Oude opgravingen, nieuwe ontdekkingen.

Onderzoek naar de bruikbaarheid van legacy data voor nieuwe inzichten over bewoning en begraving in Coriovallum.

Samenvatting

Old excavations, new discoveries
Research into the usability of legacy data for new insights into settlement and burial practices in Coriovallum

In February 2024, three students of archaeology began their bachelor’s theses on three separate sites in Heerlen, which was known as Coriovallum in the Roman period. Their research is based on so-called legacy data: data from excavations that have not yet been fully elaborated. The three sites were: het Zwarte Veldje, het Westelijke grafveld and het Oostelijk Grafveld.
Het Zwarte Veldje was a plot of land in the centre of Heerlen, excavated in several phases throughout the twentieth century. During these excavations, pottery kilns and wall foundations were uncovered. The legacy data of this site consisted of the documentation of these excavations and several other observations. Het Westelijke Grafveld was a burial site, not discovered through archaeological excavation, but incidentally found as graves during the construction of houses along the Valkenburgerweg. The quality of the legacy data varies from good to bad. In general, it can be stated that this was a burial site for commoners. The graves of another burial site, het Oostelijke grafveld, were also accidentally encountered. The documentation of this burial ground can be qualified in a wide range. Some graves were unremarkable, but four contained valuable items, including glass, gold, and bronze.
This article’s goal is to show what can be achieved with legacy data, in this case, for Roman Heerlen. Although not all the data used
was beneficial, still, new information was obtained. This means that the knowledge of Coriovallum could be complemented and
confirmed.