Leiden University Student Repository

Eerenvelt-Pijpelink, April (2010)

The St. Agnieten Convent of Hoorn, the Netherlands. A physical anthropological investigation of the individuals buried at the St. Agnieten graveyard in Hoorn

Master thesis | Archaeology (MA/MSc)

In 1983 building plans were made by the municipality of Hoorn for the expansion of the public library at the Gravenstraat in Hoorn, together with the building of a new primary school next to the public library. In order to save the present archaeological remains, an excavation was planned. The excavation started on 7 November 1983 and ended on 9 January 1984. From the start of the excavation the foundations a the monastery was found, but on December 6, a large number of bones suddenly appeared. It turned out that the archaeologists had found part of the graveyard of the Agnates convent. Because the graveyard was part of the Agnates convent, it is expected that the deceased nuns of the Agnates convent were buried at their own graveyard. The purpose of this research is to discover the identity of the individuals buried at the Agnates graveyard. To be able to determine the demography and health status of the individuals that were buried at the Agnates graveyard, it is necessary to...Show moreIn 1983 building plans were made by the municipality of Hoorn for the expansion of the public library at the Gravenstraat in Hoorn, together with the building of a new primary school next to the public library. In order to save the present archaeological remains, an excavation was planned. The excavation started on 7 November 1983 and ended on 9 January 1984. From the start of the excavation the foundations a the monastery was found, but on December 6, a large number of bones suddenly appeared. It turned out that the archaeologists had found part of the graveyard of the Agnates convent. Because the graveyard was part of the Agnates convent, it is expected that the deceased nuns of the Agnates convent were buried at their own graveyard. The purpose of this research is to discover the identity of the individuals buried at the Agnates graveyard. To be able to determine the demography and health status of the individuals that were buried at the Agnates graveyard, it is necessary to analyze gender, age at death, stature and pathology of the deceased. The physical anthropological research has shown the following results: [tabel] Due to the distribution of the gender (12% males and 72% females) and the age at death of the non-adults (except one individual all the non-adults were above the 12 years old, so they were allowed to enter the monastery) it is concluded that the individuals buried at the Agnates graveyard were the inhabitants of the Agnates convent. When the stature and the pathology are added to the conclusion, it becomes clear that the inhabitants of the Agnates monastery were most certain part of the higher social class. To be able to see the Agnates convent in a greater context, these conclusions were compared with a contemporary monastery in Hoorn: the Bethlehem convent and two contemporary civil populations from the city of Delft and the city of Dordrecht. The population of the city of Dordrecht was most certain the most prospering population based on the comparisons. The individuals performed a great amount of heavy labor, but also knew the best health care and had most certain access to the most food resources. After the population of Dordrecht, the population of the Agnates convent was most certain the most prospering. The inhabitants had access to enough food resources and knew reasonably good health care. The inhabitants performed little labor (also compared to the Bethlehem convent) and also knew health care and had access to enough food resources during growth, which indicates that these individuals had a relative well-to-do social life. The population of the city of Delft also had access to sufficient food resources, and knew health care, but these individuals also had to perform heavy labor. The population of the city of Dordrecht had to perform heavier labor, but they had also access to better food resources and better health care than the population of Delft. The population of the Bethlehem convent was the worst prospering population based on the comparisons. The population of the Bethlehem convent had to perform heavy labor, while the population consisted mainly out of females, knew little health care and had access to insufficient food resources. Based on the comparisons it may be concluded that the inhabitants of the Agnates convent were quite prosperous and had a relative well-to-do social life. Most of the individuals that were entering the Agnates convent had a higher social position and were still quite young when they started living in the monastery. Apart from the nuns also some priests have lived in the monastery. The inhabitants had to perform labor, but these tasks existed mainly out of simple and light tasks possibly like gardening and handwork. Food and hygiene were average to good and most certain the nuns took care of each other when someone got ill. The graveyard on the terrain of the Agnates convent was most certain for the inhabitants of the monastery only and therefore existed out of mainly females and just a few males (though it has to be taken into account that not the entire graveyard has been excavated).Show less

Author

Eerenvelt-Pijpelink, April

Faculty

Faculty of Archaeology

Supervisors

Kolfschoten, M. van
Maat, G.J.R.

ECTS Credits

20

Language

en