What is keeping top Dutch scientists busy in 2011? This can be read in the Dutch Science Agenda. There are still many unanswered questions in the field of historical and archaeological sciences. For example, who were the earliest hominin inhabitants of the area that is now the Netherlands? And what do we actually know about the ancient civilizations to whom we owe the art of bread baking and our alphabet?
Recent discoveries around the North Sea Basin, on the east coast of England, show that northwestern Europe may have been inhabited by humans as early as a million years ago. That is much earlier than was previously known. Archaeological and geological investigations into the depths of this basin may reveal revelations about these northern expansions.
Northwestern Europe has always been the margin of the range of early hominids and is therefore, globally, an ideal study area to find out how these hominids adapted to the northern latitudes.
The first humanoids
During the Ice Age, many plants and animals in Europe survived the coldest periods in southern regions, from which they expanded again as improvements in climate and environment allowed. It is plausible that early hominin ranges in Europe were subject to similar phases of shrinkage and growth. Northwestern Europe formed a sink, an area that was always populated from source areas, parts of the 'old world' such as the Mediterranean basin.
Sink areas are interesting because they can tell us about the ecological tolerance of early hominids from the very beginning, in these regions possibly 1.8 million years ago, to the disappearance of the Neanderthals about 35,000 years ago.
Multidisciplinary archaeological and geological fieldwork and laboratory studies make it possible to map and interpret the ecological background of the earliest European inhabitants. Such research will ultimately help us better understand how these hominins adapted to life in European areas.
Once we know where and when early hominins lived around the North Sea basin, we will be able to relate that information to our knowledge of the source areas. For example, we will be able to map the relationships between sink and source populations, make statements about the survival chances of early hominids in northern regions and better understand how often northwestern Europe was recolonized from the south. Such knowledge tells us a lot about Europe, but is also crucial for understanding the global migration history of early hominids.
Needle in haystack
Archaeological research is now forced to take place on the edges of the North Sea basin, i.e. along locations on the Dutch and British coasts that are relatively easily accessible. The recent discovery of a Neanderthal fossil in a Pleistocene deposit off the coast of Zeeland unnecessarily demonstrated the great archaeological potential of the North Sea basin.
Archaeologically, however, by far the most interesting sediment layers of the basin are under water, as the sea level rose sharply 11,000 years ago (after the last glacial). Large areas where hunters and gatherers once lived are now under the North Sea. There, in the seabed, searching for archaeological treasures is like looking for a needle in a haystack, and usually far too precious.
However, thanks to cooperation between archaeologists, geologists and the soil and sand extraction industry, seabed research can still be started in the coming decades. Scientists will analyze soil samples raised by commercial exploratory drilling to identify promising archaeological sites.
Conversely, companies will benefit from the geological insights gained. In this way, fundamental and applied research can together find an answer to the question of who our earliest Northwestern European ancestors were, and what kind of world they lived in.
Ancient Civilizations
An entirely different historical question that will be central to future research is the significance of ancient civilizations for today's European culture. After all, we owe our daily bread, the alphabet and the Bible to early civilizations in the Near East.
The cultural-historical significance of the Near East (or Middle East:Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula) is unparalleled. Our grain comes from the hill country of Anatolia and Syria; our alphabet comes from the Phoenicians; the wheel and mathematics were developed in Mesopotamia, and the great world religions reached us through the Greco-Roman melting pot of East and West.
Many other crucial developments of lasting importance to European culture took place in the Near East, such as the domestication of plants and animals and the development of agriculture, metallurgy, the first sedentary communities, cities and states, large-scale, institutionalized, international trade and much more.
So it goes without saying that the interest in the Orient is deeply rooted. The Netherlands has a long tradition of studying the pre-Islamic languages and civilizations of the Near East. Dutch researchers, philologists and other researchers are closely involved in extensive excavations in Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Jordan, Israel and Iraq and in projects to translate ancient sources and interpret culture and identity in the present and past. Dutch scientific institutes are located in Istanbul, Damascus and Cairo.
The strong interest in the cultures of the Near East strengthened ties with the region, and the intensive cooperation helps the local population to become more aware of its rich cultural heritage and pre-Islamic history.
Promising lines of research
In recent years, new, interesting lines of research have emerged from which much is expected. Archaeologists, philologists, paleobotanists and zoologists, natural scientists and other disciplines work together in large-scale field research.
An important focus is 'marginal zones' where the earliest agriculture has been found and where people first established sedentary communities. We will learn what the climate was like then, what landscapes were available, how such conditions affected societies, what crops were grown, why there were famines and what effects irrigation had – all topics that are still very relevant today.
The emergence and disappearance of early cities and states thousands of years ago is another focus area. Excavations in Syria and Iraq, and analysis of cuneiform texts from Mesopotamia, will help us understand why complex, urban societies emerged and why early empires were successful.
Many other texts are also available from the ancient Near East. Modern linguistic models will help us better analyze Sumerian, Akkadian, Hebrew, Syriac, Hittite, Egyptian and Coptic so that we can delve deeper into those ancient sources. It will provide unique opportunities to reconstruct complex societies in ancient times in great detail.
The question of how writing originated in Egypt and Mesopotamia is an area of interest in itself. How did the introduction of writing change the structure of societies? Under what circumstances could writing spread? What happens to a culture that, in addition to writing, also adopts ideas from another culture?
Research also focuses on religion, magic and ritual in ancient times. Knowledge about this is important for the study of world religions, but also provides insight into the development of religious and ritual thought and action in general – highly essential questions to this day.