A new waste container had to be dug in at the Waaggebouw. The excavator operator came across ‘something’, which made him decide that it was better to stop digging and call in the city archaeologists. And that turned out to be a very good decision.
Feces and waste
The driver appeared to have encountered a cesspool; a pit for excrement, where people also threw waste at the time. Research showed that the well dates from approximately 1450 to 1558 at the latest, because after that year the houses on the south side of the Waag were demolished.
But the contents of the cesspool also turned out to be full of surprises, because in it they found the remains of an old clog and a kind of bucket. Both made of wood.
According to wood specialist Silke Lange BIAX’s finds are very special. Especially that of what indeed turned out to be a clog, because the remains together formed an almost complete specimen.
Text continues below photos.