Artisanal Activities in Merovingian Maastricht

Abstract

During the Merovingian period different artisanal activities became quite frequent at Maastricht. On the west bank of the River Meuse, at the Lage Kanaaldijk and in Lanakerveld, and on the east bank of the river, in the Céramique-area, traces of pottery production have been recovered. In the Céramique-area four pottery kilns were excavated, in the Lanakerveld until now only one. On two spots in the city evidence of amber working has been recovered. In a waste pit at the Jodenstraat some 750 glass objects were found and the complete production process of glass beads could be reconstructed. Other sites, such as the Mabro-site, the Rijksarchief site, Derlon site, the Boschstraat-area and the Lage Kanaaldijk site also yielded evidence of glass working. Evidence of iron working was found at the Rijksarchief site, Boschstraat-area and the Witmakersstraat. Copper-alloy working was detected at the Derlon site, Jodenstraat and in the Boschstraat-area. Last but not least, evidence of antler working has been found on several sites all over Maastricht. The location of the various sites shows that traces of craft production have been found in very different parts of the Merovingian settlement. The frequent presence of evidence for these crafts indicates the economic importance of Maastricht during this period. The fact that Maastricht had its own coinage from about ad 590 to ad 670, as well as the installation of a bishop’s see, illustrate the position of the city as an economic and religious centre in the Meuse valley, a centre of power that even showed early urban features.