The ancient origins of medieval fields: A reassessment

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Williamson, Tom (2016) The ancient origins of medieval fields: A reassessment. The Archaeological Journal, 173 (2). pp. 264-287. ISSN 0066-5983

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Abstract

This article questions the suggestions that have been made by a number of archaeologists and landscape historians concerning the Roman and prehistoric origins of large tracts of the medieval rural landscape in lowland England. It suggests that arguments for large-scale continuity of field systems, mainly based on the evidence of excavations and topographic analysis, are flawed because they fail to take fully into account the topographic contexts, and the practical functions, of field boundaries. When these matters are given due weight, much of the evidence cited in support of ‘continuity’ instead appears to suggest a significant degree of discontinuity, at least in terms of systems of land division, between Roman Britain and medieval England.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of History
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Landscape History
Related URLs:	http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1...
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	24 Sep 2016 00:05
Last Modified:	22 Oct 2022 01:20
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/59802
DOI:	10.1080/00665983.2016.1191129

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