The largest medieval burial field in Brabant has been uncovered in Hilvarenbeek. After three months of excavations on the construction site of the new residential area of Gelderakkers ll, archaeologists were able to make 145 graves visible. “It is not often that we find something from that time,” says archaeologist Niels Bouma. “And certainly not a graveyard of this size. That is very special.”
Niels Bouma’s archaeological team was not surprised that it could bring out a few things in Hilvarenbeek. The municipality had already had test trenches dug in 2010 and the researchers then found six burial pits dating from 500 AD. “But we could not have imagined that we would find so many now.”
“This grave belonged to an important person.”
Enthusiastically, he stands at the edge of the largest grave on the site. “This was from an important person. If you look closely you can see from the discoloration of the ground where the edge of the box was. The ground is darker there.”
According to Bouma, the grave field belonged to farming families who lived there 1500 years ago. “We found graves that were linked together, which we suspect indicated that the deceased belonged to the same family.”
Not everyone was buried at that time, he explains. There were also cremations in the early Middle Ages. The 14 cremation graves that the archaeologists found in Hilvarenbeek are proof of this.
“This find is very rare.”
In addition, they retrieved hundreds of sometimes flawless and unique utensils and jewelry that went with them to the grave as gifts. Below that is the glass pouch that Niels Bouma shows very carefully.
He packed it in sturdy plastic and kept it in a sturdy box with a thick layer of cotton wool. “This is very rare,” says the archaeologist. “Very few have been found in the whole world and certainly not as flawless as this one. Not a scratch on it yet.”
“Everyone really wants to know what happened here in the past.”
If it is up to mayor Weys, everyone will soon be able to see those medieval finds. “These will be exhibited in one way or another in the municipality.” The excavation has stirred up a lot in Beek society, he emphasizes. “People are very involved in it, there is a lot of interest in the weekly guided tours of the site. Everyone really wants to know what happened here in the past.”
For the time being, the archaeologists are still busy in Hilvarenbeek. “We expect that we will need at least two weeks before we have examined the graves that are still open,” says Niels Bouma.