Contribution of the micromorphological study of the Dark Earth to the understanding of Early Medieval Antwerp (Belgium), the case of the ‘Burchtsite’

The early developments of Antwerp are still poorly understood. Archaeological excavations and historical sources report the presence of a 9th century AD settlement, the core for further development of medieval Antwerp in the neighbourhood of the river Scheldt, the so-called Burchtsite.
New excavations took place between July 2008 and April 2009. Archaeologists discovered structures of a 9th to 11th century AD portus and early town, surrounded by an urban rampart. The settlement seems comparable with contemporary early towns such as Haithabu. Under the 9th century structures, humus-rich, non-peaty, strongly melanised and apparently homogeneous units, known as Dark Earth have been encountered. This Dark Earth was found to cover Roman traces.
By applying micromorphological research to this seemingly homogeneous Dark Earth, we hope to come to a better understanding of the formation processes of the Dark Earth and to identify traces of human activities hidden within the Dark Earth. As such, we hope to enhance our understanding of the activities, environment and spatial structure of the early medieval phase of this town.