2.5. The medieval territory of Brussels: A dynamic landscape of urbanisation

Abstract

The urbanisation process has a huge impact on both the urban and rural landscape. Not only does it thoroughly modify the urban area, it also has a tremendous impact on the rural hinterland. We propose to take medieval Brussels (Duchy of Brabant) as an example to illustrate this complex issue. According to our different fields of research, a multidisciplinary point of view will be adopted, combining urban history (the study of human urban society), rural history (agricultural developments and rural socioeconomic change), historical geography (interaction between medieval people and their spatial environment) and natural sciences (through the archaeopedological and phytolith study of Dark Earth). Firstly, we briefly discuss the essential concepts 'medieval city' and 'medieval urban landscape' and try to apply them to the case of medieval Brussels. Secondly, we address some essential characteristics of landscape transformation, by tackling the major stages of the emergence and development of medieval Brussels and its changing impact on the regional landscape. We argue that the urbanisation process, generally allocated solely to the urban area, is key to understanding landscape transformation of the medieval territory of Brussels.

Urban geoarchaeology in Belgium: Experiences and innovations

“…So far there is only one example where a spatial synthesis based on the integrated data from historians, archaeologists, geoarchaeologists, archaeobotanists, and zooarchaeologists, exists. This is the already mentioned case of Brussels, mapping the spatial organization of activities within the center of the town and vegetation changes through time (Charruadas et al, ; Degraeve et al, ; Vannieuwenhuyze et al, ). Systematic geoarchaeological research in Flemish and Walloon town centers must enable researchers to obtain the necessary data to come to a similar synthesis.…”

“…It has allowed the gathering of vast amounts of information on the spatial organization of activities, especially for the 10th–13th centuries, resulting in the functional mapping of all excavated dark earths of the town's territory. The first soil occupation map showing the area's use and evolution through time was created on the basis of this information (see Borderie et al, ; Degraeve et al, ; Devos, ; Vannieuwenhuyze et al, ).…”

“…In addition to the work of geoarchaeologists, historians, and archaeologists, the protocol also stipulates the expertise of a team of archaeobotanists and archaeozoologists (Devos, 2012a;Devos, Fechner, Vrydaghs, Degraeve, & Deligne, 2007a;Vannieuwenhuyze, Charruadas, Devos, & Vrydaghs, 2012;Devos, 2012;Devos & Degraeve, 2018). It involves a series of steps integrating the archaeo-environmental expertise:…”

“…In addition to the work of geoarchaeologists, historians, and archaeologists, the protocol also stipulates the expertise of a team of archaeobotanists and archaeozoologists (Devos, ; Devos, Fechner, Vrydaghs, Degraeve, & Deligne, ; Vannieuwenhuyze, Charruadas, Devos, & Vrydaghs, ; Devos, 2012; Devos & Degraeve, ). It involves a series of steps integrating the archaeo‐environmental expertise: A desktop study: all existing documentation is collected, including the data from historical maps and images, geotechnical and quaternary geological maps, and the archaeological atlas. Fieldwork, including a detailed stratigraphical and taphonomical study according to the “ Comprehensive Field Data Bases ” (Langohr, ) and the “ Guidelines for soil profile description ” (F.A.O., ).…”

“…Due to a lack of reliable written sources, the origins of Brussels have been the subject of discussion among historians for over a century. The geoarchaeological data have demonstrated the importance of agriculture within the early development of town (Devos, ; Devos & Degraeve, ; Devos et al, ; ; Vannieuwenhuyze et al, ; Vrydaghs, Devos, Charruadas, Scott‐Cummings, & Degraeve, ). A second question is concerned with the spatial organization of activities.…”