Hidden under the Amstel

W. van Zoetendaal & Gemeente Amsterdam

The construction of a new metro line through the heart of Amsterdam in 2003-2018 – the North/South Line – gave us access to a unique archaeological site: the riverbed of the Amstel. Almost 700,000 archaeological finds were made there, all of which are linked with the history of Amsterdam between 1300 and 2000. In 2018, a photographic catalogue of 13,000 finds entitled Stuff was published, telling the visual story of the objects and materials that have been used in Amsterdam over the centuries. This book is a follow-up to Stuff, and adds a narrative element to a selection of those archaeological discoveries. These remains are tangible and they reveal something of the day-to-day reality of the past. In combination with historical accounts and images, they sometimes lead us to actual historical events, buildings and institutions – and on occasion even to specific individuals who lived in Amsterdam in the past. In Hidden under the Amstel, 31 authors – historians, archaeologists, materials experts, journalists, curators and researchers – embark on a historical and archaeological quest that has resulted in 107 different stories, each based on a specific find or group of finds. The result is a richly varied anthology of the many stories behind the archaeological discoveries made during the excavation of the North/South Line.