A contextual analysis of the landscape of Cambridgeshire in the early Anglo-Saxon period

Abstract

This projects seeks to characterise the landscape of Cambridgeshire during the Early Anglo-Saxon period. In particular it aims to re-assess existing models of landuse and test the traditional views of continuity and change between the Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods. These aims will be accomplished through a contextual study of the archaeological information, the underlying methodology of which will consist of the following: Examining the ways in which different sites are recovered and assessing the extent of any biases within the data set. Identifying and categorising different forms of settlement by examining evidence for surviving features. Analysing the pattern of settlement through space and time by placing sites within their own cultural and historic landscapes. In particular, the extent of localised variation in land use, site abandonment and settlement shift will be assessed in order to appreciate the dynamics of the landscape and to examine critically the narratives of this period. Research will concentrate on the modem county of Cambridgeshire, drawing upon all available data from both published and unpublished sources. The archaeological data for this period forms a rich and varied resource, many aspects of which are now well understood. However, research is typically conducted within a framework of historical periods, each of which has its own agendas. This has left certain aspects of the archaeology relatively under studied and makes an examination of the relationships between periods problematic. The proposed project will adopt a more uniform approach to the data, examining both the nature of settlement sites and their cultural and historical context. This will allow a re-evaluation of historical narratives relating to the changes in the cultural landscape through time.