Water is a necessity of life, a source of food, a route to other regions, a threat, an opportunity. Especially in the western part of the Netherlands, water plays an all-important role. South Holland has been shaped largely by water. Early inhabitants learned to live with and next to the water, whereas later generations managed to mould it to their needs. But they too must always take into account the will of the water. Man could not take water for granted 6,000 years ago, nor can they today.
Four students of the Faculty of Archaeology from The Netherlands, Italy and the United States have studied how inhabitants used to deal with their water at a number of places in South Holland. They concentrated on the hydrological, economic and strategic aspects of water, although there are of course many more to consider.
An exhibition presenting their findings is to be seen for the next couple of weeks in the hall of the Faculty of Archaeology. The exhibition was made by the students and TGV teksten & presentatie (Evert van Ginkel) in collaboration with the Centre for Global heritage and Development and Archol BV, and was made possible by a grant from the province of South Holland.