News and updates

Analysis of the social impact of participative community archaeology published in JCAH

An analysis of the social impact of participating in local place-based community archaeology excavations, using feedback data from  CARE excavations in the Czech Republic, Netherlands and Poland in 2019-20 has been published in the Journal of Community Archaeology and Heritage.  The review included data from 47 completed forms (20 from the Czech Republic (Vanovice and… Read more Analysis of the social impact of participative community archaeology published in JCAH

CARE MSOC – OVERVIEW OF PROGRESS IN 2020

The planned programme of community test pit excavation as part of the CARE project was severely disrupted in 2020 by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. No test pit excavations were carried out at all in the Netherlands and UK, but in the Czech Republic and Poland some further test pit excavations were possible either before the… Read more CARE MSOC – OVERVIEW OF PROGRESS IN 2020

CARE MSoC – overview of progress in 2019

In 2019, a total of 61 test pits were excavated in eight rural communities in the Czech Republic, Netherlands, Poland and UK as part of the CARE participative community archaeology project intended to advance knowledge of the archaeological potential and historic development of the settlements and the social impact of the activity. Overall, the results… Read more CARE MSoC – overview of progress in 2019

Gemonde test pit excavations 2019 – results

Fourteen test pits were excavated in Gemonde in August 2019 by more than 120 volunteers, organised by the local history club ‘Heemkundekring Den Hogert’. Finds processing was disrupted by the covid-19 pandemic, but initial findings from test pit 3 and 4 appear to confirm settlement on the coversand ridge in late prehistory. Pottery from test… Read more Gemonde test pit excavations 2019 – results

Gemonde test pit excavations – background

Gemonde is a settlement of c. 2,200 inhabitants located between Boxtel and Sint-Michielsgestel at the foot of a coversand ridge which flanks the river Dommel. The historic layout and buildings of Germonde are fairly well preserved and so too is the surrounding rural landscape. The village centre lies directly behind a large, elongated open field… Read more Gemonde test pit excavations – background

Liempde test pit excavations 2019 – results

Seven test pits were excavated by more than 40 volunteers in Liempde in July 2019 organised by the local history club ‘Erfgoedvereniging Kèk Liemt’. The excavations aimed to establish when the medieval settlement clusters at the town hall and the Kerkeind barn church were first occupied and to see whether they were new foundations or… Read more Liempde test pit excavations 2019 – results

Liempde test pit excavations – background

Liempde is a village of approximately 4800 inhabitants situated on a coversand ridge in the stream valley of the Dommel. It is characterized by a well-preserved historic centre amidst an intact agricultural landscape and the village has many national and municipal monuments, distinctive buildings and protected townscapes, along with a close-knit community and numerous active… Read more Liempde test pit excavations – background

Woensel test pit excavations 2019 – results

Six test pits were excavated in Woensel in May 2019, in the Oude Toren area and the northern part of Het Broek. The excavations were carried out by 32 volunteers organised by the local archaeology club ‘Archeologische Vereniging Kempen en Peelland’. Despite the extensive recent development, pre-modern archaeological layers proved to be surprisingly well-preserved. The… Read more Woensel test pit excavations 2019 – results

Woensel test pit excavation – background

The former village of Woensel is hidden beneath a modern suburb, and a map of the place today makes it look an unpromising site for investigations focussed on medieval settlement. However, although little remains above ground today, in the Middle Ages Woensel was a prominent settlement, the centre of a deanery and a parish centre.… Read more Woensel test pit excavation – background