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Documentary Evidence
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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.
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Earthwork
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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.
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Imperial
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1751 AD to 1914 AD (end of the 18th century AD to the beginning of the 20th century AD)
This period comes after the Post Medieval period and before the modern period and starts with beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 1750. It includes the second part of the Hannoverian period (1714 – 1836) and the Victorian period (1837 – 1901). The Imperial period ends with the start of the First World War in 1914. more ->
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INN *
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A public house for the lodging and entertainment of travellers, etc.
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HOUSE *
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A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known.
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SITE *
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Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible.
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SETTLEMENT *
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A small concentration of dwellings.
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PARK *
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An enclosed piece of land, generally large in area, used for hunting, the cultivation of trees, for grazing sheep and cattle or visual enjoyment. Use more specific type where known.
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SHRUNKEN VILLAGE *
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A settlement where previous house sites are now unoccupied, but often visible as earthworks, crop or soil marks.
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ROAD *
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A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles.
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INDUSTRIAL *
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This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms.
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PLATFORM *
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Unspecified. Use specific type where known.
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TRACKWAY *
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A pathway, not necessarily designed as such, beaten down by the feet of travellers.
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STREAM *
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A natural flow or current of water issuing from a source.
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FARM *
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A tract of land, often including a farmhouse and ancillary buildings, used for the purpose of cultivation and the rearing of livestock, etc. Use more specific type where known.
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EARTHWORK *
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A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification.
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* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)