Single-Coin Finds and Chronological Evenness in the Rhine–Meuse Delta (450–1200 CE)

This pilot study investigates whether the chronological evenness of single-coin finds varies systematically across the riverine Rhine–Meuse delta (450–1200 CE) and evaluates its potential as a quantitative proxy for long-term landscape persistence. Drawing on 793 single coins grouped into five standardised 150-year periods and aggregated into four geomorphological quadrants, the analysis reveals highly significant differences in temporal distributions (χ² = 193.89, df = 12, N = 793, p < .001, V = .29). The Pleistocene-influenced eastern quadrants (Northeast and Southeast) exhibit markedly higher chronological evenness and more continuous deposition patterns, whereas the western Holocene sectors show strongly peaked, episodic profiles. Intra-quadrant homogeneity was confirmed through pairwise cosine similarity (≥ .90). Supported by bootstrap resampling, PCA and hierarchical clustering, the results demonstrate that single-coin chronological evenness provides a simple yet robust proxy for polycentric settlement dynamics and differential landscape persistence in dynamic riverine environments.