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The\ncore of the database is the Site Database in which evidence on all cemeteries\/grave\nfinds, settlements, stray finds, hoards, river finds and other (indeterminate) sites\nin the research area is collected. The amount of information per site had to be\ncontrollable and accessible. In contrast to earlier attempts to create such a\ndatabase we limited the amount of data per site. However, we still record a\nsubstantial amount of data so as to be able to evaluate sites on the basis of\nthe evidence in the database. In a later phase of the project we can explain in\nmore detail the structure of the database. The various fields in the database\nalready allow to create first distribution patterns of sites on the basis of\ndifferent criteria necessary to analyse the nature of the dataset and the way\nit came about. This allows for a first evaluation of the biases in the dataset\n(research intensity, different landscape conditions, urbanisation etc.). The\nsite database will also be important to the lay of the land research within the\nproject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Extensive bibliography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Another element which will probably be considered very useful by interested scholars, is a very extensive bibliography. For the moment we can search in it on author\u2019s names but we will have to create other search possibilities such as year of publication. We also add for internal use PDF\u2019s of the publications when available. It is thus not only a bibliography but also a library on Merovingian archaeology. We have to see whether it will be possible to make this available to every one because of possible copyrights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Detailed information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
We\njust started to create the next component of the database: information on\nspecific material culture categories and activities. After long discussions\nbetween all members of the team and David Schaper we decided on creating\nvarious parts of the database geared to the research in the project. It is of\ncourse not possible to record all evidence on the topics suggested of all sites.\nA series of cemeteries and settlements will be selected to study in more\ndetail. Of course, other scholars who are allowed to enter the database can\nenlarge the database by adding new sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One\nof the recorded activities is craft production. Martine van Haperen and Line\nvan Wersch are using this evidence to study craft production in Merovingian\nnorthern Gaul. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another\naspect is the recording of numbers of beads and the presence of specific types\nof beads on all sites (the main bead count). Moreover, we will record the\npresence of series of beads and their characteristics in a considerable number\nof sites. Beads are important to the research by Mette Langbroek on exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In\norder to study changes in ritual repertoires we will create the possibility to\nrecord a large number of variables important to the study of ritual in\nindividual graves. This is important to the research by Femke Lippok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In\norder for Jip Barreveld to analyse the nature of towns and the elite we decided\nto record as many inscriptions as possible from the research area. This part of\nthe database has already been created and Jip is filling it with data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In order to study rural wealth we will record a number of categories of objects such as glass vessels and brooches. We are at the moment preparing those parts and hope from the 1st of April 2019 to start filling this database on the basis of existing catalogues with the help of research assistants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A comprehensive overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Of\ncourse no database is perfect and we keep on improving its structure and content\nand we hope that later on other scholars will continue to do so. We reserved\nsome money to keep it in working order after the end of the project. What ever its\npossible shortcomings we ourselves are already very exited about it. At last\nafter so many years there will be a quite comprehensive overview of Merovingian\narchaeology in northern Gaul!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this post we feature some screenshots of the database. Above is the present distribution map. The colours have only meaning to the project members. Green means that the site record has sufficiently been dealt with (like the M\u00fcden one), blue is a record in progress, red is a record with yet insufficient information (to be checked), yellow is an overlap between various sites. As everyone can see we still have to record many sites in northwestern France (any help of those who know is welcome). Below is the first page of a cemetery entry. In this case M\u00fcden (Lehn and Mosch) in the Moselle valley. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In\na next post we will explain the GIS environment we create<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Rural Riches project is compiling a database on Merovingian archaeology in northern Gaul. We decided to create one encompassing database for all types of data we collect. Custom built The database is custom-made for the project by our database specialist David Schaper. It is accessible over Internet and allows for many persons wherever they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":9,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-316","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merovingianarchaeology.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merovingianarchaeology.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merovingianarchaeology.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merovingianarchaeology.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merovingianarchaeology.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.merovingianarchaeology.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/316\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":526,"href":"https:\/\/www.merovingianarchaeology.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/316\/revisions\/526"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merovingianarchaeology.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merovingianarchaeology.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.merovingianarchaeology.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Schermafbeelding-2019-03-07-om-19.53.12-1024x557.png\")