The lateglacial and early postglacial occupation of northern Belgium: the evidence from Sandy Flanders

This paper gives a short overview and discussion of the archaeological and environmental evidence related to the Lateglacial and Early Postglacial in a flat sandy area in northwestern-Belgium called Sandy Flanders. The Lateglacial landscape in this area consisted of a well-developed pattern of sinuous depressions and rather wide, low sand ridges, the latter repeatedly occupied from about 12,000 BP onwards. A much more pronounced cover-sand ridge, named "the great ridge" , developed in the northern part of Sandy Flanders over a distance of about 80 km from east to west. At its southern edge numerous broad shallow lakes were formed, the largest one being 15 km long and 2.5 km wide between Wachtebeke and Stekene. Due to the high resource potential, these lakes apparently had a strong attraction for Federmesser hunter-gatherers. Compared to the adjacent areas of Sandy Flanders, a considerably higher density of sites is observed along these lakes. The settlement pattern radically changed as all lakes dried up during the Younger Dryas or at the start of the Holocene. From this period on, occupation shifted towards the banks of the river Kale, which became the most attractive habitat in terms of food production and diversity