Rural riches & royal rags? ‘Rural riches & royal rags? Editorial board Studies on medieval and modern archaeology, presented to Frans Theuws’ Mirjam Kars was introduced to the ins is published on the occasion of the and outs of life, death and burial in the symposium at the University of Leiden, Merovingian period by Frans Theuws as June 29, 2018. supervisor of her PhD thesis. This created a solid base for her further explorations of this This publication was made possible by grants dynamic period. Frans and his Rural Riches from the following persons, institutions and team participate with Mirjam on her work archaeological companies: on the medieval reference collection for Dutch Society for Medieval Archaeology, the Portable Antiquities of the Netherlands Cultural Heritage Agency of the project, which is much appreciated. Netherlands, Familie Van Daalen, University of Amsterdam, Gemeente Maastricht, Roos van Oosten is an assistant professor Tilburg University, Leerstoel Cultuur of urban archaeology in Frans Theuws’ in Brabant, Academie voor Erfgoed chairgroup at Leiden University. She also Brabant, Archol, Diggel Archeologie, worked alongside Frans Theuws (and D. Archaeo (Archeologische advisering en Tys) when he founded the peer-reviewed ondersteuning), Gemeente Veldhoven. journal Medieval Modern Matters (MMM). In addition to undergraduate and graduate © SPA-Uitgevers, Zwolle teaching responsibilities, Van Oosten is in cooperation with the Dutch Society for working on her NWO VENI-funded project Medieval Archaeology, Amsterdam. entitled ‘Challenging the paradigm of filthy and unhealthy medieval towns’. SPA-Uitgevers, Assendorperstraat 174 4, 8012 CE Zwolle, [email protected] Marcus A. Roxburgh is currently at Leiden University working on his PhD research, Text editor: Marcus A. Roxburgh entitled ‘Charlemagne’s Workshops’, which Lay-out and cover design: Bregt Balk aims to better understand copper-alloy craft Editors: Mirjam Kars, Roos van Oosten, production in early medieval society. The Marcus A. Roxburhg and Arno Verhoeven idea for this PhD stemmed from his second Printing: Ipskamp, Enschede MA degree in archaeology, completed at Leiden in 2013, which focused on the isbn 978-90-8932-140-4 composition of early medieval copper-alloy finds from the terps of Frisia. His first MA in field archaeology was gained at the University of York in 2010. Arno Verhoeven participated in many excavations in the Kempen region in the 1980s and 1990s. In Dommelen he met Frans Theuws, who induced him to study the ceramics of the Kempen region. After his PhD in 1996 he was engaged in the archaeology of the Betuwe freight railway and worked several years for a commercial unit before returning as an assistant professor to the University of Amsterdam in 2005. He was involved in research on proto- urban Tiel and early medieval Leiderdorp. Rural riches & royal rags? Studies on medieval and modern archaeology, presented to Frans Theuws Edited by: Mirjam Kars Roos van Oosten Marcus A. Roxburgh Arno Verhoeven Rica Annaert A status quaestionis of the early medieval burial archaeology in the Flemish part of the Meuse- Demer-Scheldt region Fig. 1 Map presenting the early medieval cemeteries mentioned in this article. Working for the Flemish government since Thirty years ago Frans Theuws compiled a list of all known the 1990s, the professional activities of Rica Annaert have been centered around the archaeological sources for the early medieval period in the rural archaeology of the Antwerp, and the Belgian/Dutch Meuse-Demer-Scheldt region for his PhD Campine region of Flanders. This includes dissertation entitled De archeologie van de periferie.1 Eight being part of the Dutch ‘Kempen project’ in which Frans Theuws is also involved. Their sites were subsequently mentioned for the Flemish part paths have remained crossed since their of this region, all of which were cemeteries: four in the investigation of the Merovingian cemetery 2 of Broechem. Rica is grateful to Frans for his province of Antwerp and four in the province of Limburg. wise advice, his great knowledge and their The archaeological field in Flanders has changed considerably many pleasant discussions. during the past thirty years. Since 1993,3 the Flemish Heritage Agency has been responsible for the archaeological inventory in which all archaeological sites are listed,4 and in 2008 a State- of-the-Art of Flemish archaeological research was made by same Agency.5 Moreover, development-led-archaeology has brought a lot of new information to light. Time therefore for a short update of the Early Middle Ages burial sites in the Flemish part of the Meuse-Demer-Scheldt region. 65 a status quaestionis of the early medieval burial archaeology in the meuse-demer-scheldt region Introduction (2010, 2011-2012, 15 graves)20 complete the list (Fig. 1). Three differing geographical and pedological zones can One of the issues of development-led-archaeology is the be distinguished in the Belgian part of the Meuse-Demer- limited surface area available for research. The building Scheldt region. The central zone covers the Campine plans determine the excavation area, not the archaeological plateau with rather unfertile Pleistocene cover sands, potential. One has to take into account that in many cases known in the Early Middle Ages as the pagus Texandria. the number of graves recorded, represents only a small To the west, the pagus Renensis is enclosed by the rivers part of a bigger cemetery, as is thought to be the case for Scheldt, Rupel, Dijle, Nete and Schijn, forming an island of Boechout-St. Bavo, Boechout-Mussenhoevelaan, Hechtel- fertile sandy-loam. To the east, the fertile alluvial land of Eksel, Oud-Turnhout-Bentel, Dilsen-Stokkem, and the western Meuse valley, known as the pagus Masau, Lanaken-Pannestraat. At Kinrooi-Ophoven for example, extends between Lanaken and Kessenich. a considerable part of the site was destroyed by house- During the 19th century and the first half of the 20th building activities before the archaeological excavations century many Merovingian cemeteries were discovered could start. Another issue is the quality of some excavation during quarrying activities in Belgium. A systematic survey reports, which are less elaborated, lacking for example, ex- of these cemeteries, however, was lacking. After World tended typological studies on burial rites, grave structures War II approximately fifteen cemeteries were investigated and grave gifts and demographical studies on the human in an archaeological way. Those lying in the Meus-Demer- remains. Scheldt region were mentioned in Theuws’ dissertation: The inhumation burial rite was practiced in most of these Brecht, Grobbendonk, Ouwen and Borsbeek, situated in cemeteries, however in four cases cremation graves were the pagus Renensis, As, Overpelt-Lindel, Lommel-Lut- also present: the Broechem cemetery yielded seventy-five lommel in the pagus Texandria and Rosmeer in the pagus cremations, while only one cremation grave was discov- Masau.6 Early medieval settlements however remained ered at each of the cemeteries of Boechout-Mussenhoeve­ unknown at this time. laan, Herentals-Roggestraat and Maasmechelen-Motte­ The implementation of the first archaeology law in kamp. The orientations of the inhumation graves were not Flanders in 1993 caused a positive evolution: the increase in always easy to define because the skeletal remains did not archaeological surveys led to the discovery of new Merov- always survive in the sandy soils and grave gifts were not ingian cemeteries as well as early medieval settlements. always present. Most graves were arranged in rows with The evolution towards a development-led-archaeology, a west-east layout or a variation of this orientation, executed by commercial archaeological bureaus since as seen at Hechtel-Eksel, Herentals-Roggestraat, Oud- 2004, brought in a rapid stream of new sites and new Turnhout-Bentel, Hoeselt-Kerkstraat, Kinrooi-Ophoven insights to Flemish Archaeology, especially in terms of and Lanaken-Pannestraat. A south-north orientation or burial archaeology and habitation history. variations on it were observed at Boechout-St. Bavo, and Maasmechelen-Mottekamp. A combination of west-east Cemeteries and south-north orientated graves was noticed at Over the last few decades, several previously unknown Boechout-Mussenhoevelaan, Edegem-Buizegem, early medieval cemeteries have come to light in the Broechem and Beerse-Krommeweg. Meuse-Demer-Scheldt region. In the pagus Renensis the The oldest burial ground was situated at Broechem- following sites can now be discussed: Boechout-St. Bavo Nierlenders. It was in use from the first half of the 5th cen- church (2006, 2 graves),7 Boechout-Mussenhoevelaan tury until the mid-7th century. With its 513 graves, including (2014, 6 graves),8 Edegem-Buizegem (2006, 22 graves),9 three horse burials, it was also the biggest cemetery and Ranst-Broechem-Nierlenders (2001-2003 and 2007-2010, also a typical example of a central burial ground, used by 513 graves)10 and Zandhoven-Pulle (end of 20th century, a community living in several farmsteads spread over the approximately 8 graves)11 . In the pagus Texandria new surrounding landscape. The rather large number of graves burial sites were excavated at Beerse-Krommeweg (2009, estimated for the Kinrooi-Ophoven cemetery also makes 36 graves),12 Hechtel-Eksel (2012, 1 grave)13, Herentals- it a plausible candidate for being another central burial Roggestraat (2014, 33 graves)14 and Oud-Turnhout-Bentel ground. This cemetery