren i . d Thidi e h s 1881, after a visit to one at Aalzum, which was then being excavated, whe showee h n d that circumscribina ther s ewa g dike, and, althougo hn actual piles were then s visibleinforme e proprietorwa th e h y , b d s that they had been occasionally met with. From the stratified arrangement of their contents, he concluded that the deposits were due to pile dwell- ings, and had accumulated under conditions precisely similar to the terra- mare n regari , whics o suci t d a e hdistinguisheh d authoritye Th . excavations at Aalzum are still going on, and I can conceive no better mean f makinso acquainteu gyo d wit e naturhth structurd ean f theseo e remarkable deposits tha detailiny b n e factth g s which came undey m r own cognisance during a visit I made to the same spot this summer, under the guidance of my excellent friend Mr Battaerd. tere pTh lies abou e towe nort mila th t th f Dokkum f no o ho et , some 12 miles from Leewarden fro 5 seashore e r mth o 4 approachin n I d .,an g the locality there was little to attract special notice beyond the usual Dutch scenery—canals, rich meadows, herds of splendid cattle, and here and there some well-cultivated corn fields n fronI sligha . t t elevation coul discernee db d crowne a smal y db l churcmidse cluma th f o n ti h p of trees, and surrounded by neatly hedged meadows and cornfields. As we advanced towards this churc enteree hw slopina n do g roaraisef i s da d on a dike, but on each side the land was perfectly flat, and bearing here splendia d cro f beanspo therd an ,n equallea y promising cro f wheato p . " These fields," said Mr Battaerd, "were formerly part of the terp mound, from which however the fertilising stuff has been removed, but the road was left undisturbed, so that we are now actually walking on a portion came w sighn ei y b f heap o ts d surface. o it ff clayean so y B y" stufn i f the midst of which were to be seen the masts and rigging of three boats. " That clayey stuf fdeposite e whicse u hyo n irregula di r heaps," sair M d Battaerd, "is the surface soil, which is of no commercial use, and must be wheeled off befor e valuableth . at Thi t es go deposit super-e b n sca ficial layer is 3 or 4 feet thick, and contains no antiquities." At last the actual workings were reached, and wo found ourselves in front of a perpen- 1 Inter. Cony. d'Anthr. et d'Arch. prehist,, session v. p, 212. TEKVISIA O PT 1 MOUN10 AALZUMT DA .

dicular section r 1o som8 5 fee1 e t high, fro mwomed an whic n n hme were' busily engaged in loading the boats lying close by. Uppermost in thoughty e paramounm th s wa s t questio e existencth f o n f uprigho e t piles in these settlements—which it will be remembered Pigorini had t actuallno y seen t inferre,bu d that they must have been present whee nth deposits were accumulating. Great was my delight when, at the very firs t detectee glanceey y undoubten m ,da juse k d th facn oa pilt i f f o eeo cutting. Close by it I soon found another; and as we moved along numbers were observed, some d yieldingsofan t , scarcely offerin resistancy an g e spadee th otherd o t an , oakf so , ver ycentree harth t morn di bu , e decayed outsidee onth , than thos eI hav ehabie bee th f seeinn o ti n n mossi g y boglakd san e mudf thosO .e sectioe seeth n i n some penetrated deeper than littlothersa t eA distanc.k beams a heaoa y f po la ,e whicd ha h been removed fro e f trenchesthesmo th e eI measured On . found an , d it to be 4 yards in length and about 6 to 8 inches thick. Upon inquiry, I ascertained that some of these beams were found lying horizontally about half-way down in the stratified stuff. Those who, like Professor Pigorini, are acquainted with the structure and features of the terramaras of northern Ital e surpriseyb e comparativwilt th no lt a d e rarity with which piles are met with in the terpen mounds, because of the rapidity with which timbers, when y earthburiedr n ,i d deca d disappeaan y r altogether, leaving in many cases no trace behind them. This fact was strikingly show y Chiericib n o producewh , d positive evidence th f o e former existenc e uppef pileth eo n rsi strat e terramare f somth o a f eo , showinby g thahole the tpiles the s ,lef by aftetwoo the rhad d completely disappeared, had become subsequently filled up by infiltrated material which then assumed and retained the actual form of the original piles. In short, natural casts of them were accidentally formed, and thus disclosed and substantiated the important fact of their existence, which otherwise might never have been suspected e soundnesth o T .f thi so s deduction I have myself unconsciously contributed by an observation I made some years ago while digging at the craiinog of Lochspouts, and which being recorded perhapy ma alloweI e , sb d her quoto et e :— greatls wa I y y puzzleda e findiny "db On g wha evidentls twa portioe yth f no a birch-tree, from 6 to 9 inches ill diameter, quite flat, and with scarcely any 2 10 PKOCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F O S , JANUAR , 1S89Y14 .

wood left inside the thick bark. In no instance previously had I seen the evidenc f pressureo logn o ef thi o s s t aftesizbu e; r carefully considerine gth point, it was ascertained that such effects occurred only in the upper portion of mounde th pavementg abovlo d e an , th e , whe wooe beend th dha n exposeo dt atmospheric influences thao s , t whe woode nth y fibres rotted away flattene th , - ing of the bark was easily produced. All the logs found buried in water or mud retained their original dimensions, and showed no traces of having yielded to superincumbent pressure" (Ancient Scottish Lake Dwellings, p. 273). presene Th t non-existenc pilef eo mann si f thesyo e terpen mounds si therefore no proof that they have not formerly existed; and indeed it is difficult to account for the horizontality and regularity of the beds on any other hypothesis. While I was wandering about scrutinising the excavations, wondering at the distinctness of the varied strata, and picking up mussel shells, bits of bone, and fragments of pottery that were here therd an e stickine section th facn i f t frieno y e gm ,r ou Battaer M d s dwa deeply occupied by examining a heap of large skulls of cattle and other animals which lay withering in a sunny corner. Having joined him at his osteological study, I found that among these bones was the head of urun a greaf so t size, with splendid horn cores, whic e considerehh e dth finest that had yet found its way to the museum. The relic-finders were now asked to produce their treasures, and I soon saw that they were pretty well distributed amon e boat-loaderth g e diggersth r d M an s. Battaer assumew dno e functionth d d demeanouan s a judge f d o r an , having put a reasonable, and to all appearance satisfactory, value on the antiquities, he paid the finders accordingly. On this occasion he very courteously gave me the opportunity of securing some of the smaller objects, with the .exception of one or two rare bronze objects which he retaine e museumth r e tabledfo th n . , beforo frow u Thesno m yo ee ear which you can form a fair idea of the character of these remarkable remains. [See list and description on p. 95.] The land close to the brink of the section, and extending over a con- siderable portio e moundth f occupies no wa , growiny db g corn owind ,an g e difficultth thio d t f defininsan o y s exacit g t limits s dimensionit , n sca only be approximately stated. The proprietors, Messrs W. and J Bierma, obligingl yf the o accompanied e m on assured e t couli b an t e , dm dno us yard0 les40 diametern i sr s o tha 0 s greatesIt n30 . t height above th e TEEVISIA O P3 T 10 MOUN AALZUMT A D .

wate re canaleves abouth wa n li l t 1f 8courso feet t e level-oth ebu , f canal wate s considerabli r y lower tha opee n th tha ncome f o tsea Th -. mercially valuable stuff, as already mentioned, commenced some 3 or 4 feet below the surface, and continued without interruption to within a few feet of the canal water. It was in the intermediate portion that the relics were found, but their exact position, especially of the smaller objects s seldowa , m determined s generallwa t i s ya , afte e stufd th r ha f becom s transpore it brokey b p nu t int boate oth s that they were found. e stufs distinctlTh wa f y stratified, forming layer f varieo s d thickness, fro mfingea inche4 r r o r sometime o breadts3 o t p hu s more, whicn hi some instances coul continuousle db y trace r lonfo dg distances. Some- times they shelve t altogetherdou d otheran , s commenced. d Herbe ea of fibrinous matter whicn i , h quantitie e partlth f so y decomposed fibres of flax were readily recognisable ; there, a thickish deposit of a brownish glutinous stuff like peat. Charcoa d ashean l s permeate e wholeth d , d appearean d hertherd an es distinc a e t layers. Clad sanyan d were also mixed with the deposits, and assumed occasionally the form of distinct beds. Having so far satisfied ourselves as to the structural arrangements of the mound, and the disposition of its contents, we e churchth walkeo t a shor , p t u whicd tbu distancs i h e froe th m workings. This small edifice is surrounded by a burying-ground, and among the grave-stones are some ancient looking ones. Mr Battaerd informe s thaelevente du bac r t dateth i t fa s ka s sa h century. It is calculated that there are altogether about 150 of these mounds in North Friesland alone, and that of these about the half have been mor r leso e s examined, some beinentirelw no g y cleared away. They are also to be found in the province of Groningen and other parts of Holland. Dr Dirks states that the town of Leewarden is built on two terpen mounds (International Congress d'Anth. et d'Arch., 1871, v. session, . 212)p ; andDr Pleyt reasos ha e believo nt e thatowe th tf Leideno n also repose similan o s r deposits.1

Hartmanr D n describes similar mound low-lyine th n i s g district moute th t sa h 1 e Elbeth of , called " Dithmarschen," where the undeo yg e nam th r e Wurthen. According to this author, they are constructed like the fascine structures of Switzer- land, or the Irish crannogs, and he strongly combats Pigorini's opinion that the :104 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUAKY 14, 1889.

remaine Th f humaso n industry collected fro e terpemth n mounde sar very varie numerousd Museue dan th n I mt Leewarde.a o n thertw e ear rooms exclusively devote thio dt s clas f antiquitieso s f whico l e al ar h, well exhibited. The following notes will give some idea of the contents of this collection :— 1. The prehistoric remains, commonly so-called, such as stone imple- ments, &c., are only feebly represented, but occasionally they do turn up, and in this respect the terpen mounds resemble the Scottish and Irish crannogs. 2. Perforated loom-weights, both conical and flat; spindle-whorls in great numbers d oftean , n ornamented with finger mark r circulao s r grooved lines; some curious clay objects, triangularly shape d flatan d, •perforated with three eact holesa e h angle—sometime,on s these holee sar perpendicular to its surface, and sometimes parallel to it. . Pottery3 generalls i y coarse, forming vessel f variouso s shaped an s sizes, generally wit w witfe h h a handles earst bu , ; many fragmentf o s Samian vasewarew fe sa ; have trace f coloureo s d stripes; some lids of vessels with handles, and ornamented with dots. . Bone4 implements consis f combo t f varieso d forms, constructef do plates riveted together with iron rivets, and ornamented with circles, lines, dots, and curvilinear figures; remarkable long combs; pins,buttons, &c.; skates, hoes, knife handles, one or two bones of the foot of an ox are covered with concentric circles, apparently for ornamentation. 4. Beads, blue, green, and variegated; also glass slag. 5. Metal Objects.—Bronze dishes, one a tripod with handle; Roman fibulae, and figures of men and animals, the hand of a Eoman bronze statue, &c.; some thre four eo r double spirals smal;a l shears braceletd ,an s with clasps—all in bronze; some iron shears and hammers, and bridle bits, iron slag leadeA .r weighin nba g 17 kilogrammes, having three crosse t (xxx)i n so , foun t Achlumda . terpen mounds in Friesland were ever pile-dwellings. He believes the latter to have been formed aftemannee Holsteie th r th f o r n wurthen, kina f compositdo e system which he calls Packwerkbaw (see Ueber die alien Dithmarscher Warthen wild ihren Packwerkbau, . 20)p . Accordin r TergasD o t g f Emdeno t , similar mounds, which o undeg e namth r f Warfon,o e e provinc existh e Eas th n i t f t o eFrieslan d (Die Jicidnischen Alterthumer Ostfrieslands). VISIT TO A TERP MOUND AT AALZUM. 105

. .Coins.—6 Anglo-Saxon coins abundant t Hallua ; 0 sceattam18 e were found in a little jar. Also Byzantine money, in gold : Eoman imperial money, generally in silver, but sometimes in gold: Frankish money e proprietorTh . f Aalzuso mn thii founw s fe ter da f silverp o , having the inscription DOEBSTATVS MON . HLOTHARIVS . IMP, which defines thei5 A.D85 .r (sebetweed e datb an eo et 0 Proceed.n84 Friesch Geenootschap, 1886-7 . 12)p , . . Wooden7 Objects.—Small spades, exactly r likmoderou e n imple- ments used by children while amusing themselves on the sea-shore. Large casks with three iron hoops, some 7 feet high, and having a square hole one-third from the top. These have been found in many terpen mounds, usually at regular intervals of 8 to 10 yards ; they are supposed o havt e reste n watei d r whil e topth e s were exposed6 fee e t On . high was deposited inside a vat 3 feet high, and its highest point was over two yards below the surface of the mound. 8. Nondescript Objects.—Canoes, and small paddles ; cock spurs ; egg shells, some wholedomestie th f o , c fowgoosd an l urchinea ;se s ; amber; amorphous viviauite; debris of flax in large quantities. One curious objeca flut s e wa te shank-bonmadth f eo n animal a smale f o eOn l. fictile dish had four legs, and a few others consisted of three cups attached. At Aalzum were found, when I visited the mound, a mitten and head cap of coarse cloth, like a felt wide-a-wake ; the mitten had no separate fingers tere e thumbth th p r n calle,I fo onl.e dyon Beetgum thers ewa likn founur e n thosa d e froe dolmen Drenthee mth th f o s , containing burnt bones. Human skull sometimee sar s found t theshavy bu , ma e been due to secondary burials. At Aalzum a grave was found contain- a body witg d beautifua in an ,t hi l fibula having mosai f variegateco d glass and amber of the Merovingian period. 9. Osseous remains, representing the following animals:—horse, several varieties of oxen (Bos taurus, primigenius, longifrons, breui/rons), cat, dog, sheep, wild pig fallod , an deer we ro ,deer . Of considerable interest are the human skulls, and other remains of four-hornee th d sheep.