Flanders' Riverine Exploitation and ecoSystems throughout History

Historical records indicate that the onset of severe anthropogenic impacts on rivers, such as pollution and biodiversity loss, in western Europe started during the medieval and postmedieval periods due to an increase in cities and industries. This has not been extensively confirmed on a wide scale by archaeological research.

In order to provide necessary pre-modern baselines to support modern day conservation in one of Europe’s most extensive and dynamic habitat types, an in-depth bioarchaeological approach is needed.

The aim of this interdisciplinary project, Flanders' Riverine Exploitation and ecoSystems throughout History (FRESH), is to determine how freshwater fish exploitation and ecosystem health changed during the medieval and postmedieval periods in relation to socio-economic and human-induced environmental changes in Flanders, an industry rich region at these times.To obtain these insights, I will refine and apply palaeoproteomic, elemental (Hg and Pb) and isotope (C, N, S, O, and Sr) analyses of archaeological freshwater fish bones from various sites in Flanders to make species-specific interpretations on the geographical origin of the fish, their ecology, and pollution of their environments.

The obtained pre-modern baselines of historical species diversity, habitat degradation and the long-term effects of pollution on river environments are used to evaluate and support modern-day conservation.

My current knowledge of historical aquatic exploitation and skills in bioarchaeology make me ideally suited for this project.

In order to successfully implement FRESH, I will conduct the interdisciplinary research and receive hands-on training in the relevant analysis techniques at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and during the secondment at the University of York under the guidance of Prof. Christophe Snoeck and Dr. Jessica Hendy respectively, who are both experts and leaders in their field.