Islands in Wilderness

The Changing Medieval Use of the East Anglian Peat Fens, England

Bibliographic Data

ID12653624
AuthorsRachel Ballantyne (0000-0002-6506-3163, Department of Archaeology, corresponding author)
Year2004
Volume9
Issue2
Pages189-198
Publication date2004-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEnvironmental Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1461-4103 • E-ISSN: 1749-6314
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1179/env.2004.9.2.189
OpenAlexW1993568762
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited14

Archaeobotanical remains from an excavated 'low-status' Medieval rural settlement on the fen-edge at Ely, East Anglia, England, are presented as new evidence for the relationship between farming and collected fen resources. During the Early Medieval phases of the settlement (early 8th to early 12th centuries) there is little evidence for use of fen. The assemblage is compared with other bioarchaeological and historical evidence for Medieval subsistence within the Fenland and East Anglia. It is argued that cultural values, the role of the monasteries and broader Medieval economic trends must be considered when interpreting the pattern identified at Ely

Agriculture · Archaeological evidence · Archaeology · Assemblage (archaeology · Geography · Human settlement · Peat · Settlement (finance · Subsistence agriculture · Taphonomy · Wilderness · Zooarchaeology · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Historical Studies of British Isles · History · Ecology