A Social History of Peat Extraction in Friesland
I was just mucking around with Gemini (Google's AI) and thinking about some history of Friesland for our Aussie visitor. I said "give me a brief history of peat extraction in Friesland, particularly the social aspects". It was amazing to see it "thinking" and explaining what it was doing...and this the end result. Not for everyone as it is a bit of a read - it's just a subject that has interested me for a while now - probably stemming from our time on the water - many of the canals being created for the transport of peat. A Social History of Peat Extraction in Friesland I. Introduction: The Deep Roots of Peat and Society in Friesland The Northern Netherlands, including the province of Friesland, has a long history of natural resource extraction, with peat playing a particularly significant role for approximately the last five centuries. 1 During the period spanning from 1550 to 1700, peat-cutting formed the backbone of much of Friesland's industry. 1...