After recently getting a face through facial reconstruction, the first known Amsterdammer has now also been given a name – Alewijn. People who visited the exhibit featuring the man in the City Archives voted for the name, and alderman Rutger Groot Wassink revealed it on Thursday.
The first known Amsterdammer is a man who died between 1150 and 1215. His remains were found under the Oude Kerk in 1963. The city had his face reconstructed as part of the celebration of Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary.
Alewijn is on display in the exhibition The birth of the city. In search of medieval Amsterdam in the City Archives. People who visited the exhibit could vote for one of five names – Adam, Nico, Pier, Alewijn, and Otto. Over 2,100 people cast their vote, and Alewijn won with 35 percent of the votes.
Alewijn is a medieval boy’s name that has almost disappeared in the Netherlands. It means “noble friend.”
Alewijn belonged to the first generation of residents of the Amstel estuary. Thanks to archeological research, we now know that he was approximately 1.72 meters tall and 20 to 25 years old when he died. We also know that his diet consisted mostly of plants and land animals and little to no fish, and that he had a serious illness or suffered from malnutrition as a toddler. He was also not a very healthy adult and likely suffered from lung infections.
The exhibit featuring Alewijn will be in the City Archives until July 6.