Cox, M., Earwood, C., Jones, E., Jones, J., Straker, V., Robinson, M., Tibbett, M. and West, S. (2001). An assessment of the impact of trees upon archaeology within a relict wetland. J Archaeol Sci 28 (10). Vol 28(10), pp. 1069-1084.
| Title: | An assessment of the impact of trees upon archaeology within a relict wetland | |||||||||||||
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| Issue: | J Archaeol Sci 28 (10) | |||||||||||||
| Series: | Journal of Archaeological Science | |||||||||||||
| Volume: | 28 (10) | |||||||||||||
| Page Start/End: | 1069 - 1084 | |||||||||||||
| Biblio Note | Please note that this is a bibliographic record only, as originally entered into the BIAB database. The ADS have no files for download, and unfortunately cannot advise further on where to access hard copy or digital versions. | |||||||||||||
| Publication Type: | Journal | |||||||||||||
| Abstract: | An evaluation of a surviving stretch of the Abbot's Way, in the Somerset Levels and Moors, undertaken to assess the consequences of the site's previous management and to inform future management. Considers the condition of the Neolithic timbers and associated palaeoenvironmental record from the site and compares the results with those obtained from the 1974 excavation. Argues that the hydrological consequences of tree planting and colonisation had a detrimental effect on both the condition of the timbers and insect remains, although pollen and plant macrofossils appear to have survived relatively well. A trench was opened outside the scheduled area, where the ground was waterlogged, which revealed similar problems of survival and condition, probably reflecting a period of peat extraction and a fluctuating water table during the 1950s and 1960s. The results of this assessment are compared with those recovered from the Sweet Track (which is said to have been positively managed in terms of hydrology), where it was found that insects and wood survived better than at the Abbot's Way. The article also suggests that insects seem to be a more sensitive indicator of site desiccation than plant remains. Recommends that any programme of management of wetland for archaeology should avoid deliberate tree planting and natural scrub and woodland generation and that it should also take into account past as well as present land use. | |||||||||||||
| Year of Publication: | 2001 | |||||||||||||
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| Source: |
BIAB
(The British & Irish Archaeological Bibliography (BIAB))
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| Created Date: | 05 Dec 2001 |
