Amsterdam - Archaeologists have found a settlement dating back to the Bronze Age just north of Eindhoven, a city in the southern Netherlands, Dutch archaeologist Nico Arts told Dutch media Friday. The discovery was made during preparations for the building of a highway junction at Ekkersrijt, north of Eindhoven.
The settlement may be the largest ever discovered in the Netherlands, and is definitely the largest settlement ever found in the southern Netherlands.
Bronze Age settlements (1500-850 BC) have also been discovered in the province of Drenthe in the eastern Netherlands. However, these are smaller than the Eindhoven settlement.
Some 4 hectares have been dug out, unveiling at least 19 farms and more than 50 other buildings and two cemeteries. All farms are built in a similar fashion and the distances from one farm to another are the same.
The archaeological work is due to continue in the upcoming months. The settlement will however not be preserved as the Ekkersrijt highway junction planned on top of the settlement is due to operate by late 2009.
