Spring deposits exposed during building operations in downtown Windhoek, and lake sediments retrieved from underneath 50 m of water in a sinkhole (Lake Otjikoto), contain pollen profiles which reflect environmental changes in Namibia during the Holocene. At Windhoek moist local conditions are reflected by pollen in the spring deposits which were radiocarbon-dated to between ca. 7000 and 6000 BP. They remained relatively favourable until 5630 BP despite signs of drying. Weedy Compositae (Lactucoideae or Liguliflorae) increased until the end of this record ca. 2410 BP, indicating local disturbance. Deposits from Lake Otjikoto were dated to the late Holocene although an accurate chronology could not be estabiished for the sequence due to unexpected results with radiocarbon measurements. Pollen accumulation values and composition indicate relatively dry conditions after 3500 BP which were followed temporarily by a wetter climate during more recent times.

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Het recent archeologisch onderzoek in de middeleeuwse stadskern van Aalst heeft veel informatie opgeleverd over de ruimtelijke ontwikkeling vanaf de volle Middeleeuwen. De grote lijnen van de evolutie van prestedelijke kern tot volwaardige laatmiddeleeuwse stad is de voorgaande jaren reeds meermaals belicht 5 . Elk archeologisch onderzoek en iedere waarneming tijdens graafwerken in de binnenstad laat ons toe deze ruwe schets verder in te vullen en bepaalde interpretaties te toetsen 6 .Een scharniermoment in de stedelijke ontwikkeling van Aalst is de periode rond 1200. De eerste omwalde stad barstte uit haar voegen door de sterke bevolkingstoename in de 12de eeuw, wat resulteerde in de bouw van een nieuwe, vijfmaal grotere, stadsomwalling. De ruimtelijke structuur van de aldus ontstane nieuwe stadswijken werd bepaald door de baan naar Gent, die deel uitmaakte van de handelsweg Brugge-Keulen, en de weg naar Dendermonde (de 1

In this short paper attention is drawn to an extraordinary find in medieval Bruges (Flanders, Belgium). Among the macrobotanical remains recovered from one ditch and two pits, seeds of the caper-bush, Capparis spinosa, dating between AD 1200 and AD 1495,were found. Their presence means that either the plant was grown locally or whole fruits were imported from the Mediterranean region. Given the circumstances, time period and the role of medieval Bruges as an important trade centre, the latter seems to be most likely. Apart from two rather doubtful finds in Roman Tongeren and Tienen (both in Flanders, Belgium), this is the first time Capparis spinosa has been identified in our regions in an archaeological context.