The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Historical context and chronology of Bronze Age land enclosure on Dartmoor, UK

Historical context and chronology of Bronze Age land enclosure on Dartmoor, UK
Historical context and chronology of Bronze Age land enclosure on Dartmoor, UK
The upland of Dartmoor, southwest England, is one of the flagship prehistoric landscapes within Britain owing to the excellent survival of extensive prehistoric coaxial field systems. Archaeological surveys and rescue excavations during the 1970s and 1980s did much to further the understanding of this landscape; however, much remains to be explored, in particular the chronology of enclosure, the nature of the pre-enclosure landscape and the relationship between Bronze Age communities and their environment. Reconsideration of this landscape is important, given the place it holds in our understanding of subdivision of the landscape across northwest Europe during prehistory. This paper presents new palaeoecological data recovered as part of an integrated archaeological and palaeoecological project on northeast Dartmoor. The sequences detailed here include the first dated Neolithic period palaeoenvironmental data from within the prehistoric enclosed land on the moor, providing a longer-term context for enclosure. Neolithic groups are implicated in the first establishment of heathland in the study area at around 3630–3370 cal BC. During the early Bronze Age, reestablishment of hazel scrub in the study area implies reduced use of the upland, although it is not clear whether this is local or indicative of the wider landscape. A combination of pollen and fungal spore data indicates a substantial shift to species-rich grassland with grazing animals at c.1480 cal BC in a phase that lasted 400 years. The later Bronze Age and early Iron Age are characterised by low intensity use of the upland. These data provide new chronological data for land cover change on Dartmoor and whilst they broadly confirm existing models of upland land use in later prehistory, their proximity to the standing archaeology affords a more nuanced interpretation of local change.
bronze age, palynology, fungal spores, prehistory, uplands, dartmoor
0305-4403
2250-2261
Fyfe, R.M.
41b3d503-5c27-4698-abc5-4099cdf45ff5
Brück, J.
89372961-bd77-4c01-a3e4-3dd65c202c89
Johnston, R.
bc9a78c9-ca10-4166-9cbd-857c69f7329b
Lewis, H.
a7fa690f-c683-4a8a-829c-c3b161243c60
Roland, T.P.
ea60179f-e4b5-4032-a0ae-62cf2ddbd72f
Wickstead, H.
796155e0-768f-4017-b961-3ebfe8821b6b
Fyfe, R.M.
41b3d503-5c27-4698-abc5-4099cdf45ff5
Brück, J.
89372961-bd77-4c01-a3e4-3dd65c202c89
Johnston, R.
bc9a78c9-ca10-4166-9cbd-857c69f7329b
Lewis, H.
a7fa690f-c683-4a8a-829c-c3b161243c60
Roland, T.P.
ea60179f-e4b5-4032-a0ae-62cf2ddbd72f
Wickstead, H.
796155e0-768f-4017-b961-3ebfe8821b6b

Fyfe, R.M., Brück, J., Johnston, R., Lewis, H., Roland, T.P. and Wickstead, H. (2008) Historical context and chronology of Bronze Age land enclosure on Dartmoor, UK. Journal of Archaeological Science, 35 (8), 2250-2261. (doi:10.1016/j.jas.2008.02.007).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The upland of Dartmoor, southwest England, is one of the flagship prehistoric landscapes within Britain owing to the excellent survival of extensive prehistoric coaxial field systems. Archaeological surveys and rescue excavations during the 1970s and 1980s did much to further the understanding of this landscape; however, much remains to be explored, in particular the chronology of enclosure, the nature of the pre-enclosure landscape and the relationship between Bronze Age communities and their environment. Reconsideration of this landscape is important, given the place it holds in our understanding of subdivision of the landscape across northwest Europe during prehistory. This paper presents new palaeoecological data recovered as part of an integrated archaeological and palaeoecological project on northeast Dartmoor. The sequences detailed here include the first dated Neolithic period palaeoenvironmental data from within the prehistoric enclosed land on the moor, providing a longer-term context for enclosure. Neolithic groups are implicated in the first establishment of heathland in the study area at around 3630–3370 cal BC. During the early Bronze Age, reestablishment of hazel scrub in the study area implies reduced use of the upland, although it is not clear whether this is local or indicative of the wider landscape. A combination of pollen and fungal spore data indicates a substantial shift to species-rich grassland with grazing animals at c.1480 cal BC in a phase that lasted 400 years. The later Bronze Age and early Iron Age are characterised by low intensity use of the upland. These data provide new chronological data for land cover change on Dartmoor and whilst they broadly confirm existing models of upland land use in later prehistory, their proximity to the standing archaeology affords a more nuanced interpretation of local change.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: August 2008
Keywords: bronze age, palynology, fungal spores, prehistory, uplands, dartmoor
Organisations: Geography & Environment

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 345412
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/345412
ISSN: 0305-4403
PURE UUID: 4d867b1a-d456-43e1-85f0-db3f4b163cd4

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 19 Nov 2012 15:19
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 12:25

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: R.M. Fyfe
Author: J. Brück
Author: R. Johnston
Author: H. Lewis
Author: T.P. Roland
Author: H. Wickstead

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×