Chapter 7: The Archaeology of Settlement

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Weblinks

This chapter looks at archaeological sites. How do we define and understand them?

7.1 Reconstructing ancient landscapes

These examples show different approaches to recovering and presenting ancient landscapes:
Middle Palaeolithic Israel http://www.phytolith.net/Amud.html
Ice Age sequences http://www.nhm.ac.uk/hosted_sites/ahob/Chart.pdf
Palaeoclimates http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/ogu/palaeoclimate.htm

7.2 Identifying human use of the landscape

The sites listed in Chapter 3 will be particularly useful here.

An example of a midden:
http://www.york.ac.uk/depts/arch/middens/resources/denmark

The use of the Yorkshire Dales by Mesolithic hunter gatherers:
http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/archsci/ydhgrg/index.php?value=ydhgrp

An interactive map showing all the known Roman villas in the UK is at:
http://www.online-archaeology.co.uk/Connect/ArchaeologyMapsandGIS

7.3 Identifying the function(s) of archaeological sites

There are many sites dealing with specific settlements. This brief list covers a number of periods.

Palaeolithic:
Dolni Vestonici http://donsmaps.com/dolni.html
Olduvai Gorge http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/archaeology/sites/africa/olduvai_gorge.html
Üçağızlı cave site in Turkey is at http://web.arizona.edu/~hatayup/

Mesolithic:
Tybrind Vig http://www.abc.se/~m10354/publ/tybrind.htm
Siebenlinden (Germany) http://www.landesdenkmalamt-bw.de/english/archaeol/siebenlinden/index.php
Lepenski Vir http://donsmaps.com/lepenski2.html
Howick http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/archaeology/excavations_techniques

Neolithic:
Catal Hoyuk http://ancientneareast.tripod.com/Catal_Hoyuk.html
Karanovo http://www.bulgaria.com/photos/web/culture.pdf
Tell Brak http://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/projects/tellbrak.html and also http://www.learningsites.com/Brak/Tell-Brak_home.html
An essay on early towns is at http://history-world.org/firsttowns.htm

Bronze Age:
Companion images of Knossos http://www.dilos.com/region/crete/minoan_pictures.html
Mashkan Shapir is at http://www.vizin.org/projects/mashkan/html/mashkansol.htm

Roman:
Silchester http://www.silchester.rdg.ac.uk/
Virtual Wroxeter http://www.arch-ant.bham.ac.uk/bufau/research/bt/
Pompeii http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/archsci/field_proj/anampomp/

Medieval:
Medieval settlement research group http://www.britarch.ac.uk/msrg/index.html
Wharram Percy (England) http://loki.stockton.edu/~ken/wharram/wharram.htm
Whittlewood (England) http://www.le.ac.uk/elh/whittlewood/index.htm
Wallingford http://www.le.ac.uk/archaeology/research/projects/wallingford/index.htm
Cahercommaun http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/archaeology/arch_burren

7.4 The use of space on archaeological sites

This section will include sites on spatial analysis.

Cost surface analysis is explained at:
http://www.mapaspects.org/courses/anth197/week9

7.5 Understanding structures

This section is concerned with what can be learned from upstanding buildings and also the methods archaeologists use to ‘reconstruct’ ancient buildings.

A broch: Scatness (Shetland) http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/archsci/field_proj/scat/
Crannogs: Loch Tay (Scotland) http://www.crannog.co.uk/
Medieval and later buildings: Weald and Downland Museum (England) http://www.wealddown.co.uk/
Submerged structures http://www.abc.se/~m10354/uwa/submerge.htm