High-resolution radiocarbon chronology for early animal husbandry in the Netherlands using Bayesian statistical modelling

The emergence of farming in the Dutch wetlands has been unclear due to the difficulty in identifying earliest forms of domesticated animals through traditional methods of bone measurements and the lack of precise timeline of key archaeological sites. This resulted in a hypothesis that farming gradually developed over several centuries. The 'Emergence of Domesticated Animals in the Netherlands' (EDAN) project addressed these caveats with advanced techniques like ancient DNA and stable isotope analysis on animal bones from key archaeological sites in the Netherlands. This thesis, part of the EDAN project, focused on establishing a precise timeline for the start of animal husbandry through refined scientific dating in combination with Bayesian statistical modelling. The results revealed that the first domesticated animals appeared around 4450-4250 BCE, centuries later than previously thought, followed by the first farming practices: animal husbandry and crop cultivation, at around 4250-4150 BCE. Moreover, farming seems to have been established much faster than previously believed, likely within a single generation (25 years). This rapid transition challenges the idea of a gradual development and highlights the role of individual agency and social context in past events. Finally, these results mark the Dutch wetlands as the earliest and most precise evidence of farming in north-western Europe. This research not only clarifies the emergence of farming in the Dutch wetlands but also deepens our understanding of early agricultural practices in north-western Europe.

Dissertation: https://hdl.handle.net/11370/150863bd-ca7b-4615-8469-cddb7b3aad8e