Geoarchaeology and (pre)-urban wetland archaeology: some case studies from Brussels (Belgium)

Over the last decade geoarchaeological research focussed on the study of Dark Earth, on the dryer, topographically higher part of Brussels (Devos et al. 2011). The present contribution, however, will focus on the sites situated at the bottom of the alluvial valley of the Senne river. Through a series of case studies, the potential of geoarchaeological investigations in this area will be highlighted and confronted with the results obtained for the higher parts of the city. Several points of interest will be discussed: the characterization of formation processes and the evaluation of the preservation of organic remains and ecofacts, the identification of human activities, the understanding of the urban landscape and the urbanisation process.