Anebjerg – A rural farm from the 17th century: Considerations on Renaissance building traditions in Denmark and what can be expected beyond the Middle Ages

Our knowledge of rural farms of the medieval period might seem limited, but our
ignorance increases substantially as we reach the Renaissance. Until very recently this
area of research was dominated by historians, and it was widely accepted that historical
sources, in combination with the still-standing buildings from the period, provided ample
information on this subject. However, historical sources concerning the appearance
of the Renaissance farms are few, and recent archaeological excavations have proved
written sources to be one thing – the Renaissance farmers’ willingness to do what written sources say they ought to do quite another. This article presents an excellent example of a large, fenced farm constructed entirely with hole-set posts. The farm has been dated to the middle of the 17th century, when one would not expect to come upon several buildings with postholes, especially as the excavated artifacts draw an image of timbered buildings with bricks, red roof tiles and lead fitted windows. This excavation yielded a lot
of information on the transition from medieval to Renaissance rural building methods, a transition which seems more dominated by practical considerations than by innovative architectural features.