Medieval markets: A soil micromorphological and archaeobotanical study of the urban stratigraphy of Lier (Belgium)

Market places remain underrepresented in studies of archaeological soil micromorphology. In Lier, micromorphology was applied to gain understanding of the stratigraphy and formation processes of the medieval “Grote Markt”. Block samples were obtained from a sediment profile that spanned the 11th-15th century and contained three separate phases of thick, dark-coloured, humic, homogeneous layers - so-called ‘dark earth’. Combined with textural and archaeobotanical analyses (seeds, fruits and phytoliths), the results shed light on the formation processes that shaped this site. The oldest dark earth, dated to the 11th century, was characterised by agricultural activities. The second dark earth (12–13th century) formed as a result of intensive human activities, witnessing the site's transformation to an urban space. This layer contained large amounts of organic matter and anthropogenic inclusions and developed gradually in situ. It probably represents an early market or open space close to dwellings or small courtyards. Units that contain evidence for intensive building activity separate the second and third dark earth, and are possibly the result of a spatial re-organisation of the square. The formation of the third dark earth, which started in the 14th century, is characterised by an intensification of traffic and craftworking activities. Surfaces may have been maintained by spreading organic matter such as leaves, sand and hearth detritus. However, there is no evidence for a kept, empty urban square before a thick layer of levelling sand was deposited (in the second half of the 14th century at earliest) and the market was cobbled. The analysis shows that mixed market activities took place in this intensively used zone, and presents a number of micromorphological characteristics and inclusions typical of a medieval market place in a temperate climate

Cancer-associated fibroblasts as a common orchestrator of therapy resistance in lung and pancreatic cancer

Cancer arises from mutations accruing within cancer cells, but the tumor microenvironment (TME) is believed to be a major, often neglected, factor involved in therapy resistance and disease progression. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are prominent and key components of the TME in most types of solid tumors. Extensive research over the past decade revealed their ability to modulate cancer metastasis, angiogenesis, tumor mechanics, immunosuppression, and drug access through synthesis and remodeling of the extracellular matrix and production of growth factors. Thus, they are considered to impede the response to current clinical cancer therapies. Therefore, targeting CAFs to counteract these protumorigenic effects, and overcome the resistance to current therapeutic options, is an appealing and emerging strategy. In this review, we discuss how CAFs affect prognosis and response to clinical therapy and provide an overview of novel therapies involving CAF-targeting agents in lung and pancreatic cancer

Micromorphological study of the site of 'Colaertplein', Ieper (Ypres): Intermediate Technical report

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Urban Geoarchaeology in Belgium: current developments and future perspectives

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Natural Sciences and the Research of Early-Medieval Dark Earths: Methods, Aims and Questions

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Lier Grote Markt ('11). Soil micromorphology report of profile 1bis

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Below the Marketplace: A soil micro morphological study of urban stratigraphy (Lier, Belgium)

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The development of Early Medieval Antwerp: the contribution of micromorphology

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L'apport de la micromorfologie à l'étude des sites urbains en Flandre

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Urban geoarchaeology in Brussels and Flanders: a state of the art

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