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A river with a story: development of a specific methodology to study the ancient Senne river in Brussels
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In July 2015 a rescue excavation took place to recover the remains of a previously unknown ancient branch of the Senne river on the site of Tour & Taxis in Brussels (Belgium). Such a large-scale excavation of a river branch required the development of a specific approach, where the close collaboration of archaeologists and many natural science specialists showed to be a crucial factor. Multiple logistic and scientific challenges were met to accurately document and correlate the river and the traces of human activities during the salvation operation. In order to cope with these challenges a protocol was elaborated focussing on the realisation and geoarchaeological study of multiple sedimentary profiles across the river bed, the excavation of the archaeological features and structures related to the river management, and an extensive sampling campaign for the natural science specialists (geoarchaeologists, archaeozoölogists and archaeobotanists). This resulted in a large and varied dataset, permitting to document the evolution of the river bed and the impact of the management activities, but also to reconstruct the surrounding landscape (De Cupere et al., 2017). In the spring of 2019, the remains of the medieval harbour in the historical center of Brussels were discovered during construction works. This instigated the largest rescue excavation in Brussels where the stakes were high: documenting the evolution of the river, understanding the impact of the embankments, but also documenting the progressing urbanisation and its impact on the river in a very limited amount of time (Ghesquière et al., 2024). Armed with the experiences of the previous salvation operation, a large-scale operation was conducted, following an adapted protocol. The present contribution intends to discuss how the experiences of the two large-scale rescue operations forged our research framework for tackling comparable contexts in the future.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2025
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Echoes in the sediment: reconstructing the Senne through molluscs and caddisflies
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The Senne River has shaped the landscape and development of Brussels for centuries. However, its course and environmental conditions have been continuously altered by human interventions. This study compares freshwater mollusc and caddisfly (Trichoptera) remains from two archaeological sites, one Gallo-Roman (1st-3rd century AD) and one medieval (10th-16th century AD), to reconstruct changes in river flow, sedimentation, and water quality over time. At the Gallo-Roman site, a previously unknown river meander of the Senne river was uncovered, initially characterized by fast-flowing water, as indicated by coarse sand and gravel deposits. Over time, sedimentation patterns show a shift to finer materials, such as silt and organic muds, suggesting a transition to slower-moving or stagnant water before the meander was ultimately cut off. The site is located within a rural environment. In contrast, the medieval site, located within the historic centre of Brussels, represents a heavily modified urban river environment. Mollusc remains indicate predominantly slow-moving water, with occasional stagnant conditions. The discovery of caddisfly larvae cases, including the confirmed presence of Brachycentrus subnubilus, suggests that despite extensive waste dumping, parts of the medieval Senne still maintained sufficient water quality for oxygen-dependent species. By combining data from these two sites, this study attempts to document the Senne’s hydrology, sedimentation, and aquatic ecosystems in a rural and urban environment. The findings describe the river’s natural environment alongside increasing human impact, from early riverbank modifications in Gallo-Roman times to the canalization and pollution of the medieval period.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2025
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Lost in the river: animals and daily life of medieval Brussels
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Within the historic centre of Brussels, excavations over a huge area have revealed the well-preserved remains of a medieval harbour along the Senne River. This watercourse, essential to the city’s origins and development, saw continuous occupation from the 10th to 16th centuries. The riverbanks were gradually reinforced in the 12th century, and by the 14th–15th centuries, the Senne was canalised, as indicated by a stone quay wall and boat dock. These transformations reflect the river’s critical role in shaping the city's economy and infrastructure. A diverse range of artifacts, including fish traps, pottery, metal objects and leather goods, have been unearthed, alongside an extensive collection of animal remains, providing crucial insights into medieval diet, economy, and waste disposal practices. The faunal assemblage, primarily from the 14th–15th century channelled riverbed, consists largely of consumption refuse, with clear evidence of butchery marks on bones. Remains of domestic livestock such as cattle, sheep, and pigs, together with poultry (geese and chicken) and a variety of fish species from both marine and freshwater environments, indicate not only a diversified food supply, but also the activities of butchers operating nearby. In addition to these dietary remains, the excavation uncovered whole carcasses of dogs, cats, and horses, discarded into the river, as well as small bones, likely originating from human excrements. Evidence of artisanal activities, such as horn, bone, and antler processing, suggests that craft industries were also located near the river. These findings highlight the Senne River’s dual role as both a resource and a repository, illustrating medieval Brussels’ complex human-environment interactions. The study of these animal remains offers valuable data on urban food consumption, and waste disposal in the medieval period. Despite centuries of transformation, the river remains a key witness to the city’s past.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2025
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De la mer à la terre : aperçu chronologique des mollusques marins dans les fouilles archéologiques en Belgique
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Les coquillages marins apparaissent régulièrement dans les fouilles archéologiques en Flandre, à Bruxelles et en Wallonie. Il s’agit principalement de moules (Mytilus edulis) et d’huîtres (Ostrea edulis), mais d’autres espèces, bien que plus rares, sont également présentes. Ces vestiges sont fréquemment mentionnés dans les rapports et publications archéozoologiques, souvent en tant que simples compléments aux restes de mammifères, oiseaux et poissons, mais ils reçoivent rarement une attention spécifique. Pourtant, leur présence offre des pistes de réflexions intéressantes concernant les échanges économiques, les habitudes alimentaires, ou encore le statut social des consommateurs. Cette présentation propose un survol chronologique des découvertes de coquillages marins dans les contextes archéologiques belges. En replaçant ces données dans leur contexte culturel et géographique, nous tenterons de mieux comprendre la place de ces produits marins dans les sociétés passées au cours du temps.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2025
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A new Lower Ordovician linguliformean brachiopod assemblage from the southeastern part of the Anglo–Brabant Massif, Belgium
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RBINS Staff Publications 2025
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Synoptic review of Ordovician Avalonian brachiopods: A Belgian story
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RBINS Staff Publications 2025
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Brachiopods from the Frasnian–Famennian transitional interval in Armenia: Palaeobiodiversity and biostratigraphy
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RBINS Staff Publications 2025
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A new Lower Devonian (Pragian) Konservat-Lagerstätte from Belgium
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RBINS Staff Publications 2025
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Première visualisation tridimensionnelle par tomographie d’un squelette de périssodactyle de Messel (Eurohippus messelensis)
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Le Lägerstatte de Messel est un site UNESCO mondialement connu pour la conservation exceptionnelle de ses fossiles de la base de l’Eocène moyen (MP11, 48 à 47 Ma). En effet ces spécimens sont très souvent complets et articulés, et préservent même le contenu stomachal, les poils, quelques traces de tissus mous, ainsi que des fœtus. Au moins cinq espèces de périssodactyles sont connues à Messel, appartenant à au moins trois groupes différents (Ceratomorpha, Lophiodontidae et Hippomorpha). Ces fossiles, bien que très complets, sont généralement préservés sur des plaques de résines ne permettant qu’une observation en deux dimensions et sur une seule face. Ce type de préservation ne permet donc pas d’observer chaque ossement en trois dimensions, et complique donc l’étude anatomique. C’est en partie pour cette raison que les périssodactyles de Messel n’ont été que superficiellement décrits et étudiés, malgré le nombre très important de spécimens, et leur préservation exceptionnelle. Ici, un squelette entier d’Eurohippus messelensis (IRNSB-M-1851) a pu être scanné par microtomographie à rayons X pour la première fois, dans le cadre du projet PerissOrigin. Il s’agit de l’un des cinq spécimens de périssodactyles de Messel appartenant aux collections de l’Institut des Sciences naturelles de Bruxelles, acquis lors des fouilles de 1983 à 1988. La tomographie de ce spécimen est particulièrement difficile de par sa grande taille (70x60cm) et par la préservation sur plaque, mais elle a été rendue possible grâce au Double Tomographe à Haute Energie (DTHE) du laboratoire MatéIS à Lyon (Figure 1), avec une résolution de 75 microns. La plupart des ossements, ainsi que le crâne et les dents ont pu être segmentés, révélant pour la première leur morphologie complète en trois dimensions. Cependant, bien que la face exposée soit très bien préservée, la face non-exposée l’est beaucoup moins, rendant la segmentation difficile. Nous présenterons donc ici les résultats de la segmentation de ce spécimen ainsi que quelques particularités anatomiques d’Eurohippus messelensis. Deux autres squelettes seront prochainement tomographiés, dont l’un appartenant à une espèce de périssodactyle énigmatique, Hallensia matthesi, ce qui permettra de mieux comprendre sa place au sein des périssodactyles.
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A new scenario for the diversification and dispersal of the earliest perissodactyls
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The first true perissodactyls (the group that includes extant horses, rhinoceroses and tapirs) appear almost simultaneously in the fossil record from the very beginning of the Eocene (56 million years ago) in Western Europe, Asia and North America. However, they already seem to belong to distinct families. This apparent diversity raises questions about the palaeobiogeographical and phylogenetic origins of these groups, which are still the subject of much debate. Indeed, the closest relative of perissodactyls is still uncertain, although two potential sister-groups now seem to be widely accepted: perissodactyls could either be closer to certain North American Phenacodontidae (Halliday et al. 2017), or rather a sister-group of Anthracobunia from the Indian subcontinent (Rose et al. 2019). The first results of the Belspo project PerissOrigin presented here is to gain a better understanding of the first dichotomies of ancient perissodactyls and their palaeobiogeographical origins. Thanks to a revision of the oldest known fossil perissodactyls, a new phylogeny has been carried out. This new phylogeny enables to define some synapomorphies of the major groups of perissodactyls and to propose a palaeobiogeographical scenario. It also shows that the earliest known perissodactyls were much more cosmopolitan than previously thought, and that some genera that were thought to be endemic from Europe were actually also found in North America and Asia. Finally, we discuss the unresolved problems in the phylogeny of Perissodactyla, notably the uncertain position of Palaeotheriidae (a group endemic to Europe) and the absence of postcranial characters in our analysis.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
