Comparison of archaeomagnetic and 14C datings of ovens in a cremation necropolis of funerary urns in Belgium

The agreement between archaeomagnetic dating and 14 C dating of ovens in a vast cremation necropolis of ‘funerary urns’ discovered in the alluvial plain of the Meuse river in Belgium during a rescue excavation, demonstrates that the ovens ceased operation in the Merovingian-Carolingian period. The archaeomagnetic results of the ovens that were independently dated by the 14 C technique increases the reference database for the Early Middle ages, for which archaeomagnetic data is limited in Western Europe. Dating of the ovens and the still on-going examination of the funerary urns indicate that there is probably no temporal relationship between the ovens and the necropolis. Constraints and accuracies of both dating methods for the period involved are examined.