Urban geoarchaeology in Belgium: Experiences and innovations

Abstract

Geoarchaeological research in urban contexts is a relatively recent development in Belgian geoarchaeology, with pioneering studies dating back to the 1990s. In the beginning of the 21st century, a specific research protocol was developed in Brussels, and in the last years, there have been several attempts to apply a similar approach to urban contexts in Flanders and occasionally in Wallonia. Current debates in urban geoarchaeology mainly focus on: The study of site stratigraphy (microstratified layers and Dark Earths) The impact of urbanization on the soil Rivers in towns Reconstruction of the ancient relief and its modifications through time Soil erosion and soil protection Ancient soil pollution The integration of geoarchaeology with other archaeo‐environmental studies (archaeobotany, archaeozoology, etc.) Key themes for the future development of Belgian urban geoarchaeology include the in situ preservation of sites; a further integration with other methods and method development; systematic studies producing topographical insight and mapping; and synthesis work on critical issues.

A Biographical Approach to Urban Communities from a Geoarchaeological Perspective: High-Definition Applications and Case Studies

“…In the past, a relatively small number of individual experts have focused on these deposits in European towns. Most notably, they have been studied by scholars in the UK and France (Cammas 1994;Macphail and Courty 1985;Macphail 1994), although other European countries such as Italy and Belgium are increasingly represented (Nicosia and others 2012;Devos and others 2011;Devos, Nicosia, and Wouters 2020). In Russia, only limited micromorpho logical research has taken place on single archaeo logical sites, 3 with the exception of the early medi eval town of Gnezdovo, published in Russian (Bronnikova and Uspenskaya 2007).…”

Il était une fois des sociétés qui stockaient du carbone en ville : processus de formation et implications sociétales des terres noires urbaines de l’Europe médiévale (Ve−XIe s.).

“…Dans les villes de Bruxelles (Belgique), Metz, Noyon et Beauvais, la systématisation des études a permis de mieux comprendre comment ces dépôts pouvaient s'insérer dans l'organisation des espaces urbains. Concernant Bruxelles, qui se développe au Moyen Âge à partir du XII e siècle (Devos et al, 2011), les terres noires constituent les strates les plus anciennes et les plus profondes observables (Degraeve et al, 2010, Devos et al, 2020. Elles se retrouvent sur toute la superficie de l'espace urbanisé à partir du XII e siècle.…”