The County of Flanders was one of the most powerful polities in medieval western Europe. Its dense urban network, its manufacturing industries and its high-performing agriculture at the same time are causes and expressions of the power and wealth of the medieval County. Consequently, its territory is rich in medieval archaeological heritage, both in its cities as in the countryside. This paper examines the evolution and characteristics of development-led archaeology and its impact on medieval archaeology in modern-day Flanders (Belgium), which encompasses much of the medieval County. More specifically, in modern administrative terms, the provinces of West- and East-Flanders historically belonged to the County. Focusing on the archaeological impact of large infrastructure projects, this paper considers only those beyond Flanders’ modern-day cities. Due to the dynamic changes in rural habitation during the 13th century specifically and the consequent difficulties in identifying late medieval settlements archaeologically, this chapter focuses on the Early and High Middle Ages (AD 450–900 and AD 900–1200, respectively). Three case studies illustrate the diversity of large-scale infrastructural archaeology in the region and are contextualised within Flanders’ legal and organisational archaeological framework. We conclude with reflections on positive and negative trends, and suggestions to enhance the scientific merit of current archaeological practice.
Deschepper et al. (Thu,) studied this question.