Reconstructing a Medieval house in Vlaardingen
Nine Archaeology students have built a reconstruction of an early medieval house in Vlaardingen. The house, built according to a houseplan discovered during excavations at Rotta, has already played an important role as the backdrop of the re-enactment of the battle of Vlaardingen of 1018.
Replicas of medieval tools
The fieldwork lasted only three weeks, too little time to completely finish the house, but progress has been good. Despite the fact that the students worked only with replicas of medieval tools and modern handtools to shape the wood, make joints and dig postholes, the wooden structure and part of the wattle-and-daub wall have been completed.
Hands-on experience
Besides getting hands-on experience with tools and Medieval house building, the students have learnt about documentation and the use of experiment as an archaeological method. The data, gathered by the students in standardised forms and day reports, will be used to better understand Medieval house building and the use and wear of tools.
Material Culture Studies Group
In 2016 and 2017 the Material Culture Studies Group reconstructed a Neolithic house and a 10,5 m. long Iron Age dug out canoe on the same site, both commissioned by the Federatie Broekpolder. The Federatie plans to reconstruct more archaeological finds of the area in close cooperation with the University of Leiden.
The reconstruction of the Medieval house was supervised by prof. Annelou van Gijn, Annemieke Verbaas, Diederik Pomstra and (pre-) historic building expert Leo Wolterbeek.