Heerlen

A habitation from the Michelsberg culture (4400–3500 BC) was excavated at the Schelsberg, near Heerlen, in 1997 [1]. Archeological finds from this period are rare in the Netherlands, and this site is unique among those in the country, as it is the first excavated site with ditches and earth walls (earthworks) [1]. Even with these proofs of early habitation, the history of Heerlen properly starts with the arrival of the Romans [1]. They founded a military settlement, named Coriovallum on the crossroad of two main roads: Boulogne sur Mer – Cologne and Xanten – Aachen – Trier [1]. In Heerlen and its surroundings, much evidence of Roman life has been excavated, especially Roman villas (country estates) [1]. The most notable archeological excavation from Roman times is the Thermae complex in the centre of Heerlen, a Roman bathhouse, discovered in 1940 [1].