Project « Merovingian necropoli of the Haine valley »

Major excavations at Ciply (B., Hainaut, Mons) in the last quarter of the 19th century uncovered some 1,200 Merovingian tombs. In 1970, Germaine Faider published a book about this remarkable collection of 2,560 objects and almost 300 skeletons. Today, new methods, studies and discoveries have called into question the conclusions of this reference work. 

A collaborative research programme entitled “Des hommes et des femmes, individualités plurielles au Haut Moyen Âge : Analyse croisée des données matérielles et archéométriques de la nécropole mérovingienne de Ciply (B., Hainaut, Mons)” [Men and women, multiple individualities in the High Middle Ages: a cross analysis of the tangible and archaeometric data from the Ciply Merovingian necropolis] aims to cross reference the archaeological, biological and tangible data in order to better understand the individuals, their relationships and their environments.  The project, financed by the Jean-Jacques Comhaire Fund of the King Baudouin Foundation, will then be extended to all the necropoli in the Haine valley.

Partnerships : C. Polet (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences), B. Claes (Art & History Museum (Brussels), C. Pion (KIK-IRPA/ULB), Pr. L. Van Wersch (CEA, ULiège),  S. Villotte et C. Bon (CNRS), Pr S. Louryan (ULB/ Erasme/Bordet) G. Dumont, O. Vrielynck (Wallonia Heritage Agency (AWaP)), Pr L. Verslype, F. Vilvorder (CRAN-UCL), Pr A. Dierkens (CRéA-Patrimoine ULB),  F. Hamonic (Saint-Germain-en-Laye National Archaeological Museum and Estate)