Ruiterskuilen History

Ruiterskuilen

Ruiterskuilen is a special place for archaeology. In 1971, the University of Leuven accidentally discovered the first mesolithic site here during geological research. A second site followed in 1985. Systematic drilling in 2002 showed that there are still several places around the sand ridges near the pond that are archaeologically interesting. This is not surprising, as the sandy uplands close to the water were ideal dwelling places for the hunter-gatherers who lived from 9500 to 4000 BC. The camps had only a short-term occupation. The inhabitants used it as a base for hunting and then moved on. Archaeologists are trying to reconstruct various activity zones based on the finds. Zones where hunting equipment was made and repaired, zones for skin processing, zones for working with bone, antler, or wood. In Flanders, activities related to hunting and skin processing were primarily found.

Image: The Ruiterskuilen. Copyright Kris Thijs

Want to know more about the archaeological excavation at sites Ruiterskuilen 1 and 2?

To date, two sites have been excavated at Ruiterskuilen: Ruiterskuilen 1 in 1971 and Ruiterskuilen 2 in 1985. The mesolithic sites are recognizable by small concentrations of about 25 m² to 50 m² of lithic material including flint, quartzite, and quartz. Sometimes a hearth is present, identifiable by burnt artifacts, charcoal, burnt seeds, and nuts.

Stone Age excavations are still done manually in work pits of 1 m². In Flanders, this is usually done using the square method. Researchers divide such a work pit into four squares. Each square is excavated layer by layer (geological unit) or at an arbitrary level of a few centimeters. They sift the excavated sediment to collect lithic artifacts, charcoal, and any charred seeds and fruits.

The site Ruiterskuilen 1 consisted of dispersed material without large concentrations. This indicates that it is about different, successive camps at the same location. Researchers were able to recognize various hearths, laid out with large quartz stones. They collected 2102 artifacts during the excavation: 116 tools, 85 flaking debris, 17 cores, 640 flakes and blades, and 1243 chips. The tools were mainly made of flint, with a small part made of Wommersom quartzite (12%). The homogeneous nature of the tools suggests that it was always the same group of hunter-gatherers that regularly visited the site.

During the excavation of Ruiterskuil 2, the lithic material was found in an oval concentration of about 15 m². Hearths were not found anywhere. Researchers found 1805 artifacts here. The material was very homogeneous and consisted primarily of flint from the Maas region (86%) and from Wommersom quartzite (14%). The flint from the Maas region is of lower quality and did not last as long. Unlike Ruiterskuil 1, this camp seems to have been used only once during the Mesolithic. Shards of pottery from the Iron Age prove that the site was revisited in a later period.

Image: Excavation plan Ruiterskuil 2. Source: ROBINSON E.N., CREEMERS G. and VERMEERSCH P.M. 2008: Opglabeek-Ruiterskuil 2 Late Mesolithic settlement complexity on the Kempen plateau, Notae Praehistoricae 28, p. 66, Fig.2.

Information from Onroerend Erfgoed

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