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The St Isabella Fort was one of a chain of fortresses from which the Spanish army besieged the city of Ostend (Belgium) from 1601 until 1604. The site was excavated in 1990; however, the excavated finds have not previously been studied. The analysis of the ceramic assemblage, which represents a typo-chronological horizon for the region, provides an opportunity to revaluate the site. It allows a reinterpretation of the functions of the excavated structures (e.g., what was formerly interpreted as the fort’s kitchen is more likely a refectory) and gives insight into the consumption choices made by the soldiers and those accompanying them. As such, this article contributes to the wider debate on military life at the turn of the seventeenth century.
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