experimental archaeology

Even though the Vlaardingen people inhabited a wetland landscape, well preserved wooden artefacts are a rare find. One of these exceptions to the general rule is a wooden object on display at the Vlaardingen Museum. The card in the exhibition states that this is a digging stick, a plausible interpretation of this object. It is a 61 cm long wooden stick, oblong in profile and slightly bent with a clear knob and a shiny, polished edge at the tip. The top 20 cm or so show a clear polish, probably of being held in the hand.