The Westfries Museum is currently being thoroughly renovated, including the restoration of the foundation. Due to the installation of piles, steel beams and concrete floors, soil is excavated, revealing many walls, cellars and other traces from the past.
As usual with this type of work, archaeological research is mandatory and this was therefore an ideal opportunity for the archaeologists of Archeology West Friesland to conduct extensive research. “Expectations were already high, but those expectations were far exceeded,” said archaeologist Christiaan Schrickx.
Treasure trove for archaeologists
To everyone’s surprise, the concrete floor in the basement turned out to be simply laid on the medieval floor, without, for example, a package of sand or rubble. And when the concrete was removed, the heavy foundations of the large stone house immediately came into view. “We found a stone spiral staircase, which you normally never find. This is really a treasure trove for archaeologists.”
The house was once owned by the noble Van Nijenrode family. This family was closely linked to the Dutch grave house. At that time, most houses were still built of wood with thatched roofs. The exact year of construction is still unknown, but it may date from the 14th century. This will be further investigated with, among other things, dendrochronological research into the age of the wood used.
A cesspool was also discovered next to the house, a waste pit into which, in addition to feces, discarded household goods were thrown. “Some items almost completely disappeared into the well. We have already found several cooking pots and a beer jug made of stone. A very special find from the cesspool is a so-called long knife with a wooden handle, a cutting weapon with a similar function to a short stabbing sword.”
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