Index Dutch Bronze Age Index first farmers in the Netherlands First farmers in the Netherlands #2 (#1) The culture. The culture originates probably from the eastern part of Europe, near the Black Sea. Therefore it's a real "Danube-culture". But its culture is also known as "LPC" or Linear Pottery Culture, after the decorations on its pottery. The people of the Upper Rhine valley have broad noses, a 'high' skull, a low width-height index and higher eye sockets than eastern people. These facts support the idea, that the culture spreaded by cultural adaptions in stead of migration. In the Netherlands they only live on the yellow "löss soil" in Limburg because that's the most fertile part and therefore good for farmers with simple wooden tools. Some prehistorical "spinach" (the herb goosefoot), together with camomile can be gathered. The camomile tea tastes excellent with some honey that we "stole" out of a hollow tree where bees live. The goosefoot-spinach is also delicious. The yellow clay on which they live is very fertile and easy to till. To survive the neolithic farmers must work much harder than the mesolithic hunters; sowing, weeding, harvesting, taking care of the cattle (mostly pigs, sheep and goats), making fine pottery to store the harvest in, and building large houses as a kind of landmark. (Picture below: neolitic houses) The house. The house is about 6 m. x 20 m., has clay walls, thick oak tree posts which bear a thatched roof. The direction of the house is NW/SE, the location is always near a river or lake. They only live in the center part of the house, the rest is to storage dry firewood, the harvest and the sleaping places. The cattle stays outside the house. (Below:neolithic stone tools.) Tools. The tools vary a lot. Flint (stone), which is easily to find around the village, is the main raw material. It`s sharp and easily to shape in a large variety of knifes, axes, scrapers (for skins), drils and chisels. When it`s whet, it becomes even more effective. They place it in wooden or bone handles to make it more effective. Clothes. The women spin the flax to linen and weave clothes of it. The spinning should occur almost every day to provide enough linen. The wife wears a redbrown linen skirt with a pigskin tunica. A cow's skin-belt finishes the dress. Probably simple leather shoes are known, but why wearing them when the weather is fine? Still walking without shoes might be a bit dangerous because of all the remains of flints around the house. More information (links) . More on daily life, contacts, pottery, food . Writer / editor September 1997