This thesis treats the Iron Age farmstead in Dutch archaeological research. The farmstead is commonly applied as interpretation method in archaeological research. However, the information that is...Show moreThis thesis treats the Iron Age farmstead in Dutch archaeological research. The farmstead is commonly applied as interpretation method in archaeological research. However, the information that is gained from applying the farmstead to interpret archaeological features is poor. The reason for this is that the farmstead as a concept lacks definition. In order to understand the concept of the farmstead, a model is proposed in this study. This model, the process related farmstead model (PRF-model), is designed to gain insight in the processes influencing the presence of the farmstead. The PRF-model is based upon analogical reasoning, using data from pre-modern farmsteads. The basic principle of this model is that the farmstead is not a static entity but a dynamic place, which presence and shape depends on its agricultural purpose. The purpose of applying this model is to provide additional argumentation that can be used to interpret archaeological features. The PRF-model is tested upon two case-studies. These are the sites Raalte – Jonge Raan and Zutphen – Looërenk. This analysis showed that the farmstead in both sites greatly differ, because their agricultural purpose differs. I emphasize that there is a need for models to be applied on the archaeological record, so that a more credible understanding of the past can be obtained and new research methods can be proposed. This is necessary in order to get rid of the outdated and uncritically applied interpretation methods of the archaeological features that make up the farmstead.Show less