Archaeological research started for Open Gaverbeek excavations

At the KSA classrooms and on the Kollegeplein in the Collegewijk in Harelbeke, they dug test trenches to find archaeological traces. Charlotte Verhaeghe, BAAC archaeologist: “We are going to start with the crane by carefully excavating a well layer by layer. And you see: we always first come across a package that is very brown, which we call the plow layer. parcel that has been churned up in recent years, sometimes plowed through. And we don’t actually find anything old in it, that is all very recent. But under that plow layer, in the mother soil, that is actually the soil that has never been stirred.”

And it is there where you sometimes find treasures, such as Roman pottery. The site around provincial domain De Gavers used to be located along heirbanen, an important place for trading. “Terra sigillata is actually typical pottery from the Roman period. Very recognizable because of the orange color. It is also finished with a red layer of mud. If we find such a type of pottery in a trace, we immediately say: ‘Yes, Roman’. “

Gaverbeek above ground

Work will have to start here later to make the Gaverbeek visible again, which is now underground. In addition to a pleasant green environment, the stream valley must also become climate-proof. Joran Lombahe, urban designer Leiedal: “On the one hand, this is about rainfall, when the storm is that the excess rainwater finds an easier way. It is also about the stream itself, that more oxygen enters the water, which is better for fish. And that also helps with heat days, so warm days in the neighborhood, that people can find cooling more easily.”

As a walker or cyclist, you should soon be able to get to the provincial domain more easily. The aim is to start work next spring.