sibrecht reniere
During his professional career as a field archaeologist (2008-2013), Sibrecht worked in the governmental and private sector (Belgium and France), where he developed his research skills both on terrain and during post excavation. From 2013 onwards Sibrecht started a PhD project at Ghent University: Sourcing the stone in Roman Northern Gaul. On the provenance, use and socio-economics of stone artefacts in a stoneless landscape: the case of the northern civitas Menapiorum. During this project he investigated Roman stone implements as an important proxy to study socio-economic processes within the Gallo-Roman society (e.g. provenance, distribution networks, technology, etc.).
After finishing his Phd in 2018, Sibrecht continued his academic career with the establishment of a reference collection for stone and ceramics (FWO Hercules project) at the Department of Archaeology (Ghent University). This ongoing FLEPOSTORE (Flemish pottery and stone reference collection) project is a collaboration with the Department of Geology from Ghent University and (co-)supervised by Prof. Dr. W. De Clercq, Prof. Dr. P. Crombé, Prof. Dr. V. Cnudde and Prof. Dr. T. De Cock.
> https://flepostore.ugent.be/
Since 2021 he started a new postdoc project funded by the Special Research Fund: “Whetstones” on the cutting edge. Understanding the cultural
biography of Roman and medieval macrolithic tools through the application of use-wear analysis. From domestic and agricultural activities to specialized craft productions. For this project he will focus on the application of use-wear analysis on historic macrolithic tools. An approach that has proved its merits in prehistoric archaeology, but which is highly innovative within historical archaeology. In this project he will focus on tools that are generically determined as “whetstone”, referring to the sharpening function for the cutting edge of metal implements. Their specific function could be much more diverse then is generally assumed. As such they can contribute to the wider socioeconomic debate on domestic, agricultural and (specialized) craft activities.
Address: Universiteit Gent - Vakgroep Archeologie
Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 35 - Ufo
B-9000 Gent
After finishing his Phd in 2018, Sibrecht continued his academic career with the establishment of a reference collection for stone and ceramics (FWO Hercules project) at the Department of Archaeology (Ghent University). This ongoing FLEPOSTORE (Flemish pottery and stone reference collection) project is a collaboration with the Department of Geology from Ghent University and (co-)supervised by Prof. Dr. W. De Clercq, Prof. Dr. P. Crombé, Prof. Dr. V. Cnudde and Prof. Dr. T. De Cock.
> https://flepostore.ugent.be/
Since 2021 he started a new postdoc project funded by the Special Research Fund: “Whetstones” on the cutting edge. Understanding the cultural
biography of Roman and medieval macrolithic tools through the application of use-wear analysis. From domestic and agricultural activities to specialized craft productions. For this project he will focus on the application of use-wear analysis on historic macrolithic tools. An approach that has proved its merits in prehistoric archaeology, but which is highly innovative within historical archaeology. In this project he will focus on tools that are generically determined as “whetstone”, referring to the sharpening function for the cutting edge of metal implements. Their specific function could be much more diverse then is generally assumed. As such they can contribute to the wider socioeconomic debate on domestic, agricultural and (specialized) craft activities.
Address: Universiteit Gent - Vakgroep Archeologie
Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 35 - Ufo
B-9000 Gent
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Papers by sibrecht reniere
La cartographie de ces points d’origine d’une part et des sites de consommation d’autre part nous offre aujourd’hui une bonne appréhension de leurs circuits de diffusion et permet de rechercher les facteurs qui régissent cette distribution au cours du temps.
Entre le Bassin parisien qui fournit en abondance calcaires, grès et meulières, et le massif de l’Eifel dont les roches volcaniques sont largement exploitées au cours de l’Histoire, l’Ardenne constitue un immense réservoir de matières premières minérales bien connues des populations occupant le nord de la France et la Belgique de la Protohistoire au haut Moyen Âge. Les grès et conglomérats dévoniens sont sans conteste les plus exploités pour la taille de meules dont plusieurs sites d’extraction sont connus :
- Autour du massif de Rocroi, le secteur d’Hirson/Macquenoise (Aisne/Hainaut) situé à cheval sur la frontière franco-belge, montre d’importants stigmates d’exploitations anciennes. Le grès grossier lochkovien (Dévonien inférieur) dit « de Macquenoise » y a été extrait dès la Protohistoire, puis de façon massive durant toute la période romaine. D’autres sites d’extraction sont supposés le long de l’affleurement et ont pu fournir les meules que l’on recense dès le Néolithique moyen dans le nord de la France. Ces gisements restent cependant à prospecter dans les environs de Haybes/Fépin (Ardennes, France) et Hargnies/Willerzie (Ardennes/Prov. de Namur, France/Belgique).
- Dans les bois qui jouxtent la Meuse en amont de Namur (Belgique), plusieurs sites ont livré des ébauches de meules taillées dans une roche conglomératique de couleur « lie-de-vin » appelée « Poudingue de Burnot » (Emsien/Eifelien, Dévonien inférieur/moyen). Ici aussi, une exploitation protohistorique est attestée et la diffusion des meules rotatives est réellement observée de la fin de la période gauloise au début de l’époque romaine. Cependant, l’affleurement Emsien/Eifelien est extrêmement étendu le long du versant septentrional de l’Ardenne et traverse toute la Belgique d’est en ouest. Il est très probable que d’autres carrières ne soient pas encore identifiées sur ces niveaux.
- À l’est autour du massif de Stavelot enfin, entre Baraque de Fraiture et Recht (Provinces de Luxembourg et de Liège, Belgique), les niveaux lochkoviens affleurent de nouveau et ont été exploités pour la taille de meules. Ici aussi des ébauches de meules « va-et-vient » témoignent d’une exploitation protohistorique, puis la carte de diffusion des meules rotatives semble aller dans le sens d’un abandon des carrières à l’époque romaine. Il faut attendre la période mérovingienne pour retrouver des meules originaires de ce secteur qui livre aussi un grand nombre de ratés de fabrication médiévaux.
This fruitful collaboration aims at reconstructing the ancient commercial roads and economic organization of territories during that period.
In addition to the better-known volcanic rocks from the Eifel area, our study revealed the frequent occurrence of particular Devonian conglomerates and sandstones from the Ardenne area, as raw materials for the manufacturing of querns and millstones. The latter sandstones as well as the related antique millstone quarries, form an important and until now undervalued geological and cultural heritage in Belgium.
Near the Ardenne border between France and Belgium, the earliest Devonian (Lochkovian) sediments deposited on the Caledonian substrate are conglomerates, which are interpreted as continental alluvial fans. The first marine sediments are littoral sandstones/quartzites or shales/slates. A sandstone formation, formally defined as the “Arkose d’Haybes” is closely linked to the former Lochkovian conglomerates (called also the “Poudingue de Fépin”). The outcrops of this particular formation around the reference localities of Haybes, Fépin and Hargnies (Ardennes, France), show a partly recrystallized, well-sorted grey to greenish sandstone (turbidite facies) with wine-red coloured joints. Another important area displaying old quarries in the same formation is located between Hirson (Aisne, France) and Macquenoise (Hainaut, Belgium): here, a more homogenous grey coarse sandstone facies occurs, with a better consistency and small amounts of dark green tourmaline crystals.
During Roman times various rock types have been selected for the manufacturing of religious and funerary sculptures, others have been carefully chosen for particular architectural and ornamental pieces. The latter stones were restricted to public buildings or major private houses. This taste for ornamental stones, part of which were derived from the Mediterranean realm, has generated an important supply activity of products derived from provincial quarries. Where are these materials coming from? What is their geographical distribution? What kind of social and economic mechanisms are playing here? What kind of decorative elements have they been used for? What happened after abandonment of the buildings? Were the quarries still active during post-Roman times? What is the importance of their recycling?
In recent years, research into the origin and provenance of Roman ornamental stones in North-Western Europe, experienced a new impetus, generating the need for an International Conference. This conference was hosted in Belgium by the Gallo-Roman Museum of Tongeren, on April 20-22, 2016. This volume presents the full papers of the talks and posters given and shown at the meeting. The conference offered a true interdisciplinary and international exchange platform for archaeologists, geologists, (art) historians, heritage and restauration specialists and for all those interested in the provenance and distribution of ornamental stones, their extraction, processig and recycling in the Roman provinces of North-Western Europe.
Roman Ornamental Stones in North-Western Europe. Natural Resources, Manufacturing, Supply, Life & After-Life, Coquelet C., Creemers G., Dreesen R. & Goemaere E. (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference 'Roman Ornamental Stones in North-Western Europe, Tongeren', 20-22 April 2016. Availabe in the museum's shop!