A Merovingian Surprise: Early Medieval Radiocarbon Dates on Cremated Bone (Borsbeek, Belgium)

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Radiocarbon dating of cremated bone is a well-established practice in the study of prehistoric cremation cemeteries since the introduction of the method in the late 1990s. 14 C dates on the Late Bronze Age urnfield and Merovingian cemetery at Borsbeek in Belgium shed new light on Merovingian funerary practices. Inhumation was the dominant funerary rite in this period in the Austrasian region. In the Scheldt Valley, however, some cremations are known, termed Brandgrubengräber, which consist of the deposition of a mix of cremated bone and the remnants from the pyre in the grave pit. 14 C dates from Borsbeek show that other ways of deposition of cremated bone in this period existed. In both cases, bones were selected from the pyre and wrapped in an organic container before being buried. Recent excavation and 14 C dates from another Merovingian cemetery at Broechem confirmed the information about the burial rites and chronology from Borsbeek. This early Medieval practice of cremation rituals seems an indication of new arrivals of colonists from northern regions where cremation remained the dominant funerary rite. Another case at Borsbeek shows the reuse of a Late Bronze Age urn in the Merovingian period. This practice is known from Viking burials in Scandinavia, but was not ascertained until now in Flanders.

CREMATION VS. INHUMATION: MODELING CULTURAL CHANGES IN FUNERARY PRACTICES FROM THE MESOLITHIC TO THE MIDDLE AGES IN BELGIUM USING KERNEL DENSITY ANALYSIS ON14C DATA

“…An example is at the site of Beerse "Krommenhof" where four of the Bronze Age barrows were re-used as burial context between approximately 600 and 775 AD (Annaert 2018;Delaruelle et al 2014). At Borsbeek the re-use of a Late Bronze Age urn in the Merovingian period during the 5th-6th century AD was confirmed by two 14 C dates on cremated remains (KIA-37917, 1460 ± 35 BP;KIA-40552, 1465 ± 30 BP;De Mulder et al 2012).…”

A New Perception of the Late Bronze Age Chronology in Belgium

“…The grave I of Borsbeek contains no less than six vases with an amphora used as an urn (Desittere 1968). The 14 C result on the cremated bones gave a date between the end of the Ha A1 and the Ha B (KIA-37896: 2865 ± 35 BP; De Mulder et al 2012). This 14 C result is in perfect adequacy with the typochronology of the urns.…”

14C Dating of “Brandgrubengräber” from the Bronze Age to the Roman Period in Western Flanders (Belgium)

“…The round Brandgrubengrab appear again in the Early Medieval period as a result of the influx of Germanic immigrant populations. The grave type was part of the cultural context of northern and eastern Germanic groups (Annaert et al 2010;De Mulder et al 2012). In these Merovingian cemeteries, inhumation dominates, however, and only a small portion of the population chose cremation, as has been observed in Broechem (Annaert et al 2010;De Mulder et al 2012), Velzeke (Van Durme 1969-1971, and Dendermonde (Van Doorselaer and Opsteyn 1999).…”