International Workshop - Archaeological and Historical Indicators of Economic Growth during the Early and Central Middle Ages The Low Countries in Comparative Perspective

On 4-5 June 2026 (BRON Research Centre Bruges), the Henri Pirenne Institute for Medieval Studies (HPIMS), together with research unit sociAMM of the Université Libre de Bruxelles and HARG - Historical Archaeology Research Group at Ghent University, and organisationally supported by Musea Brugge, will organize the international and multidisciplinary workshop 'Archaeological and Historical Indicators of Economic Growth during the Early and Central Middle Ages The Low Countries in Comparative Perspective'. Initiators and co-organisers are Prof. Jan Dumolyn (HPIMS), Prof. Alexis Wilkin, and Prof. Wim De Clercq (HARG).

Rationale 

The international workshop Archaeological and Historical Indicators of Economic Growth during the Early and Central Middle Ages: the Low Countries in Comparative Perspective aims to advance our understanding of economic development between roughly 500 and 1300, with a particular focus on the Low Countries within a broader European framework. By combining archaeological and historical approaches, the workshop seeks not only to reassess existing models of medieval economic growth, but also to test broader economic paradigms—often developed for modern or industrial contexts—against the realities of the pre-industrial past. A central objective is to identify and evaluate concrete indicators of economic change, including the rise of markets, demographic developments, and institutional factors, alongside material production, settlement expansion, agricultural practices, trade regulation, and infrastructural and technological innovation. Particular attention is given to the application of archaeometric techniques, which allow for increasingly precise reconstructions of past economies through the combined scientific analysis of materials, landscapes, and environmental data. New insights from archaeometry are to be joined and compared with the qualitative and - especially - quantitative historical evidence. Through a series of regional case studies—particularly from Flanders and the Meuse Valley, the workshop highlights both the diversity and interconnectedness of local economies. Comparative perspectives further situate these findings within wider transregional networks. Therefore this workshop also systematically includes leading experts on medieval economic development in The Netherlands, England, and Italy. By fostering international and multidisciplinary dialogue, the event ultimately seeks to develop a more nuanced and empirically grounded understanding of economic growth in the early and central Middle Ages.

Programme

Thursday 4 June

9:00 – 10:30 : Introduction

Jan Dumolyn & Alexis Wilkin: An Overview of the State of the Art and some Theoretical Models

Discussion

Short coffee break

10:30 – 12:00 : Session Flanders I (chair: Jan Dumolyn)

Jelle de Mulder (Ghent University), Firing up the Economy: Ceramic Production as a Proxy for Economic Development and Innovation in High Medieval Flanders

Wim De Clercq, Ewoud Deschepper, & Gerben Verbrugghe (Ghent University), Settlement Expansion and Rural Building Culture in the Hinterland of Ghent and Bruges (ca. 900-1200 C.E.)

Discussion

12:00 – 13:00: Lunch

13:00 – 14:30 : Session Flanders II (chair: Erik Thoen)

Elisa Bonduel (Ghent University, Provincial Museums of West-Flanders), Toll Tariffs and Economic Development in Twelfth-Century Flanders

Mathijs Speecke (Ghent University, Free University Brussels), From Stove to Frame: Drying Technology and Cost Innovation in the Cloth Industry of the High Medieval Low Countries

Discussion

14:30 – 17:30 : Session The Meuse Valley (Chair: Alexis Wilkin)

Line van Wersch (Université de Liège), Productions and Artisans in the Meuse Valley. Taking a Material Approach to infer their Role in the Development of the Settlements

Quentin Goffette (Institute of Natural Sciences, Belgium), Animal-Based Economy in the Meuse Valley during the Middle Ages: contributions from archaeozoology

Raphaël Van Mechelen (Agence wallonne du Patrimoine), Développement polynucléaire et planification urbanistique : la croissance urbaine de Namur, du XIe au début du XIIIe siècle

Coffee break

Nicolas Schroeder (Université Libre de Bruxelles), Woodland and the Medieval Economic Boom Between the North Sea and the Ardennes (9th-13th c.)

Discussion

19:00 : Conference dinner at restaurant ‘Het Visioen’ (Katelijnestraat 160)

Friday 5 June

9:00 – 10:30 : Session Transforming the Landscape (chair: Wim De Clercq)

Koen Deforce (Ghent University) and Kristof Haneca (Flanders Heritage Agency), Vegetation and Land Use Dynamics during the Middle Ages in Northern Belgium

Sidonie Preiss (Institute of Natural Sciences Belgium): Changes in Crop Plants and Vegetation Cover during the Medieval Period in Belgium, Based on Archaeobotanical Data

Discussion

Coffee break

11:00 – 13:00 : Session International Connections and Comparisons (chair: Wim De Clercq)

Irene Bavuso (Utrecht University), Connectivity in the Southern North Sea: Exchange, Settlement, and Social Forces ca. 500-900

Rory Naismith (University of Cambridge), Money at the Millennium: Use and Circulation of Coinage c. 1000

Lorenzo Tabarrini (University of Bologna), Flanders, the Meuse Region and Northern-Central Italy: An Attempt at Comparison

Discussion

13:00 – 14:00 : Lunch

14:00 – 15:30 : Concluding remarks and panel discussion

Interventions by Chris Wickham (University of Oxford), Wim Blockmans (Leiden University) and [archaeologist to be confirmed]

15:30 : Field walk on urban space and economic growth through Bruges’ historical centre (guided by Jan Dumolyn)

For more information on the workshop or for preregistration for one or both days: please contact Jan.Dumolyn@UGent.be and HPIMS coordinator Stefan.Meysman@UGent.be . Attendance is subject to availability as places are limited. Therefore, registration is required: please do so by Monday 18 May.