Single-Coin Finds and Landscape Persistence in the Early Medieval Netherlands (450–1200 CE)

Single-coin finds are increasingly valued as a source for understanding patterns of human activity in the Early Middle Ages. This pilot study examines whether the chronological evenness of single coins can serve as a quantitative proxy for persistent human occupation and landscape stability. Six sites in the Netherlands (450–1200 CE) are compared: three located near relatively stable Pleistocene topographic features (Noardeast-Fryslân/Dokkum, Nijmegen, and Maastricht) and three in dynamic coastal or near-coastal Holocene landscapes (Waadhoeke/Franeker, Katwijk, and Veere/Domburg). All single finds were assigned to five standardised 150-year periods. Chronological evenness was measured using three complementary indices: standard deviation of percentage shares, Shannon entropy, and cosine similarity to a uniform distribution. Sites were classified as “balanced” when at least two metrics met predefined thresholds. The results demonstrate a clear distinction between the two groups. Assemblages from stable landscape positions show relatively balanced chronological profiles, while those from dynamic coastal zones exhibit strongly peaked distributions dominated by the 600–750 CE period (χ² = 347.00, df = 4, N = 1,702, p < 0.001, Cramér’s V = 0.452). Greater chronological evenness appears linked to proximity to stable geomorphological settings. These findings suggest that single-coin evenness can function as a useful proxy for long-term landscape persistence when combined with geo-archaeological evidence. Limitations include recovery biases and variable sample sizes. The study advocates the development of standardised, open-access single-coin datasets to facilitate broader comparative research.