Period 3 - The first farmers

As early as around 4,000 B.C., the people of Gooiken made a living from agriculture and cattle breeding! Attracted by the fertile loamy soils, they begin to cultivate them. Parts of the forest are regularly cut down and burned down. People settle permanently in one area. Polished axes have been found on and around the Kesterheide and near De Paddenbroek. (landmark 2)

The closed forest around the small settlements is evolving into an open park forest.

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The Neolithic - 5,000 BC to 700 BC

Over time, people settle permanently in one place, and the first forms of agriculture appear. However, hunter-gatherers continue to lead the nomadic existence.

The first known traces of development in the Pajottenland belong to the 'Michelsberg culture' (circa 4,250 BC). These people make a living from both agriculture and cattle breeding. The fertile loamy soils are ideal for growing crops.

However, due to intensive cultivation, the soil is exhausted after a while and farmers look for new land. In doing so, they cut down pieces of forest and burn the remaining wood flat. This is called 'Shifting Cultivation'. Sheep and goats mainly graze in the open areas, while pigs and cattle look for their food in the forest. As a result of these interventions, the surface area of the natural forest is reduced. The forest around the settlements evolves from a closed to an open park forest. In some places, a treeless grassland appears. Oak and alder predominate in the deciduous forest.

The settlements of the Michelsberg culture are located in a favorable topographical location. For example, the Kesterheide, as the highest hill in the Pajottenland, may have been an ideal place to stay. Although concentrations of stone tools have recently been found, traces of structures or houses are still missing.

RL P&Z