@article { VIOR002-007,
	year = {2006},
	title = {Verkennend onderzoek langs de Witte Nete (provincie Antwerpen): een geomorfologische benadering van archeologisch-landschappelijk diagnostisch onderzoek in de Kempen },
	publisher = {VIOE},
	volume = {2},
	journal = {VIOE-Rapporten},
	url = {https://oar.onroerenderfgoed.be/publicaties/VIOR/2/VIOR002-007.pdf},
	abstract = {The valley of the Kleine Nete river is archaeologically 
a poorly documented region, primarily due to lack of 
archaeological surveys. This lack of knowledge stands 
in the way of developing efficient archaeological 
management strategies in light of planning- or 
development schemes. When an advice was asked 
for drawing up a ‘basin management plan’ for the 
Nete basin, we decided for a period from end 2004 to 
march 2005 to focus attention within the department 
of the ‘Central Archaeological Inventory’ (CAI) 
of the Flemish Heritage Institute on this region. 
For this purpose the data in the CAI was revised, 
a number of amateur archaeologists active in the 
region were contacted and thus some new findspots 
were recorded, and a sample fieldwalking survey was 
executed with the main upper course of the Kleine Nete 
(the Witte Nete) as central focuspoint. This survey is 
the subject of this article. 
Our aims were to 1) collect primary archaeological 
data, and 2) develop a methodology for regional diagnostic research and evaluation mapping taking into account ‘the unknown’ archaeological heritage, without 
using the classic predictive modelling strategies. For 
this purpose the following steps were undertaken: 
1) Creation of a basic geomorphological map of 
the area
2) Archaeological fieldwalking survey, aiming  
to equally sample all geomorphological units (if 
possible) 
3) Comparing the results from steps 1 & 2 and 
identification of patterns
4) Augering survey to test the geomorphological 
model and assess the physical preservation of 
landscape elements
5) Interpretation and modelling preservation- and 
research potential. 
To develop the basic geomorphological map a 
number of sources were used: quaternary geological 
maps, soil maps, recent and historical topographical 
maps, aerial photographs, and the digital terrain 
model of Flanders. This last instrument was 
developed very recently (2004), and is a dtm covering 
the whole of Flanders. 
The basic notion behind the research was to integrate and interpret the landscape and archaeological 
data in one matrix, as a result of intertwined depositional and post-depositional processes. 
The result is a model of preservation potential 
and research possibilities. Rare landscape elements 
such as late glacial dune ridges, palaeochannels, etc. 
were identified and mapped, and it was possible to 
assess the historical and subrecent erosion processes 
in developing a general preservation model with the 
identification of strongly physically degraded areas. 
This approach also identified a number of important 
gaps in our geomorphological knowledge: primarily 
the phasing in the evolution and stratigraphy of the 
Holocene valleys, and the internal morphology of the 
Holocene dune areas. 
The archaeological artefacts collected during the 
fieldwalking survey were interpreted and assessed 
in light of the identified post-depositional processes 
and geomorphological units. In this interpretation 
distributional patterns could be distinguished which 
can be ascribed on the one hand to preferences in 
landuse patterns in different periods, on the other 
hand resulting from post- depositional processes, 
finally to the data collection strategy (fieldwalking). 
When comparing the patterns discovered during 
this study with archaeological prediction models used 
in the region, we had come to the conclusions that: 
1) The available sources for the creation of good 
prediction models (in the classic, processual 
meaning of the term) are insufficient and lack 
detail
2) The classic prediction models are strongly 
simplified documents, taking into account only a 
minor number of parameters
3) The predicted patterns in these models, when 
applied to our study, are very unaccurate. 
On the basis of the resulting model pro-active 
strategies can be developed which include research 
strategies to fill in our gaps in the knowledge, and 
further evaluation and preservation strategies for 
the identified well preserved areas. Zones of rare 
preservation potential can be detected and in a next 
phase evaluated. In light of development schemes 
appropriate preventive measures can be formulated 
for each geomorphological unit. 
The research here described had mainly a methodological focus. Despite the small scale of the research we succeeded in creating a basic model for 
archaeological regional diagnostics for the Campine 
area, which is mainly based on geo-archaeological approaches. This model will be further refined in the 
future, attempting to fill in the gaps in the geomorphological knowledge, and gathering more basic data 
with additional surveys in the Campine area.},
	keywords = {},
	author = {Meylemans, , Erwin and Bastiaens, , Jan and Cousserier, , Katrien and Jansen, , Isabelle}
}

