A new perspective on Bronze Age mortuary diversity and connectivity from the Han-sur-Lesse cave, Belgium

  • Leonard, H. (Speaker)
  • Capuzzo, G. (Contributor)
  • Christophe Delaere (Contributor)
  • Caroline POLET (Contributor)
  • Guy de Mulder (Contributor)
  • Koen Deforce (Contributor)
  • Possum Pincé (Contributor)
  • Mathieu Boudin (Contributor)
  • Sophie Verheyden (Contributor)
  • Christian Burlet (Contributor)
  • Marine Wojcieszak (Contributor)
  • Isabelle De Groote (Contributor)
  • Claeys, P. (Contributor)
  • Philippe Crombé (Contributor)
  • Snoeck, C. (Contributor)

Activity: Talk or presentation › Talk or presentation at a conference

Description

Bronze Age Belgium sat at the crossroads of Europe and as a result, was separated into two distinct cultures. This split was reflected not only in material culture, but also in the mortuary practices. The development of cremation as a funerary rite in barrow contexts, followed by the Late Bronze Age Urnfield Culture and so-called flat graves, were characteristic of the Scheldt basin (northern Belgium). However, in the Meuse basin (southern Belgium), collective cave burials of inhumations persisted in the Calestienne caves, lasting from the Neolithic until the Roman period. Han-sur-Lesse cave, located in the Famenne-Ardenne UNESCO Global Geopark, is argued to be the most significant of these, revealing over 3,000 bronze artifacts from across its occupation periods, considerable rare gold finds, as well as pieces of Mediterranean origin, all found in river contexts.
Multi-disciplinary approaches in Belgium have already been successful at understanding transitory events. Absolute dating of human remains has determined that the Urnfield Culture began earlier than initially thought, and through strontium isotope analysis, early Urnfield adopters in the Scheldt basin are known to be local. Furthermore, 87Sr/86Sr analysis confirms that Bronze Age individuals from the Kempen region, in northeastern Belgium, can be connected geographically to the Meuse basin. Whilst extensive material culture connects the Han-sur-Lesse site to the wider European Bronze Age, who the individuals buried in the cave were cannot be fully grasped by this alone. Through isotope analysis (C, O, Sr) of inhumated remains, the geographic origins of those individuals can be discussed. This interdisciplinary approach can explore potential mobility during a time of gradual population expansion in the Scheldt basin, as well as exchange and connection networks not visible in the archaeological record, contextualising a unique site within the large-scale transitions of the Bronze Age, and mortuary diversity.
Period6 Sept 2025
Event title31st European Association of Archaeologists Annual Meeting: Intertwined pasts
Event typeConference
Conference number31
LocationBelgrade, SerbiaShow on map
Degree of RecognitionInternational

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