A Bronze Age Sauna in Nijmegen (prov. Gelderland / NL): An Exceptional Site in Mainland Europe

Abstract

A Bronze Age Sauna in Nijmegen (Prov. Gelderland / NL): an Exceptional Site in Mainland Europe
This article presents a Bronze Age site in the Netherlands similar to the burnt mounds of the British Isles. Burnt mounds are, however, very exceptional on the European mainland, especially in combination with deep water pits. The site found in Nijmegen, dating from around the 16^th century BC, seems to have comprised at least one sweat lodge and two plunge pools in an oak-dominated wood. Stones, but above all clay balls were used as sources of heat. Some votive deposits found in and near the adjacent residual channel emphasise the site’s ritual character. The long period of use combined with the absence of counterparts in the wider area raises the question whether the site’s users may have been migrants from across the North Sea.