MEROVINGIAN QUERN STONES FROM MAYEN Investigating the distribution of tephrite quern stones to the Netherlands in the Merovingian period Max Koopman MA Thesis University of Amsterdam !2 Merovingian quern stones from Mayen: Investigating the distribution of tephrite quern stones to the Netherlands in the Merovingian period Max Koopman Student no.: 10447296 MA Thesis Archaeology of North-Western Europe University of Amsterdam Supervisor: Dr. A.A.A. Verhoeven Second reader: Dr. M.F.P. Dijkstra 03-04-2018 (Final version) Front: Early medieval quern stone found in Borger (source: Harsema 1979, 28). ‘Do not take a pair of millstones—not even the upper one— as security for a debt, because that would be taking a person’s livelihood as security’ - Deuteronomy 24:6 " " " " " !2 1. Introduction 6 2. Production and use of tephrite quern stones 8 2.1 Geologic context 8 2.2 Production of tephrite quern stones 10 2.3 Use of tephrite quern stones 11 3.1 Historical overview of the Mayen quern stone production center 14 3.2 A decrease of production and exportation during the Merovingian period? 17 4. Mayen as a ceramics production center 19 4.1 Historical overview of the Mayen ceramics production center 19 4.2 The distribution of Mayen ceramics 20 5.1 The political situation and the organization of trade in the Netherlands during the Merovingian period 24 5.1 Political situation 24 5.2 Trade and exchange during the Merovingian period 28 5.3 Agents within the production and distribution of Mayen querns 31 6. The distribution of tephrite quern stones to the Netherlands during the Merovingian period 33 6.1 Methods 33 6.2 Problems 36 6.3 Distribution map 38 7. Distribution to the riverine area and Rhine estuary 40 7.1 The riverine area and Rhine estuary during the Merovingian period 40 7.2 Sites 41 7.3 Possible sites 43 7.4 Conclusion 45 8. Distribution to the western part of the Netherlands 46 8.1 The western part of the Netherlands during the Merovingian period 46 8.2 Sites 47 8.3 Possible sites 47 8.4 Conclusion 49 9. Distribution to the northern part of the Netherlands 50 9.1 The northern part of the Netherlands during the Merovingian period 50 9.2 Sites 51 9.3 Possible sites 52 9.4 Conclusion 52 10. Distribution to the eastern part of the Netherlands 54 10.1 The eastern part of the Netherlands during the Merovingian period 54 10.2 Sites 55 10.3 Possible sites 57 10.4 Conclusion 59 11. Distribution to the southern part of the Netherlands 60 11.1 The southern part of the Netherlands during the Merovingian period 60 11.2 Sites 61 11.3 Possible sites 62 11.4 Conclusion 63 !3 12. Geographical, political and economic factors in the distribution of querns 64 13. Conclusion 68 Literature 70 List of images 84 Appendix 85 !4 !5 Merovingian quern stones from Mayen: Investigating the distribution of tephrite quern stones to the Netherlands in the Merovingian period 1. Introduction For many centuries, the area around Mayen in Germany functioned as an important center for the production of ceramics. From prehistoric times onwards, the area around Mayen also produced quern stones. These querns were made out of tephrite, also known as basaltic lava. These quern stones were often exported over large distances. The exportation of ceramic wares from Mayen to the area that is now known as the Netherlands seems to have decreased in the 6th and 7th centuries.1 An interesting question concerns the supply of Mayen quern stones during the same period: did this also decline or did it remain constant? The distribution of these quern stones will be mapped in order to make a comparison with the presumed decline of ceramic imports from Mayen in this period. The results of this research will be placed within a historical and economic context. The outcome of this thesis will therefore not only contribute to the knowledge about the supply of these specific quern stones but also to the knowledge about trade and exchange in the Dutch areas during this period. First, an overview of the production and use of tephrite quern stones is presented in chapter 2. This part will briefly explain the physical geographic processes which formed the tephrite sources of the Eifel region and how this material was worked to create quern stones. It will also clarify how these quern stones were used in daily life. Second, the existing literature about the Mayen area will be used in order to investigate what is already known about both the quern stone and ceramic production centers of this region. Third, archaeological publications about known Merovingian settlements within the Netherlands are inventoried and studied for presence of tephrite quern stones in order to create a map that offers an image of the distribution of these quern stones during the Merovingian period. The distribution of these quern stones will be compared to the supply of ceramics from the Mayen area to the Netherlands during this period in order to answer the question if the supply of ceramics and the supply of quern stones from the Mayen area are related or if they are independent. The research will also investigate if the distribution can be explained by the geographical location of the Merovingian settlements in which quern stones have been found. A more dense distribution in settlements close to the Rhine would seem likely. 1 Verhoeven 2014, 13 !6 Besides the evaluation of the distribution and use, the results will be placed within a historical and economic context. A brief overview of the current knowledge about the historical background of this area during the Merovingian period will be presented. The political situation in this area during the Merovingian period will be outlined and the way in which political factors might have been of influence on the distribution of tephrite quern stones will be investigated. It will also outline how trade and exchange was organized during this period. !7 2. Production and use of tephrite quern stones The quern stones from Mayen were made out of tephrite. Different names are used for this material within the existing literature, such as basaltic lava, Mayener lava, Niedermieniger lava or Aldernacher lava.2 This material was favored for the production of quern stones because of the fact that its composition makes it very suitable for grinding.3 When the stone is used it will not become smooth very fast and it will keep its coarse surface, which is needed for milling grain. This part will briefly explain the physical geographic processes which formed the tephrite sources of the Eifel region and how this tephrite was used in order to make quern stones. It will also clarify how the quern stones were used in daily life. 2.1 Geologic context The Eifel area contains large amounts of tephrite sources and it is now generally accepted that almost all of the tephrite quern stones found in North-Western Europe originate from the Eifel region.4 The name tephrite is derived from the Greek word tephra, which means ashes. It is a rather porous stone with many cavities of which the edges are very sharp. It is mainly composed of clinopyroxene, calcic plagioclase, analcime, leucite and nepheline.5 The tephrite sources are a result of former volcanism in the area. The oldest volcanic activity in the Eifel dates back to the Tertiary Period and the youngest volcanic activity took place approximately 10.900 years ago. The Eifel contains two volcanic fields; the West- und Hocheifeler Vulkanfeld and the Osteifeler Vulkanfeld, the latter being located closer to the Rhine. These two areas together contain 117 known sites where tephrite was quarried for the production of quern stones, dating from the Neolithic period to the modern era. Prehistoric quern stone production has been proven for 22 of these sites.6 The Eastern and Western Eifel volcanic fields are two of the very few Quaternary volcanic fields in Central Europe. The Western Eifel volcanic field is the largest with a surface area of 600 square kilometers and contains around 240 extinct volcanoes, while the eastern volcanic field has a surface area of 400 square kilometers containing around 100 extinct 2 Parkhouse 1997, 99 3 Pohl 2010, 148-149 4 Parkhouse 1997, 3 5 Bowes 1989, 557 6 Mangartz 2006, 25 !8 volcanoes.7 Because it is generally accepted within the existing literature that most of the tephrite quern stones that are found in North-Western Europe must have their origin in the Mayen area, this chapter will only focus on the geophysical properties of the volcanic field in the eastern Eifel. The center of this part of the Eifel is the Laacher See area, which lies in between the Rhine, the Nette and the Brohl rivers. All of the volcanism within this area is of Pleistocene age. Here, the volcanoes have produced a large number of lava streams with a basaltic to highly unsaturated, nepheline containing composition. Due to high proportions of built up gasses, volcanic eruptions in this area were so heavy that liquid and solid volcanic material were blown into the air, together with large amounts of other types of rocks. As a result, large parts of the Laacher See area are covered with thick deposits of volcanic tuffs.8 During the eruptions of the magma, which was rich in gas, streams of liquid lava broke out and eventually cooled down, creating solid layers of volcanic material. A good example of this phenomenon is the Bellerberg volcano, which is located near Mayen.