In Touch with the Dead: Early Medieval Grave Reopenings in the Low Countries

This dataset was created for the PhD thesis 'In Touch with the Dead: Early Medieval Grave Reopenings in the Low Countries'. In addition to the thesis itself, it consist of a specialized database of graves from the Southern Netherlands and adjacent regions. This study aimed to increase empirical knowledge on grave reopenings, test traditional assumptions and develop new interpretive models. The research considered the role of grave reopenings in early medieval society in general and mortuary practices in particular, taking into account scholarly themes such as Christianization, early medieval attitudes towards the dead, perceptions of heritage in the past, the negotiation of identities, the cultural biography of artefacts and the archaeology of personhood.