Archaeologist Daniel Postma 12 and 19 October in TV documentary on reconstruction of Old Frisian turf house

On 12 October, Nederland 2 will broadcast the first of a 2-part documentary on the reconstruction of an Old Frisian turf house. The Archaeology Department reconstructed a farmhouse and stables dating back to AD 700 in Firdgum, Friesland. The most unique aspect of the experiment is the 1 metre-thick walls made from turfs, which are able to bear the weight of the roof. Archaeologists had long assumed that this was not possible. Omrop Fryslân recorded the entire building process. The documentary will be broadcast on the weekends of 12 and 19 October on Omrop Fryslân as well as on Nederland 2.

Daniel Postma from the Groningen Institute for Archaeology coordinated the building of the turf house as part of his PhD research. He outlined the design of the house in his prize-winning Master’s thesis, before putting his theory into practice in a follow-up study. > read on