Dorestad

The trading center of the Frisians in the Netherlands, from which they controlled the old Rhine, the Vecht, and the Lek until the course of the river changed. Excavations have located an earthwork defense of this medieval site and have produced enormous quantities of occupation debris including large amounts of imported Rhenish and local pottery, wine casks from the Mainz area, Niedermendig lava Querns, and stone mortars made in eastern Belgium. There is also evidence of industrial activities like weaving, shipbuilding, bone and metalworking. Dorestad is the best-excavated and finest example of a Carolingian emporium and illustrates the scale of commerce between the imperial estates in the Rhineland and other North Sea communities.

An early medieval trading site advantageously situated on the confluence of the Rivers Lek and Rhine in central Holland. Although it was first recognized in the 19th century it was not until the 1960s that excavations established the true extent and importance of this 7th-9th-century emporium which conducted trade with the Viking and Anglo-Saxon worlds. The recent extensive excavations have shown that the medieval settlement of Wijk bij Duurstede lies close to a possible Roman limes fort, and that the emporium probably covered an area of more than 50 hectares. The shifting river-bank was flanked by timber walkways and jetties constructed on piles which seem to have been individually owned by the occupants of nearby rectangular structures. In contrast, the central area of the settlement was occupied by a series of FrisiAN-type farm units comprising a long house often accompanied by wells and granaries set within fenced enclosures. One of Dorestad’s two cemeteries was fenced off in the centre of the farms and this incorporated an interesting timber structure and possible bell-tower. The modem excavations have produced enormous quantities of occupation debris including large amounts of imported Rhenish and local pottery, wine casks from the Mainz area (which were often re-used as wells), Niedermendig lava querns, and stone mortars made in eastern Belgium. The Rhenish glassware and the great variety of metalwork and coin assemblages from Dorestad are also of singular importance, while the faunal assemblages include substantial numbers of fresh- and seawater fishes. There is also evidence of industrial activities like weaving, ship-building, bone and metal-working. Dorestad is the best-excavated and finest example of a Carolingian emporium and illustrates the scale of commerce between the imperial estates in the Rhineland and other North Sea communities.