Buried in the Borderlands: an Artefact Typology and Chronology for the Netherlands in the Early Medieval Period on the Basis of Funerary Archaeology
ISBN: 9781803275741
Platform/Publisher: Ebook Central / Archaeopress
Digital rights: Users: Unlimited; Printing: Limited; Download: 7 Days at a Time
Subjects: History;

Buried in the Borderlandsis the result of a large-scale yet detailed study of early medieval grave furnishings from the Netherlands, aiming at the creation of a comprehensive artefact typology and updated relative chronology for this under-explored period in the Low Countries.


During the early medieval period, the present-day Netherlands occupied a unique position as a border zone between the Frisians, Saxons and Merovingian Franks. For this large-scale research, grave goods were analysed from approximately 2500 inhumations from 21 cemeteries distributed across the country and incorporating the material culture of the aforementioned peoples. The resulting database was studied using the statistical research method Correspondence Analysis. A date was generated for individual artefact types and grave contexts. Creating the finds database confirmed that the varied Dutch material culture of the early medieval period cannot be analysed by only using a German or French typology. To simplify and locally embed future research as well as to allow for international comparison, a holistic typology has been developed which includes artefact types with roots in Germany, France and the surrounding countries as well as locally produced objects. All artefact types are provided with a revised date based on Dutch find contexts.


Tim van Tongerenis a finds specialist and independent researcher. He works as a Post-Excavation Project Officer for Headland Archaeology in the West Midlands. He obtained his degree in archaeology from Leiden University in the Netherlands (2014) and subsequently relocated to Wales where he studied the archaeology of the Anglo-Saxon and Viking period in Britain and Ireland. He obtained a master's degree with distinction from Cardiff University in 2016 and a doctorate in archaeology from Canterbury Christ Church University in 2021.

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