Eemian and Weichselian - Flevoland in different times during prehistory

These large-scale illustrations (14400 x 9600 pixels) were commissioned by the Dutch Province of Flevoland for the educational package "Mammoths and Neanderthals in Flevoland". The project was developed by cultural historical public relations agency TGV teksten & presentatie in cooperation with AWN Flevoland . The high resolution makes it possible for teachers and pupils to zoom in and explore the many details of the landscapes, animals, and Neanderthals. The illustrations show Flevoland around 120,000 years ago during the warm Eemian period, and around 70,000 years ago during the cold, dry Weichselian period.

We know the animals from the Eemian and the Weichselian periods lived here because of the bones we have found. These come from very deep sand layers that lie 30-50 meters below which are hard to reach. But because construction sand is needed to build new residential areas, sand from those deep layers gets sucked up from the Markermeer lake. This is why you can find fossils on newly created nature reserves such as the Markerwadden islands and on recently created residential areas such as IJburg and Almere Pampus.

Recent DNA findings strongly suggest that Neanderthals likely had blue eyes but a darker skin and hair than previously assumed, with individual and regional differences. I integrated these findings into the illustrations.

Eemian

Time: 130,000 to about 115,000 years ago
During the Eemian, melting ice caps caused higher sea levels, submerging much of the Netherlands. Flevoland alternated between wetlands and dry patches, forming a marshy landscape with scattered sandy mounds. In the scene, two Neanderthals—a parent and child—look over the terrain. The child points toward a hippo carcass surrounded by hyenas, while in the distance many female forest elephants (Palaeoloxodon), led by a bull towering at 4 meters and weighing over 10 tons, march past with calves. A red deer, hippos, ravens, and a cormorant complete the scene.

Fauna: In this period there were Neanderthals, deer, red deer, rhinos, hyenas (spotted, a bit larger than now), forest elephants (a huge species of elephant that has its legs more under its body and a rounder belly, tusks almost straight down), forest rhinoceros and hippopotamus (same size and appearance as now). Birds like the osprey, buzzard, bald eagle, cormorant, raven and blue heron were also present. The Neanderthals didn't have small needles, but they did have rugged stitching techniques (with bone and wood for example) for skin and leather (they could make it supple) and leather or plant materials for strings.

Flora: Deciduous forests, saplings, lots of long grass. Trees like oak, yew, hazel, alder, elm, ash and hornbeam. Brasenia purpurea (or very similar species) in the water together with rushes, reeds and trileaf.

Weichselian

Time: 115,000 to about 11,700 years ago
As the ice caps expanded during the Weichselian, sea levels dropped some 120 meters, exposing the North Sea floor and connecting Holland to England. Neanderthals occupied these landscapes early in the period, but by the end of the Weichselian, modern humans had become the dominant species.

The illustration depicts a late autumn day on a cold, dry grass steppe. A large plain with tall grasses and rolling terrain with only wind-blown shrubs and dwarf trees. Neanderthals trek across the terrain in the distance. In the foreground three cave lions are stalking a woolly rhino cub drinking from a stream. Mammoths, with a shoulder height of 2.7 to 3.4 meters, are marching and European bison are grazing (weighing 1500 kilos and a shoulder height of two meters high!). Geese fly overhead and snow grouse are in the water. Mammoth and lion tracks are visible on the sand.

Fauna: During this period there were Neanderthals, mammoths, cave lions (bigger and more thick haired than modern lions), steppe wolf, giant deer, European bison, horses, reindeer, woolly rhinoceros (with horns reaching 125cm!), geese and snow grouse.

Flora: The flora was stark by comparison: tall grasses, dwarf birch, dwarf willow, shrubs, and thatch formed the primary vegetation of this dry grass steppe.

Educational Use

The lessons can now be booked at Collage Almere and Kubus, Centrum voor Kunst & Cultuur in Lelystad.

Credits:

• Art Director: Evert van Ginkel from cultural historical public relations agency TGV teksten & presentatie
• Graphic Design of the educational package: Bannink Publiciteit
• Advisor for historical / archaeological accuracy: Frans Roescher.
  Photos of his lecture on these periods are shown below.

Photos of other lesson materials in use:

My Eemian illustration provided context for this interview with Frans Roescher by Studio Flevoland, part of Omroep Flevoland, a regional TV and radio station, on Wednesday 20th of November 2024.