Doesburg, J. van.

Op het spoor van de Opstand. Over het belang van interdisciplinair onderzoek naar historische slagvelden.

Historisch geografisch tijdschrift 31 (2013) 67 - 80.

De laatste jaren is in Nederland de belangstelling voor resten van linies, stellingen en slagvelden enorm toegenomen. Aangespoord door een grote publieke belangstelling hebben onderzoekers uit verschillende wetenschappelijke disciplines zich gestort op de bestudering van deze fenomenen. Dit geldt met name voor resten uit de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Gevaar van deze ontwikkeling is dat battlefield archaeology en conflict archaeology, zoals deze tak van de archeologie wordt genoemd, zich vooral op deze periode gaat richten. Dat zou jammer zijn, want battlefield en conflict archaeology lenen zich bij uitstek voor een thematische, diachrone benadering.

Tracking down the 'Opstand' (Dutch Revolt) The importance of inter-disciplinary research of historical battlefields.

Interest in battlefield and conflict archaeology has been growing during the last decade in the Netherlands. This especially goes for remains of the Second World War. Less attention is being paid to other periods such as the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648). Tracing remains of battlefields connected with the Eighty Years' War is often not easy. Ditches and banks of circumvallations have been levelled and historical maps of sieges are inaccurate. Archaeological research of these battlefields is further hampered by their ephemeral state. They often consist of scatters of metal objects such as bullets. The spatial distribution of bullets and their chemical composition may elucidate the progress of a battle. This type of research is only possible when finds of bullets and other battlefield related artefacts are recorded in detail. A case study of the distribution of bullets dating back to the siege of Gennep in 1641 shows the potential value of chemical analysis of ammunition for battlefield archaeology. The author of the present article pleads for strict regulation of metal detection on historical battlefields. He also argues in favour of an interdisciplinary approach to battlefield and conflict archaeology with a wide chronological scope.