When people think of Friesland, they think of mounds. These man-made dwelling mounds protected Frisians from the unpredictable North Sea. From when they were first built in 600 BC, the mounds were made higher and wider until around 1000 AD. History was piled up in layers, and many objects ended up in the soil.
For centuries the mounds remained undisturbed, but around the year 1850 people realised that the fertile mound soil could be sold for good money. Over the next century, three-quarters of the mounds were excavated. Starting with the top, most recent layer, people burrowed their way into the distant past. Buried objects were exposed as the mound layers were removed. In fact, the mounds are actually Friesland’s treasure chambers. The exhibition includes a lacquer profile that demarcates the layers that make up a mound, and objects from different periods are used to show the history that the mounds conceal.
