In 2006 a tomb was excavated in Ghent during the reconstruction of the Sint-Pietersplein. From the location of S127, just in front of the entrance to the current abbey church, archaeologists were able to deduce that someone belonging to the absolute top layer of society was buried there. Soon the hypothesis grew that it could well be Judith, the first countess of Flanders and daughter of Carolingian king Charles the Bald.

In 2023, during an episode of the Flemish historical series het Verhaal van Vlaanderen, the bones are rediscovered in the Zwarte Doos, the heritage depot of the City of Ghent. When Tom Waes asks if it is Judith or not, Steven Vanderputten, Ghent University professor and historian, and Geert Vermeiren, Ghent city archaeologist, cannot give a conclusive answer. After the recording, the idea grows to explore the hypothesis further with a multidisciplinary group of researchers.

What follows is a large-scale multidisciplinary scientific study in which archaeological and historical sources are combined and tested against the latest analytical techniques in the field of bioanthropology. The latter was in the hands of Professor Isabelle De Groote and Dr. Jessica Palmer, bioanthropologists from ArcheOs research laboratory for biological anthropology.

The skeletal remains are extensively examined and checked against history and vice versa. The different disciplines put puzzle pieces together to get an overview. New perspectives generate new questions and new results. This constant interaction between different disciplines makes this research exceptional.

• Curious about the researchers involved? Read their profiles: Steven Vanderputten – Isabelle Degroote – Jessica Palmer
• Want to find out whether it is Judith for yourself? Visit the exhibition (until 19 January 2025)!