In this research the location of Merovingian cemeteries in the landscape of Northern Gaul is studied using GIS. While Merovingian cemeteries have been studied for over a century, most studies have...Show moreIn this research the location of Merovingian cemeteries in the landscape of Northern Gaul is studied using GIS. While Merovingian cemeteries have been studied for over a century, most studies have focused on the grave goods found in the graves, while little research has been done on the location of the cemeteries. The locations of cemeteries are often explained by very rational or economic reasonings, which state that cemeteries were located on land that was unsuitable for agriculture. However, the locations of cemeteries were likely the result of deliberate choices. The grave goods in graves and other parts of the burial ritual indicate the importance of the ritual, and the burial location will have been just as important as the other parts of the ritual, if not even more important. In this thesis, the locations of 190 Merovingian cemeteries are analysed in Geographical Information Systems (GIS), using three different variables: slope, aspect and (relative) elevation. The comparison of these variables for each cemetery gives a general idea of the location characteristics of Merovingian cemeteries. By using accurately dated cemeteries for the analyses, it is also possible to see changes in the location characteristics through time and between different parts of the Merovingian period. The results of the analyses are in line with earlier research on the locations of Merovingian cemeteries. They show that Merovingian cemeteries are generally located on gentle slopes, with no clear preference for a certain direction. However, the cemeteries that are located on steeper slopes, are more often found on south-facing slopes. Furthermore, most cemeteries are found at medium elevations, neither at the highest, nor at the lowest elevations in their surroundings. Through time, lower elevations seem to have become more suitable for cemeteries, as a larger proportion of the cemeteries is located at low elevations during the later periods. The research presented in this thesis shows the potential of using GIS-based methods to analyse the location of Merovingian cemeteries. The results are coherent with the findings from earlier studies, while also showing indications for the changes that took place during the Merovingian Period. All in all, this study can form a starting point for further GIS-based analyses of Merovingian cemetery locations, which could be improved by including more cemetery sites, and incorporating many more additional variables into the analyses.Show less
Scriptie onderzoek van een middeleeuws ruraal grafveld te Dommelen uit de late 11de tot 14de eeuw, waarbij met name aandacht wordt besteed aan de vroege periode van het grafveld tot aan de bouw van...Show moreScriptie onderzoek van een middeleeuws ruraal grafveld te Dommelen uit de late 11de tot 14de eeuw, waarbij met name aandacht wordt besteed aan de vroege periode van het grafveld tot aan de bouw van de stenen kapel rond de 14de en 15de eeuw. Met als doel om de archeologische gegevens te analyseren en om de chronologische ontwikkeling van het grafveld, de structuur ervan en de verschillende grafvormen in beeld te brengen.Show less
Archaeological research into the early Middle ages in the southern Dutch province of Noord Brabant is relies on a theory of prof. Dr. Theuws regarding settlement patterns and development. Recent...Show moreArchaeological research into the early Middle ages in the southern Dutch province of Noord Brabant is relies on a theory of prof. Dr. Theuws regarding settlement patterns and development. Recent excavations in the town of Uden challenge this theory however. The aim of this paper is to challenge the theory with the main research-question: Can the excavation of the early medieval settlement and cemetery of Uden-West change the current theory of prof. Theuws on early medieval settlement-patterns and settlement development in eastern Noord Brabant, and if so, how? The theory of prof. Theuws focuses on habitation/cultivation areas (or H/C areas in short). Habitation supposedly started around 575 AD, and the earliest settlements were shifting settlements, whilst the earliest settlers avoided the smaller H/C areas. These settlements clustered during the late Merovingian period, but began to shift once more thanks to a population decline during the Carolingian and Ottonian period. A rise in the population forced settlements to cluster once more, and the settlements were eventually forced of the H/C areas in the Late Middle Ages to maximise the agricultural usage of the areas. Merovingian cemeteries were positioned outside of the H/C area. In Uden, however, the cemetery is positioned close to/towards the middle of the H/C area. Habitation also started about 40 years earlier than prof. Dr. Theuws theorised. The size of the population was also smaller, with a maximum of two families. The local cemetery was only used by the people that lived on the H/C area of Uden-West. Furthermore, there is no evidence for clustering of the settlement until 900 AD, and no indication for a decline in the population during the Carolingian and Ottonian period. Overall, based on the H/C area of Uden-west, a more flexible view should be adopted towards early medieval settlement patterns and settlement development, since a lot of H/C areas are now dismissed for early medieval habitation because they are believed to be too small.Show less
