Archeobotanisch bewijs voor ontginning en lange-afstand transport van turf in Vlaanderen rond 1200 AD: heropgegraven veen uit de abdij van Ename (Oudenaarde, prov. Oost-Vlaanderen)

Abstract

Archaeobotanical Evidence for Peat Extraction and Long Distance Transport in Flanders around 1200 AD: Peat re-excavated at the Abbey of Ename (Oudenaarde, prov. of East-Flanders) Untill now, little was known about the medieval use of peat as fuel. Most research has focused on different aspects of peat extraction and not on its consumption. The discovery and analysis of several fragments of peat bricks in the abbey of Ename (along the upper river Scheldt, near Oudenaarde, inland Flanders, Belgium) provided a first opportunity to gather information on the trade and use of peat in medieval times. The layer containing the fragments is dated around 1200 AD based on the stratigraphy and the archaeological finds. Analysis of pollen and botanical macroremains from the bricks has shown that the peat composition is dominated by heather (Calluna vulgaris and Erica tetralix (Ericaceae)) and Sphagnum moss (Sphagnum sp.), thus representing oligotrophic conditions. However, in the Ename region, only minerotrophic peat can be found. The nearest occurrence of oligotrophic peat is in the coastal area and along the Scheldt estuary, two rather distant regions known for their (commercial) peat production in medieval times. The Ename peat bricks thus do not only illustrate the existence of long distance peat transport around 1200 AD but also suggest the need for import of fuel into the rural Oudenaarde region. From historical sources it is indeed known that the extension of the wooded area in the region showed a minimum in the late 13th century, thus presumably forcing people to look out for other sources of fuel.