Hunebed D1

Prof. Dr. Albert Egges van Giffen (1884 - 1973) was a renowned Dutch archaeologist. Also known as the "father of the hunebeds" and affectionately referred to by the Drenthe population as "the Spittertien." He is depicted on a bronze plate encased in a field boulder at the hunebed "De Papeloze Kerk" (D49), which he completely restored. He was a pioneer of university archaeological institutes in Groningen and Amsterdam, founder and director of the National Service for Archaeological Soil Research (ROB) and the Drenthe Prehistoric Society (DPV), director of the Drenthe Museum, etc. He was intensively involved with the hunebeds for 50 years. He examined their contents, marked the locations of missing support and portal stones, re-erected tilted support stones, and placed displaced capstones back on their foundations. He preserved the immediate surroundings and installed directional signs and brass name plates. He also documented the locations of numerous vanished hunebeds. His work has been invaluable to archaeology in the Netherlands.

Van Giffen numbered the hunebeds from North to South. The northernmost, therefore D1, is located just south of Roden in the Noorder Duinen near the hamlet that owes its name to the hunebed: Steenbergen. It is a beautiful, medium-sized hunebed situated in a tourist-friendly area: 150 meters from the paved road in a small sand drift. The hunebed is positioned at an angle against the slope of a sand hill. It is quite complete. All 12 support stones, all six capstones, and the two closing stones are present. Even the portal is complete with two support and one capstone. The hunebed was extensively restored by Van Giffen in 1953/54. Before that, it was in a severely dilapidated state. All capstones had fallen between the support stones, and one capstone had shattered into five pieces. These were reattached using cement and stone debris. Several support stones that had sunk outwards were re-erected and fixed, after which the capstones were replaced. The portal capstone had to be relocated several times after being thrown off by visitors. In March 1997, the hunebed was severely damaged by arson. The second capstone was completely broken in half, and numerous fragments had broken off. The damage has now been repaired as well as possible. The fragments were glued back together, and since July 21, 1997, the capstone has been resting again on its support stones. There is a spacious parking area at the hunebed, and two information pillars have been placed.

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