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It is considered, that about five thousand years ago North Sea has flooded low plains in the west of the country (by the way then the passage Pas de Calais was formed also, from Europe British isles have separated). To the beginning of our era these western areas of the country represented the low marshland combined by glacial, sea and river adjournment. By this time the country has received modern outlines though and further the coastal line considerably changed. For example, under certificates of historians, about 270 years settling of the western part of territory of the present Netherlands d.C. has suddenly stopped. The reasons not so much political, how many geographical character have affected: the sea level rose, marshiness grew, flooding have become frequent.
During an epoch of the Roman gain on a place of gulf Zejderze there was the dense wood surrounding the big lake Flevo. It incorporated to the North Sea the river Flenum. The lake Flevo was fed with the rivers Amstel and Ejssel. When Romans have connected waters Ejssel to Rhine, the lake began to overflow banks and gradually to attack wood. Coast turned to fenny bogs, and the lake came nearer to the North Sea more and more. In 1282 the North Sea which has raged once again has fallen upon dunes and has broken through them in several places. Sea water has got into Â"country heartÂ", has reached lake Flevo and has incorporated to it, having formed extensive gulf Zejderze. Then there were gulfs Lauversze, Middelze and Dollart at northern coast of the country.
It is considered, that XII-XV centuries-most the drama period in history of the Netherlands. At this particular time the sea absorbed the considerable areas of a land and literally within several days there were huge gulfs, to unrecognizability changing earlier existing shape of the country. Almost each ten years the territory of the modern Netherlands was exposed to strong destructive flooding.
Acknowledgement of that the sea attacked slowly plunging land, results of archaeological researches serve. For example, many monuments of times of the Roman sovereignty have appeared under sea water. In 860 year the building built during lifetime of emperor Kaliguly (rules in 37-41 years d.C.) has been flooded, and by XVIII century its ruins were far in the sea, in five kilometres from coast.
The First dam has been erected to territories of the present Netherlands at Romans - in the beginning of II century d.C. However building of such constructions becomes professional work, represents itself as a national problem only in X century.
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