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In 1904, while digging a canal in order to prevent the Dyle river from flooding the city centre of Mechelen (B) time and again, workers discovered a large piece of wood at a depth of about five meters. It turned out to be the remains of a prehistoric log boat, measuring at least 8.40 m in length. As a result an archaeological excavation was organized by baron de Loë, director of the Nationale Dienst voor Opgravingen/Service National des Fouilles.
Along with it the remains of a Late Iron Age settlement were found: the remains of at least five huts (pile dwellings), made from different kinds of wood and constructed on a sort of artificial island, objects carved from deer horn, metal tools (a fishhook and a horse’s harness), part of a wooden ladder, amber beads, a fragment of a grindstone and fragmented pottery resembling the La Tène vessels with sharp angles from the Marne region, France. Also human remains were found (at least five individuals), as were lots of animal bones (dog, pig, wild boar, goat, sheep, cow and horse).
Most of the organic objects were extremely well preserved thanks to the wet conditions provided by the marshy soil at Nekkerspoel, the little hamlet just outside of the Mechelen city centre were they were found. The log boat was taken to the Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst en Geschiedenis/Musées Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire (Royal Museums for Art and History) in Brussels (B) where it was dried, treated with beeswax in order to conserve it and put on display.
Now, more than a century has passed and the boat is still kept at the museum, but it’s no longer on display because of its poor state. However, the Mechelen board of mayor and aldermen has decided that the city would provide the necessary funds to restore the boat using 21th century know-how, but only if an arrangement could be made to display it in the city’s museum.
The municipal archaeology service was appointed the task of bringing back the Nekkerspoel log boat to its place of origin. You can follow the progress of its homecoming on this blog. So far, in the company of the curator we’ve paid a visit to the museum’s storage facilities where the boat is kept, we sent an official request to the director of the KMKG/MRAH and we are setting up a project team of key people that will make the necessary arrangements, covering paperwork, restoration, transport, display and publicity.
To be continued…
The Nekkerspoel Log Boat in 1904
In a second hand book store I found this map of linguistic and ethnographic entities in Europe (*).
Tourists on holiday or people on a business trip visiting Belgium seem amused by the fact that in this little country about half of the population speaks French (Walloon) and the other half speaks Dutch (Flemish). On the Straka map these two communities are divided by a more or less straight line, called the Belgische taalgrens or frontière linguistique belge (Belgian language border). It’s said that it originated during the Late Roman Empire as a result of Germanic tribes invading Roman territory from the north. Clearly, Dutch is a Germanic language while French descends from Latin, the official language of the Roman Empire. The language border marks the southernmost frontier of Germanic cultural influence in this tiny part of Europe. Up until today, this centuries-old border plays an important roll in Belgian politics, fueling (and refueling) the idea of dividing the country into two separate, independent states. And let’s not forget the German speaking community in the east of Belgium!
But if you think Belgium is quite a language quilt, you should take a look at Romania.
Romania’s linguistic and ethnic entities: 20 (light purple/blue) = Romanian, 32 (pink) = German, 33-45 (green) = Slavic, 59 (yellow) = Hungarian, 61-63 (light brown and dark pink) = Altai
(*) Straka, M. 1979. Karte der Völker und Sprachen Europas unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Volksgruppen. Graz: Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt.
More interesting maps on http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/
1st Edition, May 2008
A – Africa: King Leopold II and the Belgian Government colonised the Congo until 1960. That’s why many Belgians still feel somehow connected to Central Africa, e.g. through a relative who worked there as a missionary or an entrepreneur.
B – Beer: It’s not the amount being consumed but the large variety of beers (1000+) that makes Belgium a top beer country. My personal favourite: Orval, brewed in a Trappist monastery.
C - Caterpillar: In summer the poisonous hairs of the Oak Processionary Caterpillar are causing a new and growing public health problem. Should have something to do with climate change.
D – Damien, Father: Was voted De Grootste Belg (The Greatest Belgian) in 2005. Since the Vatican in 2008 attributed two miracles to him, he’s just one step away from canonization.
E – Expo 58, 50th Anniversary: The first major world’s fair after WW II was held in Brussels (Belgium) in 1958 and ushered in a new and promising era of progress, wealth and comfort.
F – Fashion: Since the 1980s, Belgium plays a distinctive roll in the international world of fashion, with designers as Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Raf Simons and Véronique Branquinho.
G – Government: Due to major disagreements between the Dutch- and the French-speaking parties after the latest general election (June 10, 2007), Belgium was left without a Federal Government. The situation continued for months, until December 23 (2007) when an interim Government was formed. A new Federal Government came into office on March 20, 2008.
H – Health care: While struggling to meet the future demands of an ageing society, Belgium still has one of the best health care systems in the world. To me, there’s no better place to fall ill.
I – Iguanodon: Skeletons of this dinosaur genus are on display at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. Discovered in 1878 in a coal mine near the village of Bernissart, Belgium.
J – Jazz Middelheim: This open air jazz festival is set in a beautiful park near the Antwerp city centre. Lots of (inter)national artists, a lush green backdrop and a super relaxed atmosphere!
K – Kermis: Originally the feast of the patron saint of the local church, now a travelling funfair with a merry-go-round, air rifle shooting, fishing rubber ducks and lost of French Belgian fries.
L – Lighting, Street: No country has as much street lighting per sq km as Belgium. Astronauts are reporting a bright Belgium shaped spot when they look at earth through their spacecraft window.
M – Mechelen: Situated between Brussels and Antwerp. The city where I currently work and one of Belgium’s best kept secrets. The historic city centre with its St. Rumbold Cathedral, 16th century city palaces and lots of cosy corners is certainly worth a visit.
This postcard dates from the 1920′s. It shows the little village of Holsbeek, Belgium. Marked with a red circle is the house I currently call my home. Amazing how much history got packed together in this one picture. In the middle you see the church of St. Maurus. The church was destroyed on December 28, 1944 (during World War II) by a German V1 flying bomb, but was soon after rebuilt. The five cent stamp shows a picture of King Albert I (1875-1934) who died in a climbing accident in Marche-les-Dames, Belgium (Ardennes region). The hilly terrain you see appearing in the distance, as well as the hill the photographer was standing on when he took this picture, are in fact the remains of a series of sandbanks left here by a prehistoric sea arond five million years ago. In between lies the Winge valley, known for its Early Mesolithic sites dating from about 9500 BP. The house you see in front, the one with the little dormer, used to be a corn mill. The mill also produced electricity for street lighting. The house I’m living in used to be a pigsty… and honestly, from time to time it still looks like one.
