The Franks and the dressed graves

The Frankish peoples, who originate from Germany, bring their traditions with them. One of them is the so-called "dressed" grave. The deceased is buried with the items that were important to him during his life. Weapons and ornaments for men, jewelry and talismans for women. The dead must be able to find these items in the afterlife. Pottery and precious glasses can be found in the graves of both genders. Sometimes a coin is also found at the level of the deceased's throat; it is the token they must pay to the guard of the kingdom of the dead to be allowed to enter. The collections in this first room thus come from two necropolises (graveyards) in Famenne that are nearly 1500 years old: one in Hamoir, the other in Wellin. Most graves from these two cemeteries can be dated between the second half of the 6th century and the beginning of the 8th century. Despite the small number of graves, Wellin has a great wealth of excavated materials. We are here in a domain that belonged to a large family of Frankish aristocrats.

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