Who lived in Flanders during the 7th century, and where did they come from? New DNA research from Merovingian graves in Koksijde has uncovered surprising insights into the region’s diverse ancestral origins.
A recent study by geneticists from KU Leuven has shed light on the diverse population groups that inhabited early medieval Flanders, using DNA analysis from Merovingian graves discovered in Koksijde, a town along the Belgian coast. The findings reveal a dynamic community composed of individuals from two distinct ancestral origins—North Sea Germanic and North Gaulish—who lived and interacted in the late 7th and early 8th centuries.
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The breakthrough began in 2016, when a crane operator in Koksijde unearthed bone material that led archaeologists to uncover a Late Merovingian settlement and burial ground. Dating to the second half of the 7th century through the mid-8th century, these remains offered researchers a rare opportunity to examine skeletal material from this period, as cremation had been the prevailing funerary practice in Flanders for much of the early Middle Ages.
The dig at Koksijde. Photo by Kris Vandevorst / Agency for Immovable Heritage
“In Flanders, the deceased were cremated for a long time, and the skeletons from Koksijde are among the oldest after the fall of the Western Roman Empire that we can study genetically,” explains genetics professor Maarten Larmuseau, who coordinated the research alongside Professor Toomas Kivisild. “The discovery in 2016 is an absolute treasure trove of information, which we used to investigate who lived here at the time and how people lived together.”
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The Merovingian period, which spanned three centuries following the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, remains poorly understood, particularly regarding the lives and origins of the broader population. This study, published in the scientific journal PNAS, reveals that the burial site in Koksijde was home to a community with an unexpectedly high degree of genetic diversity.
The DNA analysis identified two main ancestral groups. The larger group, of North Sea Germanic origin, displayed genetic links to contemporary populations in Great Britain and the Netherlands. The smaller group, of North Gaulish origin, showed connections to individuals from France’s late Iron Age. According to Professor Larmuseau, the groups differed not only in their genetic profiles but also in their lifestyles. “In the large North Sea Germanic group, the individuals are usually distantly related to each other, but this is not the case within the small North Gaulish group, in which the individuals often also showed more bone wear and therefore performed more hard work during their lives.”
Photo by Kris Vandevorst / Agency for Immovable Heritage
The researchers also discovered significant dietary differences between the two groups, reflecting genetic variations in food metabolism. “Interesting for understanding the current patterns of genetic variation in the Low Countries is that these two groups had a different diet, coupled with genetic differences in their ability to process food, for example milk,” adds Kivisild.
One particularly striking find was the genetic relationship between a mother, who belonged to the North Gaulish group, and her daughter, whose father was of North Sea Germanic descent. This evidence suggests there was intermixing between the groups, contradicting earlier assumptions that the burial site represented a small, insular family unit.
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“Our research shows that in Koksijde we are not dealing with a small closed family, as initially thought, but with a broad community in which a merger of two origin groups was taking place,” says Larmuseau. “We would never have been able to find this out without DNA research.”
Photo by Kris Vandevorst / Agency for Immovable Heritage
Further analysis also revealed genetic ties between the Merovingian skeletons in Koksijde and late medieval remains from nearby Wulpen, indicating a lasting impact of early medieval population dynamics on the genetic makeup of the region. “Although the Merovingian period may not be in our collective memory, this period appears to be very important for the DNA of Flanders,” concludes Larmuseau.
The study, titled “Capturing the fusion of two ancestries and kinship structures in Merovingian Flanders,” by Sasso et al., highlights the enduring significance of the Merovingian period in shaping the genetic history of Flanders. The research is part of the MerovingerDNA project, a collaboration between KU Leuven and several other institutions, including Histories vzw, Abdijmuseum Ten Duinen, the University of Tartu, VUB, the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, and the Agency for Immovable Heritage. More details can be found at merovingerdna.be.
Who lived in Flanders during the 7th century, and where did they come from? New DNA research from Merovingian graves in Koksijde has uncovered surprising insights into the region’s diverse ancestral origins.
A recent study by geneticists from KU Leuven has shed light on the diverse population groups that inhabited early medieval Flanders, using DNA analysis from Merovingian graves discovered in Koksijde, a town along the Belgian coast. The findings reveal a dynamic community composed of individuals from two distinct ancestral origins—North Sea Germanic and North Gaulish—who lived and interacted in the late 7th and early 8th centuries.
The breakthrough began in 2016, when a crane operator in Koksijde unearthed bone material that led archaeologists to uncover a Late Merovingian settlement and burial ground. Dating to the second half of the 7th century through the mid-8th century, these remains offered researchers a rare opportunity to examine skeletal material from this period, as cremation had been the prevailing funerary practice in Flanders for much of the early Middle Ages.
“In Flanders, the deceased were cremated for a long time, and the skeletons from Koksijde are among the oldest after the fall of the Western Roman Empire that we can study genetically,” explains genetics professor Maarten Larmuseau, who coordinated the research alongside Professor Toomas Kivisild. “The discovery in 2016 is an absolute treasure trove of information, which we used to investigate who lived here at the time and how people lived together.”
The Merovingian period, which spanned three centuries following the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, remains poorly understood, particularly regarding the lives and origins of the broader population. This study, published in the scientific journal PNAS, reveals that the burial site in Koksijde was home to a community with an unexpectedly high degree of genetic diversity.
The DNA analysis identified two main ancestral groups. The larger group, of North Sea Germanic origin, displayed genetic links to contemporary populations in Great Britain and the Netherlands. The smaller group, of North Gaulish origin, showed connections to individuals from France’s late Iron Age. According to Professor Larmuseau, the groups differed not only in their genetic profiles but also in their lifestyles. “In the large North Sea Germanic group, the individuals are usually distantly related to each other, but this is not the case within the small North Gaulish group, in which the individuals often also showed more bone wear and therefore performed more hard work during their lives.”
The researchers also discovered significant dietary differences between the two groups, reflecting genetic variations in food metabolism. “Interesting for understanding the current patterns of genetic variation in the Low Countries is that these two groups had a different diet, coupled with genetic differences in their ability to process food, for example milk,” adds Kivisild.
One particularly striking find was the genetic relationship between a mother, who belonged to the North Gaulish group, and her daughter, whose father was of North Sea Germanic descent. This evidence suggests there was intermixing between the groups, contradicting earlier assumptions that the burial site represented a small, insular family unit.
“Our research shows that in Koksijde we are not dealing with a small closed family, as initially thought, but with a broad community in which a merger of two origin groups was taking place,” says Larmuseau. “We would never have been able to find this out without DNA research.”
Further analysis also revealed genetic ties between the Merovingian skeletons in Koksijde and late medieval remains from nearby Wulpen, indicating a lasting impact of early medieval population dynamics on the genetic makeup of the region. “Although the Merovingian period may not be in our collective memory, this period appears to be very important for the DNA of Flanders,” concludes Larmuseau.
The study, titled “Capturing the fusion of two ancestries and kinship structures in Merovingian Flanders,” by Sasso et al., highlights the enduring significance of the Merovingian period in shaping the genetic history of Flanders. The research is part of the MerovingerDNA project, a collaboration between KU Leuven and several other institutions, including Histories vzw, Abdijmuseum Ten Duinen, the University of Tartu, VUB, the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, and the Agency for Immovable Heritage. More details can be found at merovingerdna.be.
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