Up to now there has been little archaeobotanical research on Gallo-Roman graveyards in Belgium. This paper presents the preliminary
results of the investigation of the cremation graves of the graveyards at Tienen and Tongeren, dated from the first up to
the beginning of the fourth century
a.d., and respectively located in the provinces of Vlaams-Brabant and Limburg. The structures studied mainly consisted of pits
containing secondary deposits of pyre debris, but a few
busta (where cremation took place in situ in or above a pit) could be analysed as well. The results presented here will focus on
the most conspicuous finds. The only
bustum grave excavated in Tongeren proved to be extremely rich in remains of
Lens culinaris (lentil),
Vicia faba var.
minor (Celtic bean) with some
Vicia ervilia (bitter or lentil vetch), concentrated in the presumed area of the head of the deceased. Some of the graves in Tienen, on
the other hand, contained some less frequently found taxa, as for example
Vitis vinifera (grape),
Olea europaea (olive),
Pyrus communis (pear),
Prunus insititia and/or
domestica (plums, in the broad sense) and
Cornus sanguinea (dogwood). Most graves however, showed a typical assemblage consisting of mainly pulses and cereals, commonly found in cremation
graves. In that respect a certain similarity between both graveyards could be noticed, which is also reflected in the anthropological
study.
Keywords Archaeobotany - Roman period - Belgium - Cremation - Gallo-Roman cemetery - Ritual plant offerings