The AWW

At the end of February 2001, the Archeologish Werkgroep Wieringen (Archaeological Working Group of Wieringen - AWW) was established. The person responsible for the start-up of this organization was Wouter Roessingh, an archaeology student and former inhabitant of Wieringen. It was started due to the Viking hype in Wieringen that emerged after the discovery of the two famous silver treasures.

The archaeological work group is responsible for ensuring that archaeological finds in Wieringen are treated in a responsible manner. The work group is affiliated with the Archeologische Werkgemeenschap Nederland (AWN - Netherlands Archaeological Society). The AWN is our largest national amateur archaeology organization and it consists of 25 regional branches, each with various sub-branches. Together with Heiloo, Castricum, Hoorn and Schagen, Wieringen belongs to regional branch 2 (Northern North Holland).
The goal of the AWW is to help prevent irresponsible or illegal excavation, which can result in the loss of valuable information.

Co-operation

The AWW was established in close cooperation with "het huis van de Aarde". As a result of this cooperation, plans are being developed to share information about finds via publications, presentations and, eventually, by exhibiting the finds in the museum. Other parties (the community, province and the government) are also supporting us in various ways, such as helping us carry out explorations near building projects, to see if any traces of habitation are being discovered and/or destroyed.

Activities of the AWW

The AWW aims to make Wieringers and other interested parties aware of the archaeology of Wieringen. Generally speaking, this will primarily occur in the form of field explorations. (Excavations are not being planned at this stage). Field Explorations are a form of archaeological research in which an area of land is systematically walked. Primarily, we watch for concentrations of pottery shards. The pottery is collected, identified, and dated. In this way, it is possible to make some conclusions about the presence of a possible settlement.

The first (albeit unofficial) activity of the AWW was to help Wim Ettema with his field research in Westerklief during the months of January and February, 2001. On March 17, the first field exploration under the auspices of the AWW took place.

Want to know more, or take part?

If you would like to learn more about the AWW, email us. We'll gladly tell you more about what we are working on in Wieringen, and when the next field exploration will take place.

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