The Landscape Archaeology of Bog Iron Ore Exploitation: Insights from the Bourtangermoor Region (The Netherlands)

We investigated the possible use of bog iron ores in late prehistoric and early historic times (c. 800 BCE–750 CE) from a landscape-archaeological perspective, using archaeology, soil science, hydrology and geochemistry, connecting data from raised bogs and adjacent dryland areas. Raised bogs were not hostile, but provided food and a place for ritual activities. Little is known, however, on the potential exploitation of iron ores in these landscapes. We compared bog iron ores in the raised bog of the Bourtangermoor (the Netherlands) with ores on the adjoining Drentian plateau, inhabited since prehistoric times as possible sources of iron. We compared bog iron ore mineralogy, its mode of deposition, and the ease of finding and excavating it to settlement locations and archaeological finds related to iron-working remains. Based on secondary evidence, we concluded that only bog iron ores on the Drentian plateau were used, but not the iron deposits associated with the raised bog.