|
Documentary Evidence
|
Documentary evidence is another name for written records. The first written records in Britain date back to the Roman period. Documentary evidence can take many different forms, including maps, charters, letters and written accounts.
When archaeologists are researching a site, they often start by looking at documentary evidence to see if there are clues that will help them understand what they might find. Documentary evidence can help archaeologists understand sites that are discovered during an excavation, field survey or aerial survey.
|
| back |
|
|
Earthwork
|
Earthworks can take the form of banks, ditches and mounds. They are usually created for a specific purpose. A bank, for example, might be the remains of a boundary between two or more fields. Some earthworks may be all that remains of a collapsed building, for example, the grassed-over remains of building foundations.
In the winter, when the sun is lower in the sky than during the other seasons, earthworks have larger shadows. From the air, archaeologists are able to see the patterns of the earthworks more easily. Earthworks can sometimes be confusing when viewed at ground level, but from above, the general plan is much clearer.
Archaeologists often carry out an aerial survey or an earthwork survey to help them understand the lumps and bumps they can see on the ground.
|
| back |
|
Medieval
|
1066 AD to 1539 AD (the 11th century AD to the 16th century AD)
The medieval period comes after the Saxon period and before the post medieval period.
The Medieval period begins in 1066 AD.
This was the year that the Normans, led by William the Conqueror (1066 – 1087), invaded England and defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in East Sussex.
The Medieval period includes the first half of the Tudor period (1485 – 1603 AD), when the Tudor family reigned in England and eventually in Scotland too.
The end of the Medieval period is marked by Henry VIII’s (1509 – 1547) order for the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the years running up to 1539 AD. The whole of this period is sometimes called the Middle Ages.
more ->
|
| back |
|
SITE *
|
Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible.
|
| back |
|
|
BUILDING *
|
A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known.
|
| back |
|
|
CANAL *
|
An artificial navigable waterway used for the transportation of goods. Nowadays also used for recreational purposes.
|
| back |
|
|
MANOR HOUSE *
|
The principal house of a manor or village.
|
| back |
|
|
BOUNDARY *
|
The limit to an area as defined on a map or by a marker of some form, eg. BOUNDARY WALL. Use specific type where known.
|
| back |
|
|
DOWER HOUSE *
|
A small house, usually on the estate of a country house, forming part of a widow's dower and intended as her residence.
|
| back |
|
|
FARMHOUSE *
|
The main dwelling-house of a farm, it can be either detached from or attached to the working buildings.
|
| back |
|
|
ROAD *
|
A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles.
|
| back |
|
|
INDUSTRIAL *
|
This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms.
|
| back |
|
|
LINEAR EARTHWORK *
|
A substantial bank and ditch forming a major boundary between two adjacent landholdings. Most date from the late Bronze Age and Iron Age.
|
| back |
|
|
DITCH *
|
A long and narrow hollow or trench dug in the ground, often used to carry water though it may be dry for much of the year.
|
| back |
|
|
STREAM *
|
A natural flow or current of water issuing from a source.
|
| back |
|
|
EARTHWORK *
|
A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification.
|
| back |
* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)
