Flowing through time
A longue durée perspective on riverine deposition in the Middle Thames Valley
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11616765 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Miles Clifford (0000-0001-6379-2672, University of Reading, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 183 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 1-48 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-30 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Archaeological Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0066-5983 • E-ISSN: 2373-2288 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00665983.2025.2590652 |
| OpenAlex | W7126191163 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 55 |
This paper presents the first long-term, multi-period analysis of riverine deposition within the Middle Thames, focusing on the period c. 2200 BC to 1100 AD. Utilizing a comprehensive dataset of 2,337 river finds, it investigates patterning in the selection and distribution of deposited objects, with particular emphasis on weapons, tools, and martial objects. This study identifies significant regional and chronological variation, as well as patterns of long-term behavioural continuity, including the dominance of spearheads across the Bronze Age and Early Medieval periods, and a restructuring of depositional practices, avoiding martial associations, in the Roman period. In addition to compositional changes, this paper highlights the variable physical and mental geography of the Middle Thames Valley, identifying an evolving relationship between key crossing points, socio-political authority and emerging religious ideas. Methodologically, the study applies a novel raster-based approach within GIS to integrate both high and low-resolution spatial data, offering a new framework for interpreting riverine assemblages recovered without precise provenance. In doing so, it demonstrates that while the underlying logic dictating riverine deposition in the past may remain elusive, patterns of change and continuity are clearly discernible, revealing the Middle Thames as a dynamic and enduring ritual landscape shaped by sustained, structured deposition.
Climate change · Deposition (geology · Erosion · Hydrology (agriculture · Perspective (graphical · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Hydrology and Sediment Transport Processes · Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
Conflict and War, Archaeology of
Medieval Riverscapes
Economies of Destruction
Use-wear analysis reveals the first direct evidence for the use of Neolithic polished stone axes in Britain
Motorways of Prehistory? Boats, Rivers and Moving in Mesolithic Ireland
By Other Means? The Development of Warfare in the British Isles 3000–500 B.C
Banks, Borders and Bodies of Water in a Viking Age Mentality
Personhood of Water
The interpretation of later Bronze Age metalwork from British rivers
The evolution of meandering and anabranching rivers in postglacial and loess landscapes of Europe
New evidence for diverse secondary burial practices in Iron Age Britain
Antiquities from the Middle Thames
Iron Age ‘Currency Bars’
The Subtle Knife
The Later Bronze Age in the British Isles and North-Western France
The life cycle of bronze age metalwork from the Thames
The River Has Never Divided Us
Iron Age Diet at Glastonbury Lake Village
Unusual Deposition on Bronze Age and Iron Age Settlements and Hillforts in the Upper and Middle Thames Valley
What Rivers Did
The Use and Significance of Early Bronze Age Stone Battle-axes and Axe-hammers from Northern Britain and the Isle of Man
Axes to Axes
Iron Age Mortuary Practices in Britain
Some Neglected Late Anglo-Saxon Swords
Heirlooms Under-‘Cover’
A Neolithic Bowl and other objects from the Thames at Hedsor, near Cookham
Life before the Minster
Liquid materialities in the landscape of the T hames
The Myth of the Chief
A Double-edged Sword
A River of Knives and Swords
A line of time
Human remains from the River Thames
A generic geomorphological approach to archaeological interpretation and prospection in British river valleys
Still water, hidden depths
The Destruction of Wealth in Later Prehistory
When Expediency Broaches Ritual Intention
The Beginnings of a Scientific Approach to Prehistoric Archaeology in 17th and 18th Century Britain
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |