Olivier Vansassenbrouck | Vrije Universiteit Brussel (original) (raw)

Papers by Olivier Vansassenbrouck

Detection of unmarked burials with geophysical methods of survey have had mixed results in the pa... more Detection of unmarked burials with geophysical methods of survey have had mixed results in the past, both in the archaeological domain as in the forensic science domain. Each method has shown several limitations on their own. The application of multiple methods on a single site has been investigated on three different sites in order to evaluate the effectiveness of interpreting multiple datasets against each other to locate unmarked burials. The sites selected offered relatively known locations for possible burials, allowing for easier verification whether a possible burial was detected. The interpretation of these multiple datasets has shown that it provides a higher degree of confidence when interpreting possible burial locations, as opposed to relying on a single interpretation.

This paper discusses the geophysical survey of the circular site in Alveringem, West Flanders.The... more This paper discusses the geophysical survey of the circular site in Alveringem, West Flanders.The site is visible in aerial and satellite photography, and has had some archaeologicalattention in the past where it has been described as an early medieval fortification.

The size and shape of the site would suggest the site is a ringwalburg, a type of circular fortress with a moat and earthen rampart, built in the 9th century in defense of the Viking invasions.

Examples of these kinds of fortresses were found in the Netherlands and Denmark.
The aim of the survey is to identify the site, and based on its results, to suggest a plan for further research

This paper discusses five keys found during the excavations of the site of Ver-Assebroek in 2009.... more This paper discusses five keys found during the excavations of the site of Ver-Assebroek in 2009. A summary of what was found and what is known about the late-medieval castle of Ver-Assebroek is found in the first section.
Prior to discussing the keys themselves, this paper provides an overview of the research on keys, the different parts of a key, and establishes a typo-chronology. Using this typo-chronology and the physical characteristics of the keys, the author attempts to determine the dating of the keys as well as possibly deduce their usage.
The final section discusses the meaning of keys, and how their discovery can be interpreted in the context of medieval castles and their spatial organisation.

Throughout the research several issues became apparent. Firstly, there is a great scarcity of literature on the subject of keys, especially in archaeology. Even in sources on metallurgy, keys – if they are discussed – are often only a small subject. Several literary sources that are mentioned as references within other books were impossible to access. Second, typo-chronological information on keys is often sourced from collectors, whose interests often lies with more prestigious or unique keys, at least when compared to the comparatively “mundane” keys found during archaeological excavations. Finally, while several musea dedicated to keys can be found, they were found to have closed, which could indicate a severe dearth of interest on the subject.

Detection of unmarked burials with geophysical methods of survey have had mixed results in the pa... more Detection of unmarked burials with geophysical methods of survey have had mixed results in the past, both in the archaeological domain as in the forensic science domain. Each method has shown several limitations on their own. The application of multiple methods on a single site has been investigated on three different sites in order to evaluate the effectiveness of interpreting multiple datasets against each other to locate unmarked burials. The sites selected offered relatively known locations for possible burials, allowing for easier verification whether a possible burial was detected. The interpretation of these multiple datasets has shown that it provides a higher degree of confidence when interpreting possible burial locations, as opposed to relying on a single interpretation.

This paper discusses the geophysical survey of the circular site in Alveringem, West Flanders.The... more This paper discusses the geophysical survey of the circular site in Alveringem, West Flanders.The site is visible in aerial and satellite photography, and has had some archaeologicalattention in the past where it has been described as an early medieval fortification.

The size and shape of the site would suggest the site is a ringwalburg, a type of circular fortress with a moat and earthen rampart, built in the 9th century in defense of the Viking invasions.

Examples of these kinds of fortresses were found in the Netherlands and Denmark.
The aim of the survey is to identify the site, and based on its results, to suggest a plan for further research

This paper discusses five keys found during the excavations of the site of Ver-Assebroek in 2009.... more This paper discusses five keys found during the excavations of the site of Ver-Assebroek in 2009. A summary of what was found and what is known about the late-medieval castle of Ver-Assebroek is found in the first section.
Prior to discussing the keys themselves, this paper provides an overview of the research on keys, the different parts of a key, and establishes a typo-chronology. Using this typo-chronology and the physical characteristics of the keys, the author attempts to determine the dating of the keys as well as possibly deduce their usage.
The final section discusses the meaning of keys, and how their discovery can be interpreted in the context of medieval castles and their spatial organisation.

Throughout the research several issues became apparent. Firstly, there is a great scarcity of literature on the subject of keys, especially in archaeology. Even in sources on metallurgy, keys – if they are discussed – are often only a small subject. Several literary sources that are mentioned as references within other books were impossible to access. Second, typo-chronological information on keys is often sourced from collectors, whose interests often lies with more prestigious or unique keys, at least when compared to the comparatively “mundane” keys found during archaeological excavations. Finally, while several musea dedicated to keys can be found, they were found to have closed, which could indicate a severe dearth of interest on the subject.