This volume draws together contributions from a number of specialists to provide an agenda for future research within the Avebury World Heritage Site. It has been produced in response to the English Heritage initiative for the development of regional and period research frameworks in England and represents the first formal such agenda for a World Heritage Site. Following an introduction setting out the background to, need for and development of the Research Agenda, the volume is presented under a series of major headings. Part 2 is a resource assessment arranged by period from the Lower Palaeolithic to the end of the medieval period (c. AD 1500) together with an assessment of the palaeo-environmental data from the area. Part 3 is the Research Agenda itself, again arranged by period but focusing on a variety of common themes. A series of more over-arching, landscape-based themes for environmental research is also included. In Part 4 strategies for the implementation of the Research Agenda are explored and in Part 5 methods relevant for that implementation are presented. Archaeological Research Agenda for the Avebury World Heritage Site Avebury Archaeological & Historical Research Group (AAHRG) February 2001 Published 2001 by the Trust for Wessex Archaeology Ltd Portway House, Old Sarum Park, Salisbury SP4 6EB Wessex Archaeology is a Registered Charity No. 287786 on behalf of English Heritage and the Avebury Archaeological & Historical Research Group Copyright © The individual authors and English Heritage all rights reserved British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue entry for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 1–874350–36–1 Produced by Wessex Archaeology Printed by Cromwell Press Ltd, Trowbridge The cost of this publication was met by English Heritage Front Cover: Avebury: stones at sunrise (© English Heritage Photographic Library. J920762, Sept 1992) Back Cover: Aerial photograph of the Avebury Henge (© English Heritage Photographic Library. K910422, May 1991) Contents List of Figures . .iv 3.8 Later Saxon and Medieval List of Tables . .iv by Andrew Reynolds . .52 Acknowledgements . .iv 3.9 Palaeo-Environmental Evidence Foreword by Geoffrey Wainwright . .v by Michael J. Allen . .54 Summary . .vi 3.10 Towards a Research Framework for the Foreign language summaries . .vi Avebury Landscape by Rosamund M.J.Cleal and Michael J. Allen . .57 Part 1: Introduction by Amanda Chadburn and Melanie Pomeroy-Kellinger Part 4: Research Strategies 1.1 Background . .1 4.1 Lower and Middle Palaeolithic 1.2 The Need for Research Agenda . .2 by Julie Scott-Jackson . .62 1.3 Aims and Objectives . .3 4.2 Late Glacial and Early Post-glacial 1.4 Methodology . .3 by Andrew J. Lawson . .62 4.3 Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Part 2: Resource Assessment by Rosamund M.J. Cleal . .63 2.1 Lower and Middle Palaeolithic 4.4 Late Bronze Age by Gill Swanton, by Julie Scott-Jackson . .5 Chris Gingell and Andrew J. Lawson . .67 2.2 Late Glacial and Early Post-glacial 4.5 Iron Age by Amanda Chadburn and by Andrew J. Lawson . .6 Mark Corney . .67 2.3 Neolithic and Early Bronze Age 4.6 Romano-British by Mark Corney and by Rosamund M.J. Cleal and R. Montague . .8 Bryn Walters . .68 2.4 Late Bronze Age by Gill Swanton, 4.7 Post-Roman and Early Saxon by Gill Swanton Chris Gingell and Andrew J. Lawson . .19 and Peter Fowler . .68 2.5 Iron Age by Amanda Chadburn 4.8 Later Saxon and Medieval and Mark Corney . .19 by Andrew Reynolds . .69 2.6 Romano-British by Mark Corney and 4.9 Palaeo-Environmental by Michael J. Allen . .70 Bryn Walters . .24 2.7 Post-Roman and Early Saxon by Gill Swanton Part 5: Methods and Techniques and Peter Fowler . .27 5.1 Geophysical Survey by Andrew David . .71 2.8 Later Saxon and Medieval 5.2 Environmental Archaeology by Andrew Reynolds . .28 by Michael J. Allen . .79 2.9 Palaeo-Environmental Evidence 5.3 Earthwork Survey by Mark Bowden . .79 by Michael J. Allen . .34 5.4 Surface Artefact Collection by Andrew J. Lawson . .80 Part 3: Research Agenda 5.5 Evaluation Excavation by Andrew J. Lawson 81 3.1 Lower and Middle Palaeolithic 5.6 Full Excavation by Rosamund M.J. Cleal . .81 by Julie Scott-Jackson . .38 5.7 Aerial Survey by Robert Bewley and 3.2 Late Glacial and Early Post-glacial Fiona Small . .83 by Andrew J. Lawson . .39 5.8 Geographical Information Systems (GIS) 3.3 Neolithic and Early Bronze Age by Nick Burton . .86 by Rosamund M.J. Cleal . .40 5.9 Metal detecting by Amanda Chadburn . .89 3.4 Late Bronze Age by Gill Swanton, 5.10 Experimental Archaeology by Gill Swanton .91 Chris Gingell and Andrew J. Lawson . .43 3.5 Iron Age by Amanda Chadburn Bibliography . .93 and Mark Corney . .44 Appendix A. Section authors . .101 3.6 Romano-British by Mark Corney and Appendix B. Other AAHRG members 1996–2000 Bryn Walters . .47 who contributed to the formulation of the 3.7 Post-Roman and Early Saxon by Gill Swanton research agenda . .101 and Peter Fowler . .50 Index . .102 iii List of Figures Fig. 1 Distribution of findspots and sites Fig. 11 Durotrigian silver and bronze staters, found attributed to Palaeolithic, Late Glacial and near Silbury Hill in 1991 Early Post-glacial periods Fig. 12 The Marlborough Bucket Fig. 2 Distribution of Neolithic and Early Bronze Fig. 13 Distribution of Romano-British sites in the Age sites and monuments in the wider Avebury area Avebury area Fig. 14 Plan of the Silbury Romano-British Fig. 3 Distribution of Neolithic and Early Bronze settlement Age sites and monuments within the Fig. 15 Distribution of Post-Roman and early Avebury WHS Saxon sites in the Avebury area Fig. 4 Stone axes from Windmill Hill Fig. 16 The Wansdyke Fig. 5 Antler pick and rake from Windmill Hill Fig. 17 Extract from the RCHME survey of Fig. 6 Plan of excavation trenches in the Henge Avebury with outline of the possible 9th Fig. 7 South-west quadrant of Avebury Henge and century burh Stone Circle Fig. 18 Hundreds and Parishes in North Wiltshire Fig. 8 Excavation in Longstone Field, Fig. 19 Location of sites where with environmental Beckhampton, 1999 evidence has been recovered in the Avebury Fig. 9 Distribution of later Bronze Age sites and area monuments in the Avebury area Fig. 20 New ‘feature’ in the Avebury Henge, 1995 Fig. 10 Distribution of Iron Age sites and Fig. 21 Isometric drawing of the Overton Down monuments in the Avebury area Experimental Earthwork List of Tables Table 1 Probable Iron Age enclosures in and Table 5 Geophysical survey in the Avebury area and around the Avebury WHS beyond Table 2 Probable Iron Age unenclosed settlements Table 6 Monarch (NMR) record summaries: in and around the Avebury WHS records created and updated for each Table 3 Iron Age coins in the Oxford University quarter sheet Celtic Coin Index found in the Avebury Table 7 New sites identified in the Avebury WHS area Mapping Project Table 4 Sites where environmental evidence has been recovered in the Avebury area Acknowledgements The authors and editors of this volume would like to Smith; Geoffrey Wainwright; Alasdair Whittle; the staff thank all past and present members of AAHRG for of English Heritage Aerial Survey, Avebury WHS their various contributions which have made this Mapping Project and National Monuments Record. publication possible. Thanks are due to Amanda Chadburn, Julie Gardiner, Kate Fielden and Melanie Pomeroy for editing, and to Nick Burton for compiling the maps. Illustrations The individual authors would like to thank the The distribution maps, Figs 1–3, 9, 10, 13, 15 and 19, following for reading and commenting on earlier drafts and Fig. 18, were produced by Nick Burton via the and for providing help and additional data: Dave Avebury WHS Geographical Information System © Batchelor; Andrew David; Duncan Coe; Bruce Eagles; English Heritage; Figs 6 and 17 were produced by Dave Field; Andrew Fitzpatrick; Charly French; RCHME © English Heritage; Fig. 21 after Jewell Philip de Jersey; Julie Gardiner; Alex Gibson; Mark 1963; Figs 4, 5 and 7 © The National Trust; Figs 11 Gillings; Andrew Lawson; Rebecca Montague; Mike and 12 © Wiltshire Heritage Museum, Devizes; Fig. 16 Pitts; Josh Pollard; Julian Richards; Colin Shell; Isobel © Mick Aston; Fig. 14 after Corney 1997b, fig. 1. iv Foreword Avebury and Stonehenge are part of the same methodologies to fill these. For Avebury this was World Heritage Site. Both have Management Plans accomplished over a long period of time by many which place considerable importance on the en­ people and this document is a tribute to their per­ couragement and promotion of academic research to sistence and determination. It portrays in classic format achieve a greater understanding of their rich cultural a statement of what is known and what we now need heritage. There was a unswerving belief on the part of to know. In time the document will become outdated all those associated with the completion of the as new research necessitates reviews. A fear of Management Plans that such research and the under­ obsolescence should never prevent the compilation of standing it brings are not optional extras, but essential research agendas. Indeed there is a case for arguing that for the appropriate management of the heritage assets their value is best gauged against the frequency with which make these World Heritage Sites outstanding which they are reviewed. landscapes of universal significance. Improved understanding is the key to good land For both Avebury and Stonehenge the work has management and this excellent document provides the begun with the compilation of a gazetteer of what is essential adjunct to the Management Plan.