The genetic and archaeological synthesis of a Merovingian burial ground on the Flemish Coast.

After the report of a coincidence find in Koksijde, a late Merovingian settlement and burial ground were excavated at the beginning of 2017. This Koksijdse site proved to be particularly valuable due to the presence of building structures, cultural artifacts and ecological find material. Moreover, it was intriguing to find that the settlement phase was followed shortly afterwards by a burial field. The excavated buried remains consist of fifty-three individuals who have already been scientifically investigated. Still, many crucial research questions remain unanswered, which complicates the archaeological synthesis of this site. For example, there is no information about the kinship relationships between the individuals within the site, about their origin and link with other West European populations in that period and today. A state-of-the-art genetic research on the skeletal material can provide answers to these questions.