Various remarkable archaeological finds have been made in the soil of the municipality of Brielle (Brielle, Zwartewaal and Vierpolders). These finds tell us about the people who lived in this area from the Stone Age through to the Middle Ages.
The earliest inhabitants of the area around Brielle, some 9000 years ago, obtained their food by hunting. Later (3000 BC) agriculture also started to play a role. In the 2000 years that followed, the area became swampy and the inhabitants left. During the Iron Age (800 BC until 0 AD) better drainage allowed habitation again. During the Roman era (up to 400 AD) there were even quite a few farms in the area. However, the swamps reappeared in the early Middle Ages, but were reclaimed and drained in the late Middle Ages. The area continued to be threatened by flooding, but the inhabitants turned more and more flooded land into polders, which resulted in Voorne and Putten growing to form one island. In the late Middle Ages the hamlet of Brielle developed and grew into a substantial town, particularly in the 14th century, partly thanks to trade and fishing.
The museum contains an interactive display featuring various unusual archaeological finds from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages. A number of significant finds were excavated in 2016 when archaeological work was done on Burgermeester van Sleenstraat, a former convent site.
