Ittre "Mont-à-Henry"
Michel Van Assche CC-BY
Présentation du site
The hypothesis of early occupation of the Ittre site has gained ground in recent years. On the one hand, a re-examination of Middle Neolithic II stone industries in Belgium tends to identify an ancient facies of stone industries that would correspond to a chronological phase preceding the rise of large flint mines (associated with large flint blades and axes and constituting the “classic” Michelsberg facies). On the other hand, new AMS radiocarbon dating carried out on materials from the 1980s excavations tends to confirm that at least part of the occupation of “Mont-à-Henry” predates 4260 BCE. The Ittre ‘Mont-à-Henry’ site would therefore predate the “classic” Michelsberg. How can this phase be defined? Is it ‘ancient’ Michelsberg or is it actually evidence of another cultural group in our regions?
Historique des travaux
In the 1980s, following promising surveys on foot, the Royal Archaeological Society of Brussels, in partnership with the Amphora archaeological circle, carried out a survey campaign (1982) and three excavation campaigns (1984, 1985, 1986) at the Mont-à-Henry site in Ittre (Walloon Brabant). Under the direction of Michel Fourny and Michel Van Assche, this research revealed unexpected occupation during the Neolithic period and the very end of the Late Iron Age. The site’s potential has since been confirmed by surveys conducted by Guido Taelman. Nearly four decades after the last shovel was put down, a new team returned in July 2025 as part of a research programme led by Jean-Philippe Collin and Solène Denis.
Recherche de bénévoles
jeanphilippe.collin@ulb.beSelected bibliography
- Jean-Philippe Collin, Solène Denis, Michel Fourny, Michel Van Assche. Ittre « Mont-à-Henry » : retour vers le futur, Bulletin d'information de la société royale d'Archéologie de Bruxelles, 2025, p. 10-17. • hal-05331809•
Mission MEAE Boyuk Kesik