Provenance of the Roman basalt stone at Kotterbos (Lelystad, the Netherlands): A geoarchaeological study based on petrographic and geochemical analysis, and comparison with a synthesis of basalt stones along the northern Limes

A solitary Roman basalt stone from Kotterbos, Netherlands, has been linked to a specific subgroup of Limes basalts through petrographic and geochemical analysis. The study identified five potential provenance sites in Germany's volcanic hinterland, with Rolandsbogen emerging as the most plausible due to its strategic location near an ideal Rhine anchorage. Unlike other stones, the Kotterbos basalt is argued to have been picked up as a stray cobble rather than part of a building stone shipment, offering new insights into Roman logistics and material sourcing along the northern Limes.

Linthout, K. (2015). Provenance of the Roman basalt stone at Kotterbos (Lelystad, the Netherlands): A geoarchaeological study based on petrographic and geochemical analysis, and comparison with a synthesis of basalt stones along the northern Limes. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences - Geologie En Mijnbouw, 94(4), 387–397. https://doi.org/10.1017/njg.2014.45