Timber forts along the Lower Rhine in the West Netherlands in the first and early second centuries AD.

The PhD research 'Timber forts along the Lower Rhine in the West Netherlands in the first and early second centuries AD' is part of the NWO Malta Harvest Programme ‘A sustainable frontier? The establishment of the Roman frontier in the Rhine delta’. In this interdisciplinary study an analysis is made of the construction and development of the linear defence system and north-west frontier of the Roman empire (Limes) in the West Netherlands.The research is spatially limited to the fluvial system of the Rhine between Vechten and the North Sea with forts at Vechten, Utrecht, De Meern, Woerden, Bodegraven, Zwammerdam, Alphen aan den Rijn, Leiden-Roomburg, Valkenburg en Katwijk and a fortlet at Valkenburg-Marktveld. Of all forts –except for Katwijk- the position is known and often the external form and parts of the defences and internal buildings. Chronologically the research is limited to the period from ca AD 40 to 140.This research consists of the analysis of the construction and development of the defences (ditches, ramparts, towers and gates) of the forts. They are examined for similarities and differences in form, structure, building techniques and use of materials. The results are compared with other fortifications in Germania Inferior and the ‘foreign’ provinces Germania Superior, Raetia and Britannia.The data in this digital archive consist of tables of defence works in the forts in the West Netherlands and ‘abroad’, tables with (measurements of the) structures, field drawings and, if available, digital files. New ground plans are drawn are part of the digital archive. The PhD-thesis, in which all these data come together, is part of the digital archive.