Reshaping Waterloo: History, Archaeology, and the European Heritage Industry Neil A

University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Selected Publications of EFS Faculty, Students, and Anthropology Department Field Program in Alumni European Studies

January 2007 Reshaping Waterloo: History, Archaeology, and the European Heritage Industry Neil A. Silberman University of Massachusetts - Amherst, [email protected]

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Recommended Citation Silberman, Neil A., "Reshaping Waterloo: History, Archaeology, and the European Heritage Industry" (2007). Archaeology. 11. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/efsp_pub_articles/11

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The Waterloo battlefield is dominated by the “Lion Mound,” built by the Dutch in the 1820s over a stretch of Wellington’s front lines.

Reshaping Waterloo History, Archaeology, and the European Heritage Industry

by NEIL ASHER SILBERMAN

HE WATERLOO BATTLE- slated to undergo an extensive tour- imperial ambitions, and making the FIELD’S ROLLING landscape— ist development project in which the name “Waterloo” synonymous with a Tdotted with antique farm- quest to enhance the site’s entertain- stunning personal defeat. houses and planted with rye—is one ment value and economic potential Many questions remain about of Belgium’s most famous historical will directly endanger the site’s still- the movements and performance of attractions. Every year some 300,000 buried archaeological remains. the opposing forces at Waterloo that visitors flock to the place where the Few battles in history have been are central to understanding Napo- Duke of Wellington’s allied British, so decisive. On a single day, almost leon’s defeat. Was Wellington’s static, Dutch, and Prussian forces decisively 20,000 soldiers were killed at Water- unyielding defense the main factor— defeated Napoleon Bonaparte’s advanc- loo and 40,000 wounded. Shattered or did the last-minute arrival of Prus- ing armies on June 18, 1815. Located bodies and abandoned equipment sian reinforcements turn the tide? Did about 15 miles south of Brussels, the were left scattered across the vast the quality of the respective armies’ site of the battle that determined the battlefield. Napoleon’s army was weaponry, rather than the tactics of fate of Europe is also the perfect van- utterly destroyed. The great French their famous generals, play any part tage point from which to observe a emperor and military genius who had in the dramatic outcome? The battle worrisome transformation now sweep- campaigned across Europe for more may have been won, as Wellington ing over the European heritage scene. than two decades fled in panic south famously put it, “on the playing fields For beginning this spring, Waterloo is toward Paris, forever abandoning his of Eton,” but the answers to some of www.archaeology.org 53 ��

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its most intriguing questions may yet lie The Waterloo visitors’ center, slated for demolition, stands next to a 1912 buried in and around the still-standing neoclassical building housing a 360- farmsteads of Hougemont and La Haie degree panoramic painting of the battle Sainte, and along the broad ridge where that will remain at the site. Wellington established his front line. �� From an archaeological standpoint, These objects are far less valuable as Waterloo’s potential is enormous. For keepsakes and collectors’ items than they �� nearly 200 years, many relics from the are as pieces of the historical puzzle of �� battlefield have been dispersed across that fateful day. Over the past 25 years �� the world in museums and private the excavation techniques and analytical ■ collections. Every year farmers and methods of battlefield archaeology—in treasure hunters with metal detectors places as diverse as the Little Bighorn �� still turn up musket balls, cannon site in Montana or the nearby World �� balls, badges, belts, and bone frag- War I trenches at Ypres (“In Flanders �� ments. But these finds likely comprise Field” May/June 2004)—have revealed �� just a tiny portion of the battlefield’s new information about military tactics, full range of archaeological remains. technology, and soldiers’ behavior in ■ On the day of the battle, in the span the thick of combat. At Little Bighorn, �� of 11 hours of continuous artillery much of the mystery of “Custer’s Last �� barrages, cavalry charges, and increas- Stand” has been dispelled through ingly desperate hand-to-hand fighting, painstaking archaeological reconstruc- �� enormous quantities of cannonballs of tion of the progress of the battle, based �� various sizes, grapeshot, musket balls, on the distinctive patterns of U.S. �� and military equipment of all kinds Army and Native American projectiles. ■ were expended. During two massive And at Ypres, excavation of the World �� French infantry attacks and 12 cavalry War I trench system has provided new charges by thousands of horsemen, insights into the horror of trench war- �� countless helmets, belts, rifles, pistols, fare and the complexity and ingenuity �� bayonets, sabers, backpacks, saddles, of even the most static defense. �� and personal effects—not to mention Yet remarkably, no systematic survey �� the mangled remains of both humans of Waterloo’s archaeological resources and horses—were trampled into the has ever been conducted—and none muddy earth. is planned.

54 ARCHAEOLOGY • January/February 2007 ODAY, THE PART OF THE BAT- thrust between his coat buttons. And site will include the construction of TLEFIELD that most visitors each June, groups of historic reenactors large, partially subterranean structures Tcome to see is little more than from all over Europe descend on the that will destroy a crucial section of a tacky roadside attraction—the tow- site to set up encampments and stage the battlefield’s archaeological remains. ering conical “Lion Mound,” built by a mock battle, complete with cavalry According to the new development the Dutch in the 1820s and surmount- charges and booming cannons. plan, the existing visitors’ center will ed by a huge cast-iron lion that glowers Yet local authorities are not con- be razed and replaced by a 59,000- southward toward France. Nearby vinced that the Waterloo battlefield square-foot underground multimedia are a cluster of pubs, souvenir shops, is living up to its potential as a tourist exhibition complex with a virtual-real- and a musty wax museum featuring a destination. So as the bicentennial of ity re-creation of the battle, interactive melodramatic tableaux of Napoleon the battle approaches, the government exhibits on European history, confer- and his generals. An early-twentieth- of Belgium’s French-speaking Wallonia ence rooms, a cafeteria, and plenty of century neoclassical building contains region and a consortium of surround- retail space. A large new parking lot a huge 360-degree panoramic painting ing towns and villages have announced with underground levels will be built of the battle, marred in some places a plan to reshape the battlefield’s nearby. Both structures will be placed by extensive water stains. A modest topography, offer new attractions, and at one of the most archaeologically visitors’ center features an illuminated dramatically expand the visitors’ facili- sensitive areas of the battlefield—cut- map of the battle, an introductory film, ties. However, that plan poses a direct ting right through the central sector of and the inevitable gift shop stocked threat to the site’s archaeological record Wellington’s front lines. with plastic muskets, toy soldiers, and and even its historical authenticity. The planned construction will a wide selection of Napoleonic tea Though the area of the fighting require the removal of almost three towels, refrigerator magnets, ashtrays, has been protected by law since 1914 million cubic feet of earth from and figurines. as a public monument, archaeology the present surface. This has been In the summer months, a costumed has never been considered essential approved by the local zoning board Napoleon struts among the crowds of to understanding the battle. To make with a requirement that the regional arriving tourists with his right hand matters worse, the renovation of the archaeological service be informed

www.archaeology.org 55 before the earthmoving operations begin. But battlefield archaeology is still in its infancy here, and in Belgium, as elsewhere, government archaeolo- gists are trained primarily to recognize familiar types of ancient tombs and settlements, make surface surveys, and conduct rescue excavations in urban settings. The protection and analysis of battlefield projectile patterns is not yet recognized as a normal part of their work. So even with an official from Wallonia’s archaeological service present at the time of construction, it is likely that the bulldozers will rip away a huge amount of data—and with that destruction, the possibility of obtaining new insights into the battle through archaeology will be lost. Though it is impossible to know precisely what kinds of finds and artifact patterns lie in the area of the planned underground structures, a over the last two centuries, they still Each June, the battle is reenacted with controlled excavation at the place make up a unique and irreplaceable participants from all the countries that where Wellington’s forces repelled record that should be protected or at fought in the epic engagement. repeated French attacks could well least systematically studied before the provide new information about the topography is so dramatically changed. small inn and museum for the visitors allies’ defensive alignment and about But the underground visitors’ center who arrived in carriages from Brussels, the intensity and extent of the French and parking lot are not only expected eager to see the site of Wellington’s advance. Whatever the state of Water- to threaten Waterloo’s archaeological celebrated victory. It didn’t take long loo’s archaeological remains, and how- record; the new master plan will also for other nations to claim the victor’s ever much they have been disturbed endanger significant evidence of the laurels. In 1819, the Prussians com- site’s post-battle history. missioned imposing memorials to The Waterloo battlefield was once the highlight their role in the battle. Then site of Wellington’s victory, but it is now ESIDES THE STILL-BURIED the Dutch took center stage. Since the the world capital of Napoleonic kitsch. BONES, bayonets, musket balls, area had been stripped from France Band personal possessions, and given to the Netherlands after Waterloo has another kind of artifact Napoleon’s defeat, the Dutch were in abundance: the material remains eager to emphasize their sovereignty of the public commemorations that over the battlefield. Between 1824 and gradually transformed the killing fields 1826, hundreds of local workers were of 1815 into a complex landscape of brought to the site to dig a stretch of memory. Over the nearly two centuries Wellington’s front line and erect the since the battle, dozens of memori- imposing “Lion Mound,” a massive als, obelisks, and plaques have been conical mound over the spot where placed on the battlefield, changing the William of Orange—the 22-year-old landscape to conform with evolving crown prince attached to Wellington’s European visions of Waterloo’s histori- forces as commander of the Dutch cal significance. troops—was struck in the shoulder The first tourists to come in large with a musket ball. The original sig- numbers were the British, memorial- nificance of the earthen monument, izing their fallen with plaques and today Waterloo’s most recognizable neoclassical monuments. In 1818, a symbol, was mocked and gradually British veteran of the battle, Sergeant forgotten after a bitter anti-Dutch Major Edward Cotton, established a uprising led to the establishment of

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ASTUDYABROAD an independent Belgium in 1830. But PROGRAM IN GREECE throughout the rest of the nineteenth century, as tourists from all over Europe SEMESTER � YEAR � SUMMER continued to arrive, the cluster of inns UNIVERSITY LEVEL COURSES New 2007 Schedule! and souvenir shops gradually expanded and new commemorations were placed Ancient Greek Civilization & on the battlefield. East Mediterranean Area Studies By the beginning of the twentieth • Extensive study travel within Greece century, the French were back in the Backcountry Clay Workshop with picture, cultivating a nostalgically ideal- • Classes in English Archaeology: Michael Kanteena Comb Ridge July 1–7, 2007 ized image of Napoleon. After World • Distinguished American and European May 6–12, 2007 War II, as Napoleonic nostalgia further Faculty Northwest Coast Chaco Canyon: Art and Cultures of intensified, Major Cotton’s old inn was •Credit granted by pre-arrangement from Two Perspectives Vancouver Island May 20–26, 2007 turned into the present museum filled home institution August 1–11, 2007 with wax figures of Napoleon and his Prehistory to Present: Four Corners: generals. In the last few decades, the French Caves, Cultures Past Summer course info available Castles, & Canvases and Present government of Wallonia constructed at www.cyathens.org June 9–19, 2007 September 2–8, 2007 the visitors’ center and increased the Archaeology of Bandelier and Rock Art in Arizona: Francophile tilt. the Pajarito Plateau The Little Colorado The new design of the battlefield June 10–16, 2007 Sept. 30–October 6, 2007 stresses coherence and order. The key North American Office, P.O. Box 390890, Cambridge, MA 02139 element of the plan, according to the Tel. 617 868-8200 Fax. 617 868-8207 architects, Brussels firm BEAI, is to E-Mail: [email protected] College Year in Athens admits women and men of any race, color, and ethnic origin. Near Mesa Verde in Southwest CO carry out a thorough “cleaning” of the AM-Jan/Feb07 CST 2059347-50 site to bring some order to its chaotic 5 PLATEIA STADIOU, ATHENS, GREECE 800.422.8975 / www.crowcanyon.org commemorative history. Interpretive messages will be made more attractive, homogenizing the older, conflicting national perspectives that seem inappropriate today. It is, after Save Your Archaeology all, the Age of the European Union, when old rivalries need to be forgotten. Preserve, protect, and organize your An advisory committee of historians Archaeology back issues. Slipcases are from all former combatant nations has library quality and constructed with been appointed to ensure that the new heavy bookbinder’s board and covered presentation will be impeccably bal- in a rich maroon leatherette material. A anced and fair. No gloating by winners and no recriminations by the losers will gold label with the Archaeology logo be permitted. To further emphasize the is included for personalization. Perfect site’s pan-European significance, a long for the home or office. Great for gifts! “Wall of Memory” will extend from the parking lot to the new visitors’ center, One - $15 Three - $40 Six - $80 bearing the names of all the units from Add $3.50 per slipcase for S&H. No P.O. boxes please. USA orders only all the nations that participated in the battle, and providing a collective tribute TNC Enterprises Dept. ARKY, P.O. Box 2475, Warminster, PA 18974 to the 60,000 casualties. Enclose name, address, and payment with your order. Add $3.50 No doubt evenhandedness is often per slipcase for S&H. PA residents add 6% sales tax. You can a virtue in public discourse, but mean- even call 215-674-8476 to order by phone, fax 215-674-5949. ingful history is not necessarily about balance and fairness. Waterloo was Credit Card Orders: a brutal confrontation in which one Visa, MC, AmEx accepted. side undoubtedly won and the other Send name, card number, exp. date and signature. quite certainly lost. The new Waterloo presentation will take the focus off the national tensions and rivalries that To Order Online: www.tncenterprises.net/arky www.archaeology.org 57 motivated the 1815 battle. Instead, Borrowing design concepts from to the site and its archaeological record the facilities will stress entertain- theme parks, site planners now utilize that are being made today in the name ment value. The centerpiece will be living-history demonstrations, 3-D of tourist development? a virtual-reality simulation of the computer reconstructions, and vir- In the coming years, visitors may battle produced through the unlikely tual-reality experiences. Great efforts have the opportunity to learn facts collaboration of the advisory com- are made to create enjoyable historical and figures about the battle and enjoy mittee, a Brussels design-and-exhibit environments with a wide enough new multimedia presentations. But firm, and Italian-Belgian film director range of vivid images and impressions with the large-scale reshaping of the Franco Dragone, best known for his to satisfy almost every visitor’s taste. battlefield’s terrain, the construction extravagant production designs for Culturespaces, the Paris-based of new facilities, and the updating Cirque du Soleil. heritage management firm which of its message, the “new” Waterloo The “new” Waterloo is hardly an took over operation of the Waterloo will imply as much about the present isolated vision. All across Europe, battlefield in 2004, is typical of this as the historical and archaeological dozens if not hundreds of historical new vision—it identifies itself in past. Another indelible layer of com- sites from every period are undergo- its promotional material as “one of memoration will be left on the battle- ing reconstruction, with at least as the prime European players in the field, embodying the economic needs much attention to generating income cultural leisure sector.” The goal of and political sensibilities of the New from tourists as to conservation and Waterloo’s new management team is Europe. It will be emphatically upbeat, serious historical research. Sites like “to ensure that a Culturespaces visit is politically neutral, and generically the Xanten Archaeological Park in always a pleasurable experience.” “European”—far closer to the feel- Germany and Altamira in Spain have It is only natural that Waterloo’s good strains of ABBA’s famous Euro- already become popular holiday desti- public presentation be updated, but vision pop tune Waterloo, than to the nations, paving the way for the similar something is being lost in the pro- reality of that bloody day in 1815. ■ development of a steadily increasing cess—along with irreplaceable archae- number of historical and archaeologi- ological remains. How will future gen- Neil Asher Silberman is a contribut- cal sites throughout Europe. erations view the irreversible changes ing editor to ARCHAEOLOGY. ��

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