The peoples of islands and archipelagos do not let others dictate how to live their lives. One of those archipelagos that meets these criteria as well is the Wadden Sea. For centuries, it is from here that sea explorers, tax evaders, sturdy Arctic whalers, self-righteous women, pirates, privateers, and other vagabonds have come. An archipelagoContinue reading “Yet Another Wayward Archipelago — The Wadden Sea”
Tag Archives: history
Frisia, a Viking Graveyard
Hjoggum vér með hjörvi — ‘we swung our swords’ — as all the stanzas of the twelfth-century epic poem Lay of Kraka begin, the tale of Ragnar Lothbrok’s death. When reading about the famous deeds of great Viking warriors, little attention is given to their moments of failure. Little is written about where and when thoseContinue reading “Frisia, a Viking Graveyard”
Rowing Souls of the Dead to Britain — The Ferryman of Solleveld
In 2004, archaeologists made a remarkable discovery at the early medieval burial ground of Solleveld, just south of the city of The Hague: a boat grave. It lies almost exactly two hundred kilometres in a straight line due east across the North Sea from the legendary ship burial at Sutton Hoo. With this extraordinary find,Continue reading “Rowing Souls of the Dead to Britain — The Ferryman of Solleveld”
Our Civilization — It All Began With Piracy
The arrival of the Romans in north-western Europe at the beginning of the Common Era, with the River Rhine as their northern frontier, marked the starting point for five centuries of widespread piracy. These raids affected not only the coasts of Britannia and northern Gaul but rippled as far as the Mediterranean and the BlackContinue reading “Our Civilization — It All Began With Piracy”
With the White Rabbit Down the Hole. The Spread and Legacy of a Coastal DNA
R1b/Hg1/Eu18; R-M213; R-M9; R1b-M45; R-M207; R-M173; R-M343; R-L278; R-L754; R-L389/R1b1a1; R-M415; R-P297/R1b1a1a; R-M269/R1b1a1a2; R-M520; R-L23; R-M412; R-L11; R-S21/U106/M405/R1b1a1a1a2a1a1… Knock Knock… Wake up Neo… Follow the White Rabbit… | These serial numbers, arranged in chronological order, represent groups and subgroups of people who genetically share a common ancestor. Pulling on these protein strands is like tumblingContinue reading “With the White Rabbit Down the Hole. The Spread and Legacy of a Coastal DNA”
The Batwing Doors of Dorestad. A Two-Way Gateway of Trade and Power
“Is the seaport Maasvlakte the gateway to north-western Europe? No? How about Europoort? Still no? What about the Botlek port area? Or the town of Vlaardingen? No again? Surely it must be the city of Rotterdam then! Wait — neither? Alright, last guess: since you guys only talk and brag about Frisia, could it beContinue reading “The Batwing Doors of Dorestad. A Two-Way Gateway of Trade and Power”
Merciless Medieval Merchants and Slavers
The earliest evidence of Frisian merchants — or kāpmon in the Old Frisian language — engaging in the slave trade dates back to the first half of the seventh century. No less an authority than the Venerable Bede, the Father of English history, recorded this criminal activity. He described a merchant operating in the marketsContinue reading “Merciless Medieval Merchants and Slavers”
Shipwrecked People of the Salt Marshes
Tidal marshlands and Frisians, a dual entity. The Chauci and the Frisians — referred to by the Romans as Frisii or Fresones — had learned to adapt to an unprotected yet strangely hospitable salty world: a vast, treeless expanse of tidal marshlands. No rocks, no forests, scarce fresh water, and regularly flooded by a cold,Continue reading “Shipwrecked People of the Salt Marshes”
Attingahem Bridge, NY
Brooklyn. Named after the charming village of Breukelen in the Netherlands. Its original Frisian name was Attingahem. With only a twist of history, the borough of Brooklyn would have been named Attingahem today, and the Brooklyn Bridge, therefore, Attingahem Bridge. The streets of Brooklyn, the set of movies like The Warriors (’79), The French ConnectionContinue reading “Attingahem Bridge, NY”
Magnus’s Choices. The Origins of the Frisian Freedom
According to medieval legend, around the year 800, Charlemagne and Pope Leo clashed with the citizens of Rome. The Pope was attacked and forced to flee the city. It was an army of ‘naked’ Frisians, led by Magnus, that stormed back in, retaking the citadel and the Urbs Aeterna — the Eternal City. In gratitude,Continue reading “Magnus’s Choices. The Origins of the Frisian Freedom”
Frisia Coast Trail 