Categorie: Publicatie

Paleoparasitological analysis of a 15th–16th c. CE latrine from the merchant quarter of Bruges, Belgium: Evidence for local and exotic parasite infections

New open-acces publication on the northernmost find of S. mansoni and other parasitic infections at the Spanish nation house in Bruges!

Ledger ML, Poulain M, Deforce K. Paleoparasitological analysis of a 15th–16th c. CE latrine from the merchant quarter of Bruges, Belgium: Evidence for local and exotic parasite infections. Parasitology. Published online 2024:1-9. doi:10.1017/S0031182024001100

ABSTRACT: Paleoparasitological studies have made important contributions to our understanding of the past epidemiology of parasites, infection in past populations and lifestyle in the past. In some cases, these ancient parasites can also provide evidence for long distance travel or migration of people in the past. Three sediment samples from a 15th–16th c. CE latrine from the Spanish nation house in Bruges, Belgium were analysed for preserved helminth eggs using microscopy. Bruges was a major trading centre in medieval Europe, thus it was home to a large merchant population with extensive trading networks. Paleoparasitological analysis revealed a preserved parasite egg from Schistosoma mansoni, which causes intestinal schistosomiasis. Roundworm, whipworm, liver fluke and Taenia tapeworm eggs were also found in the latrine which is consistent with parasites previously found in the local population in the medieval period. These new data provide direct evidence for the movement of S. mansoni outside of its endemic area. Today the vast majority of S. mansoni infections occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, with additional endemic areas in the Arabian peninsula and South America. The introduction of S. mansoni into South America is proposed to have occurred relatively recently in human history, as the result of forced movement of people from Africa to the Americas with the Atlantic slave trade. Thus, this infection may have occurred in a merchant who acquired the parasite during trade voyages to Africa or in an individual living in Africa who migrated to Bruges.

Marginal Mounds and Maritime Shepherding. A Landscape Archaeological Survey of a Late Medieval Sheep Mound in the Belgian Coastal Plain

Trachet, J., Poulain, M., de Ruijsscher, D., Saey, T., & De Clercq, W. (2024). Marginal Mounds and Maritime Shepherding. A Landscape Archaeological Survey of a Late Medieval Sheep Mound in the Belgian Coastal Plain. Journal of Wetland Archaeology, 1–30. Open Access, available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/14732971.2024.2416266

ABSTRACT:

The ‘Scaperie’ site in Knokke-Heist (Belgium), identified through a topographic analysis of a sixteenth-century map and located in a maritime sedimentary environment, serves as the focal point for this research. Employing a landscape archaeological approach, this study integrates multiple data sources including ceramics, historical maps, aerial photographs, LiDAR-data, geophysical surveys, and a coring survey. The dataset revealed the remnants of a anthropogenic sheep mound, evidenced by a localised microtopographic elevation, subsoil anomalies and surface artifacts associated with dairy production. More generally, this paper contributes to the understanding of the dynamic interplay between humans, sheep, and the coastal environment, offering new insights into historic land use and the archaeological characteristics of coastal mounded features. The study introduces a tripartite pattern of spatial organisation of animal husbandry, encompassing parent farms, droveways and satellite dwelling mounds. Encroached by the advancing embankments, this sheep-related taskscape was gradually marginalised both socio-economically and spatially.

Fuelling the blacksmiths furnace: a multidisciplinary study into the use of ‘smithy’ coal in the iron-working industry of a late medieval harbour system, Bruges (Belgium)

Paulina, B., Wim, D. C., Elisa, B., Patrick, B., Duncan, M. L., Rick, H., Maxime, P., Jan, T., Stijn, D., & Johan, D. G. (2024). Fuelling the blacksmiths furnace: a multidisciplinary study into the use of ‘smithy’ coal in the iron-working industry of a late medieval harbour system, Bruges (Belgium). Archaeometry, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/arcm.13036

ABSTRACT:
Large amounts of iron slag were discovered during archaeological excavations in the late medieval harbour of Hoeke (Municipality of Damme, Belgium), one of the main outer harbours of Bruges. This waste product indicates the presence of 13th- to 14th-century pre-industrial metalworking activities, such as blacksmithing, which involved the production of iron objects and the repair of ships, as historically documented on this site. Besides the waste products from iron working, fragments of coal were also discovered within the same deposits, both as separate pieces and included in the slags, suggesting that coal was used as a fuel during these activities. This discovery resulted in a multidisciplinary study applying geochemical, palaeontological, and historical analyses that allowed to identify the provenance of the coal (Northumberland-Durham Coalfield) as well as to provide new insights into maritime coal trade during this period. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of pre-industrial craft practices in the Bruges harbour system and expands the knowledge of the fuel sources used in the late medieval harbour’s iron-working activities.

Capabilities and limitations of Pb, Sr and Fe isotopic analysis of iron-rich slags: a case study on the medieval port at Hoeke (Belgium)

Paulina Biernacka, Marta Costas-Rodr´ıguez, Wim De Clercq, Stijn Dewaele, Johan De Grave & Frank Vanhaecke 2024, ‘Capabilities and limitations of Pb, Sr and Fe isotopic analysis of iron-rich slags: a case study on the medieval port at Hoeke (Belgium)’, RSC Advances 14: 21887. DOI: 10.1039/D4RA02887B

ABSTRACT:

In this work, an analytical approach was developed for Pb, Sr, and Fe isotopic analysis of archaeological samples recovered from an iron work site by using multi-collector inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). The sample types include slag, coal, clay and hammer scales, all obtained from an archaeological site at Hoeke (Belgium). Despite the wide concentration range of the target elements present in the samples and some sample manipulations necessarily performed outside of a clean laboratory facility, the analytical procedure yielded accurate and precise results for QA/QC standards while blank levels were negligible. Preliminary results concerning Pb, Sr and Fe isotope ratio variations in archaeological materials associated with iron working processes are provided. The samples revealed high variability in metal isotopic compositions, with the 208Pb/207Pb ratio ranging from 2.4261 to 2.4824, the 87Sr/86Sr ratio from 0.7100 to 0.7220, and δ56Fe values from −0.34 to +0.08‰, which was tentatively attributed to the mixing of materials during the iron production process or variability within the source material. Also, contamination introduced by coal and furnace/hearth lining material could have contributed to the wide range of isotopic compositions observed. Because of the absence of information and data for primary ore samples to compare with, the provenance of the materials could not be established. The present study highlights the challenges in interpreting archaeological data, particularly in terms of the isotopic variability observed. It underscores the necessity of integrating analysis data with historical and archaeological knowledge. Further research, involving detailed analysis of these source materials combined with robust historical evidence, is essential to validate hypotheses concerning the origin of iron.

A medieval embankment near the lost harbour of Mude (Zeeland, the Netherlands): A palaeoenvironmental reconstruction based on palynology and diatom analysis

André, Coralie, Dante de Ruijsscher, Maxime Poulain, Jan Trachet, Wim De Clercq, Frieda Bogemans, Annelies Storme, et al. 2024. “A Medieval Embankment near the Lost Harbour of Mude (Zeeland, the Netherlands): A Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction Based on Palynology and Diatom Analysis.” Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 55.

Open Access, available here!

 

 

Sedimentary and stratigraphic architecture in the geoarchaeological context of Late-Holocene deposits in the eastern coastal plain of Belgium: Zwin region – Hoeke

Bogemans, F., De Clercq, W., Poulain, M., Trachet, J., Verhegge, J. & Heyvaert, V. 2024. “Sedimentary and stratigraphic architecture in the geoarchaeological context of Late-Holocene deposits in the eastern coastal plain of Belgium: Zwin region – Hoeke”, The Holocene, DOI: 10.1177/09596836231225721.

ABSTRACT:

A sedimentary investigation was carried out into the rise and fall of mediaeval Bruges’ maritime access. Because the mediaeval metropolis had no direct connection with the North Sea, its maritime connectivity during the High- and Late-Middle Ages depended on a tidal channel, known as the ‘Zwin’. In order to reconstruct the mediaeval physical environmental situation correctly, the entire Holocene sedimentary record was studied through undisturbed mechanically-drilled cores and electrical cone penetration tests (CPT-e). A detailed sedimentary analysis was complemented with radiocarbon dating and datable archaeological finds to resolve a timeframe for the sedimentary evolution. Tidal channel systems with diverse morphologic and sedimentologic characteristics prevail and cover a period from at least the Roman period till the Late-Middle Ages. The presence of a single peat layer directly on top of the Pleistocene substrate and the stratigraphic position of the tidal channel deposits relative to this peat layer, proves that no seawater entered this part of the Belgian coastal plain before the Late-Holocene. The tidal channel system that was active during the heydays of Bruges (the Zwin) was the last natural one. It silted up due to a further reduction of the accommodation space as a consequence of new embankments, possibly expedited by storms.
Read the paper here!

Archaeometallurgical Research into the Ironworking Activities of the Medieval Harbour at Hoeke (Belgium)

Biernacka, Paulina, Wim De Clercq, Stijn Dewaele, Frank Vanhaecke, and Johan De Grave. 2023. “Archaeometallurgical Research into the Ironworking Activities of the Medieval Harbour at Hoeke (Belgium).” SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH 9 (1). Open Access: https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2023.2257067.

ABSTRACT:

Archaeological research at Hoeke, a Late Medieval outer harbour of Bruges (Belgium), has revealed large quantities of iron slags, fuel and other remains of iron working. Archaeometrical study has provided an enhanced insight into the historic iron working process, a craft activity which had up till now remained completely unknown in one of the largest economic hubs of medieval Europe. Several petrological, mineralogical and geochemical analytical methods have been applied for this purpose. The metallographic analysis was performed using reflected light optical microscopy, while the mineralogical composition of the slags was characterized X-ray Diffraction (XRD) Spectrometry. Macroscopic identification of plano-convex bottom slag and hammerscales, combined with the geochemical data pointed out that the examined slag is indicating smithing activity, while no traces for iron ore melting were discovered.

Toll Collection and Economic Development in Twelfth-Century Flanders

Bonduel, Elisa. 2024. “Toll Collection and Economic Development in Twelfth-Century Flanders.” TIJDSCHRIFT VOOR SOCIALE EN ECONOMISCHE GESCHIEDENIS 21 (2).

ABSTRACT:

The twelfth century is generally considered as a period of economic growth and trade intensification in Europe. This commercial development was characterised by a revival of long-distance trade, a growth of trade volumes and a diversification of commodities. However, due to the source bias, many historians have attributed a rather peripheral role to Northwestern Europe in this narrative. Notably, the exact chronology and character of this commercial development in a fast developing region like coastal Flanders has long been disregarded by historians. By deploying sources on toll collection, more specifically toll exemptions and tariffs, the present paper aims to expand our understanding of this process taking into account the relationship between economic change and the development of administrative practices.