By 450, the Roman Empire no longer held sway and the Franks, under their Merovingian kings, were in control. A Roman villa once stood here on Pasestraat; and later, a Merovingian cemetery. The villa lay close to the Roman settlement of Maastricht.
Its structures were dismantled in the late Roman and early mediaeval period to provide building materials elsewhere. Archaeologists have found thousands of brick fragments.
While the Early Middle Ages have often been seen as a period of decline, the handsome grave gifts paint a different picture. Researchers have studied the cemetery that was discovered here. In the Merovingian period, some people preferred cremation; others preferred burial. The corpse laid on its back in a coffin.
Excavations east of Pasestraat have also produced graves with human remains and Merovingian gifts. The archaeologists were called in when the Dutch water authority, Rijkswaterstaat, decided to give the Meuse more space to offset flood waters when the river rose.
In 751, the Carolingians deposed the last Merovingian monarch and a new age began.
Want to know more? Visit the historical heritage exhibition at Centre Céramique in Maastricht.
PLEASE NOTE: Go into the park on the Trichtervoogdenstraat at house number 68. After about 200 meters you will find the spear-landmark of the Archeo Route Limburg on the left.
TIP: This location is part of Ode-aan-de-Maas
Find also other Archeo Route Limburg locations