Names on the map

[Tellos Athenaios]

IIRC, the Batavi arrived in the region now called the Betuwe at about 50 BC?

In any case they occupied some of the 'natural dikes' which arised along the river banks. Incidentally these river banks make a (sharp) turn north just about 4 km from I live, which is where the river Linge splits off the Waal.

Yet; actually it's the other way around: the Linge is the ancient 'main' stream and what is now the Waal splits off from the ancient Linge further south. Still that 'route' of the Waal runs further north than the present day one does; its 'natural dike' 'through' Passewaaij; and further west -- it's in fact the Passewaaijse Hoogeweg; the western stretches being the Bommelerweg.

Now one might wonder about the importance of these 'dikes'; but the thing is that in Netherlands the oldest settlements - apart from those in Limburg or the Rijk van Nijmegen and similarly elevated stretches or the sand dunes / 'terpen' - *always* occur on such 'natural dikes'. The reason is that these stretches are the very few pieces of land high enough to be secure from flooding; as well as stable enough to actually support heavier structures. And not very useful for farmland either. (Consisting of mostly sand and gravel.)

... And incidentally one of the old Batavi villages is right on (or rather burried below) that Passewaaijse Hoogeweg; ending just about 200m's from my doorstep.