Archaeological retrospect 7

Abstract

Pure luck played an important part in determining my scientific career. As far as I can remember, when a schoolboy I never seriously considered devoting myself to historical studies, let alone to archaeology arid prehistory. In fact, I then had no clear predilection for any particular, well-defined field. 1 was a rather good pupil in most subjects; only physics inspired a profound dislike in me and this barred the road to the exact sciences. My father made his living as a teacher and probably without realizing it, I wanted to follow in his footsteps. The influence of a few exccllcnt teachers eventually made me decide to read classics at the University of Ghent. Soon however, I grew strongly disappointed by my chosen subject and niy professors could not kindle in me any fervent lovc for the endless rehashing of antique texts or for critical texteditions. Luckily I was attracted almost immediately by a remarkable man, Hubert \.’an de IVeerd, whose extensive courses included riot only the whole range of ancient history but also the archaeology and art history of that same period. His personal interest, however, was in Gallo-Kornan archaeology, and precisely at the time when I first met hini he had just finished the first large-scale operation undertaken in Belgium, to wit the excavation of the townwall of ‘I’ongeren, the antique Aturrtucu Tungrotmi. I xi the course of his academic career, Van de 12’eerd spent the best part of his time and efforts on the training of his students; he thus created a solid school of historians and archaeologists, the best of whom were to occupy important positions in Flemish intellectual life.