The habitation of the research area had been heavily influenced by the dynamic natural landscape. This chapter presents the formation and morphology of the landscape, as well as the activities (in particular habitation) that took place there. Previous research into the landscape of the Cananefatian region in the Roman period only focused on sub-sections, usually within (regional) archaeological research projects. The requirement for municipalities to make archaeological policy maps led to a renewed research into the local geology in some cases. At a larger perspective, new attention was given to the development of the broader landscap A new palaeogeographical map of the research area in Roman times has been made (fig. 2.1) on the basis of all these sources. Based on this map, the different landscape units will be described (section 2.3). Also relevant to this discussion are the erosive processes that took place after Roman times. These will be discussed in section 2.5. The second part of this chapter (sections 2.6-2.8) will deal with the settlements and their location in the landscape.

BRIEF GEOLGICAL HISTORY OF THE AREA FROM THE IRON AGE TO THE BEGIN NING OF THE ROMAN PERIOD

At the beginning of the Iron Age, around 800 BC, the coastline of the research area was closed off by a series of beach ridges that had formed already since 3850 BC. Together with the blockage of the estuaries, the draining of the land lying behind these ridges stagnated, bringing about the growth of peat. Saltmarshes only occurred near the mouths of the Lower Rhine and Meuse rivers. Sphagnum peat domes were formed in the bog areas between these river systems, which often were several meters in height. Reed and sedge peat occurred along the edges of the bog area, near the tidal basins.