Turning back the tide: the Zwin debate in perspective : a historiographical review of the medieval port system northeast of Bruges

A long with the rise and fall of medieval Bruges, a linear gateway to the North Sea was linked, embanked and flanked with channels, dikes and harbours, creating a historical landscape that is marked by the dynamic interaction between men and nature. The aim of this paper is to provide a critical review of previous and current approaches to the evolution of the medieval port. Nearly 150 years of research has been divided into four characteristic phases in order to construct a general overview. Two significant landscape elements have been studied in detail in order to expose the specific shortcomings of the research thus far. This study demonstrates that the Zwin debate is outdated and has not kept up with state-of-the-art research trends and techniques. Moreover, it shows that the historical geography of the region has been inadequately interpreted in accordance with the latest geomorphological and archaeological findings.

Publication year:2015

BOF-keylabel:yes

IOF-keylabel:yes

Authors:National

Authors from:Higher Education

Accessibility:Closed