Inventarisatie van het paleo-ecologisch bodemarchief voor archeologisch onderzoek en bescherming

In recent years palaeoecological research has gained a lot of interest within the field of archaeology. It is used for the reconstruction of the past environment as well as for studying the interaction between man and his environment during (pre)historic times. Also in matters of nature conservation and development palaeoecological research enjoys more and more attention, for establishing reference images and insight in landscape and vegetation history. Moreover, nowadays people become aware of the fact that the palaeoecological natural archive is vulnerable and threatened. For these reasons the need was felt for a systematic overview of all the palynological research in Flanders, published and unpublished, from both archaeological sites and natural sequences. Up to now this database comprises 35 sites and 0 radiocarbon dates. Goals were to make the palynological data available for wider use and to preserve palynologicaly experience and knowledge. In addition some ideas for the management of places with a high palaeoecological potential have been outlined. The cases of the Mark valley and the Kale valley have further been explored for actual conservation and protection of the natural site

Working and Learning with Electronic Performance Support Systems: An Effectiveness Study

In this study the effectiveness of electronic performance support systems (EPSS) is reported. Some of the expected advantages of EPSS, such as an increase in productivity and improved learning are evaluated with insurance agents using laptop computers. Theoretical statements, research design and hypotheses are presented. The conclusion is that EPSS was cheaper than classroom training and had some benefits for learners, but did not produce the expected benefit of an increase in productivity

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)

Turf was in de Middeleeuwen van groot belang als brandstof, voornamelijk in en rond de steden waar brandhout al snel een schaars goed werd. Het werd zowel gebruikt voor de huishoudelijke verwarming als voor verschillende semi-industriële toepassingen zoals in steenbakkerijen, brouwerijen, ververijen en bij de zoutproductie. Over de middeleeuwse veenontginningen is dan ook reeds heel wat onderzoek verricht, waarbij socio-economische en historisch-geografische aspecten aan bod kwamen1. Dit onderzoek was echter vrijwel geheel gebaseerd op historische bronnen en bijna uitsluitend gericht op de ontginningsgebieden. Over de afzetgebieden en het gebruik van turf als brandstof is nog niet zo veel geweten, zeker niet buiten de stedelijke contexten. Zelfs voor Nederland, waar de veenontginning veel langer een prominente plaats heeft ingenomen, stelt Gerding2: Over het huishoudelijk verbruik van turf in het verleden is bijzonder weinig bekend en ook het verbruik in ambacht en nijverheid onttrekt zich aan de waarneming, een enkele uitzondering daargelaten

Verkennend onderzoek langs de Witte Nete (provincie Antwerpen): een geomorfologische benadering van archeologisch-landschappelijk diagnostisch onderzoek in de Kempen

The valley of the Kleine Nete river is archaeologically a poorly documented region, primarily due to lack of archaeological surveys. This lack of knowledge stands in the way of developing efficient archaeological management strategies in light of planning- or development schemes. When an advice was asked for drawing up a basin management plan for the Nete basin, we decided for a period from end 2004 to march 2005 to focus attention within the department of the Central Archaeological Inventory (CAI) of the Flemish Heritage Institute on this region. For this purpose the data in the CAI was revised, a number of amateur archaeologists active in the region were contacted and thus some new findspots were recorded, and a sample fieldwalking survey was executed with the main upper course of the Kleine Nete (the Witte Nete) as central focuspoint. This survey is the subject of this article. Our aims were to 1) collect primary archaeological data, and 2) develop a methodology for regional diagnostic research and evaluation mapping taking into account the unknown archaeological heritage, without using the classic predictive modelling strategies. For this purpose the following steps were undertaken: 1) Creation of a basic geomorphological map of the area 2) Archaeological fieldwalking survey, aiming to equally sample all geomorphological units (if possible) 3) Comparing the results from steps 1 & 2 and identification of patterns 4) Augering survey to test the geomorphological model and assess the physical preservation of landscape elements 5) Interpretation and modelling preservation- and research potential. To develop the basic geomorphological map a number of sources were used: quaternary geological maps, soil maps, recent and historical topographical maps, aerial photographs, and the digital terrain model of Flanders. This last instrument was developed very recently (2004), and is a dtm covering the whole of Flanders. The basic notion behind the research was to integrate and interpret the landscape and archaeological data in one matrix, as a result of intertwined depositional and post-depositional processes. The result is a model of preservation potential and research possibilities. Rare landscape elements such as late glacial dune ridges, palaeochannels, etc. were identified and mapped, and it was possible to assess the historical and subrecent erosion processes in developing a general preservation model with the identification of strongly physically degraded areas. This approach also identified a number of important gaps in our geomorphological knowledge: primarily the phasing in the evolution and stratigraphy of the Holocene valleys, and the internal morphology of the Holocene dune areas. The archaeological artefacts collected during the fieldwalking survey were interpreted and assessed in light of the identified post-depositional processes and geomorphological units. In this interpretation distributional patterns could be distinguished which can be ascribed on the one hand to preferences in landuse patterns in different periods, on the other hand resulting from post- depositional processes, finally to the data collection strategy (fieldwalking). When comparing the patterns discovered during this study with archaeological prediction models used in the region, we had come to the conclusions that: 1) The available sources for the creation of good prediction models (in the classic, processual meaning of the term) are insufficient and lack detail 2) The classic prediction models are strongly simplified documents, taking into account only a minor number of parameters 3) The predicted patterns in these models, when applied to our study, are very unaccurate. On the basis of the resulting model pro-active strategies can be developed which include research strategies to fill in our gaps in the knowledge, and further evaluation and preservation strategies for the identified well preserved areas. Zones of rare preservation potential can be detected and in a next phase evaluated. In light of development schemes appropriate preventive measures can be formulated for each geomorphological unit. The research here described had mainly a methodological focus. Despite the small scale of the research we succeeded in creating a basic model for archaeological regional diagnostics for the Campine area, which is mainly based on geo-archaeological approaches. This model will be further refined in the future, attempting to fill in the gaps in the geomorphological knowledge, and gathering more basic data with additional surveys in the Campine area

Archeologisch noodonderzoek te Erps-Kwerps-Villershof (Kortenberg, prov. Vlaams-Brabant). Nederzettingssporen uit de ijzertijd, de vroege en de volle middeleeuwen

In het voorjaar van 2004 merkte lokaal archeoloog Walter Sevenants tijdens een toevallige werfcontrole van wegenwerken verschillende grondverkleuringen op met daarin een aantal scherven. Deze waarneming vormde de directe aanleiding voor een noodopgraving in het najaar van 2004 en de daaropvolgende verwerking en tentoonstelling (met bijbehorende brochure)in het voorjaar van 2006. Dit artikel vormt nu een sluitstuk op het afgelegde onderzoeksparcours. Het biedt een overzicht van de onderzoeksresultaten zonder daarbij iedere vondst en ieder spoor in detail te behandelen. Er wordt veeleer gestreefd naar de presentatie van een chronologisch overzicht, aangevuld met de resultaten van het natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek en, waar mogelijk en relevant, een wat uitgebreidere vergelijkingsstudie