Medieval treasures revealed: pottery discovered under V&D Alkmaar

#Medieval #treasures #revealed #pottery #discovered #Alkmaar

In the building of the former V&D department store at the Alkmaarse Laat was last month archaeological research done. After a history of almost ninety years, the store chain went bankrupt in 2015. There will now be a supermarket, a bicycle shed and houses above.

But before that happens, city archaeologists Nancy de Jong and Peter Bitter searched the ground for remains that tell something about history. In any case, there were houses in the seventeenth century. A slightly modern discovery was also made: a watch from 1910.

Fifty Shades of grey

It now appears that the ground had another surprise in store: hundreds of gray shards of handmade ball pots. “This is the most primitive form of pottery. A technique that dates from prehistoric times and disappeared around 1300. Then they switched to pottery wheels.”

“Very special. Something like this is very rarely found, and for the first time in Alkmaar.” The archaeologists are now trying to complete a number of pots again. A puzzle that is almost impossible, because all the pieces look alike. “Fifty shades of gray,” laughs Nancy de Jong.

But more has been found: shards of a rare sixteenth-century blue ‘Melling Jug’, a metal writing stylus and a Byzantine coin from about 1040. “It probably came here as a souvenir.”

All finds together give archaeologists new information about the past. “We have to adjust our image of the Laat,” Nancy explains. “The habitation appears to be much earlier than we thought. And there was also a pottery.”