GORINCHEM – The archaeologists at the Gorcum Barracks Square, who are digging for the House of Paffenrode, made a special discovery last week. During their work, the diggers came across a so-called 'beer cellar', the finds of which can tell them a great deal about the lives of Jacob van Paffenrode, his wife Maria van Arckel and other residents of the house that was built around 1595.
A bear cellar is a space under the house, which was used for waste. Above the cellar a toilet was constructed, so that the message also disappeared into the same cellar. According to the excavators, the discovery of the bear cellar is a good one. Because, says Martin Veen, one of the researchers, 'what we encounter in the bear cellar tells us more than can be found in history'.
Chaotic
Meanwhile, the finds from the bear cellar are being vigorously polished by volunteers with toothbrushes and buckets of water. Ranjith Jayasena, an archaeology student in Amsterdam who has been involved in the excavations from the start, is still catching his breath after finding the cellar. 'Suddenly we came across the cellar,' says Jayasena. 'Then it became very chaotic for a while. Everything was suddenly mixed up, but now it is all calm and orderly again. We did not know about this cellar. The drawings that exist of the house tell us very little. We also still do not know which part of the house we are at with the excavation.
A second cellar was also found, built according to the same principle as the bear cellar. This one was only almost empty. "It could be that this cellar was built with the idea of using it when the other one is full," says Jayasena. According to Martin Veen, there is also something typical about the (filled) bear cellar. "Such a cellar is very common for that time. Wealthy people had a bear cellar, the less wealthy had waste pits or heaps," he explains. "In this bear cellar we only found household waste such as marbles, shards, about twenty ointment jars and a clamp-on glasses, urinal pots, shoe soles and so on. We did not find any kitchen waste, so it is very likely that there is another cellar with kitchen waste. And that can give us even more information."
Beer
The archaeologists have now opened up a new part of the Kazerneplein - next to the current excavation site - to continue digging there. The researchers will soon also sieve the bear (poo) from the discovered bear cellar and see if there are any interesting things to come out of it. So they still have their hands full for the time being.
Compass Active
August 26, 1997
by Jan Robijns