Exhibition “Old Country – Prehistory of Flevoland”

Before the new country of Flevoland existed, the vast Zuiderzee was located here. For centuries, ships sailed across this sea for trade, but many also sank with all hands. But before the Zuiderzee, in prehistoric times, this was still land. This 'Old Land' was inhabited by people of the Swifterbant culture, who have left special traces in the landscape, such as a prehistoric footprint.

The exhibition "Old Land – Prehistory of Flevoland" takes visitors on a fascinating journey through the prehistory of Flevoland, from the Paleolithic to the Iron Age. A special focus is on the Swifterbant culture (5000-3500 BC), a community that was already experiencing drastic changes in the landscape due to climate change.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EXHIBITION ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS

The exhibition presents archaeological finds from all municipalities of Flevoland. Some highlights include:

• The skull of an aurochs from Almere
• Pottery that is 6200 years old
• The skeleton of a woman who lived in this area 7,000 years ago, known as Michelle

RENEWED RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SWIFTER BANTMAN

Recent international DNA research has shown that those prehistoric hunter-gatherers in Europe, and therefore also Flevoland, had a darker skin color and probably light eyes. This also applies to the people of the Swifterbant culture. These Swifterbant people may have had slightly lighter skin than their predecessors, but were certainly not white.

Maja d'Hollosy, a Dutch archaeologist specializing in facial reconstructions, previously made a reconstruction of a male skeleton from the Swifterbant culture, known as the Swifterbantman. She has adapted this reconstruction to the latest insights especially for this exhibition. It is the first time that a reconstruction has been adjusted in the Netherlands based on these new insights.

Would you like to know more about this makeover? Then check it out article from the NOS.

DISCOVER THE TRANSITION FROM HUNTER-GATHER TO FARMER

Visitors discover how the inhabitants of this region made the transition from a hunter-gatherer existence to a farming existence. The rich landscape, full of water and natural resources, played a crucial role in their way of life. The design of the exhibition makes visitors feel as if they are in a viewing box of the world of Swifterbant people.

THE STORY OF A DYNAMIC LANDSCAPE

During the period in which the Swifterbant people lived here, the area was intersected with creeks, where it was nice to relax on the banks from spring to autumn. Later, in the Bronze Age and Iron Age, the land became increasingly wetter and uninhabitable. Thanks to these wet conditions, so many special objects have been preserved in the soil of Flevoland. They tell the story of dynamic people in a dynamic environment of climate change. Flevoland, once part of the vast Doggerland, transformed over the centuries from a wetland with marshes to the Zuiderzee.

Come and experience the history of Flevoland like never before at Batavialand!