J Archaeol Sci 28 (10)

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.

Title:	J Archaeol Sci 28 (10)
Series:	Journal of Archaeological Science
Volume:	28 (10)
Publication Type:	Journal
Editor:	Karl W Butzer John P Grattan Julian Henderson Richard G Klein
Publisher:	Academic Press
Year of Publication:	2001
Source:	BIAB (The British & Irish Archaeological Bibliography (BIAB))
Created Date:	05 Dec 2001

Article Title	Author / Editor	Page Start/End
New evidence for seasonal human presence at the Early Mesolithic site of Thatcham, Berkshire, England	Richard J Carter	1055 - 1060
Atomic force microscopy for high resolution imaging of collagen fibrils --; a new technique to investigate collagen structure ...	S Thalhammer W M Heckl A J C Zink A G Nerlich	1061 - 1068
An assessment of the impact of trees upon archaeology within a relict wetland	Margaret Cox Caroline Earwood E B G Jones Julie Jones Vanessa Straker Mark Robinson Mark Tibbett Steven West	1069 - 1084
Intensive Mesolithic exploitation of coastal resources?; Evidence from a shell deposit on the Isle of Portl...	Marcello A Mannino Kenneth D Thomas	1101 - 1114

J Archaeol Sci 28 (10)

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