Sam Turner

Historic Landscape Characterisation: A landscape archaeology for research, management and planning

Abstract This article outlines a relatively new form of landscape archaeology known in England as Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC). Whilst it seeks to present and analyse the ‘historic character’ of landscapes, HLC is also a forward-looking approach that uses its distinctively ‘archaeological’ perspective to inform planning for the future. The article argues that HLC is particularly well placed to facilitate communication between landscape scholars from different disciplines and other people concerned with landscapes.

Unlocking historic landscapes in the Eastern Mediterranean: two pilot studies using Historic Landscape Characterisation

Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) maps landscape with particular reference to its historic character and development. Executed using sources including satellite imagery and aerial photography and presented in a Geographic Information System (GIS), this offers a powerful insight into a landscape story. Here two leading advocates of the approach apply HLC for the first time to historic landscapes in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Early Medieval Settlement at Mothecombe, Devon: The Interaction of Local, Regional and Long-Distance Dynamics

Excavations at Meadowsfoot Beach, Mothecombe, south Devon, between 2004 and 2011 focused on two main areas. In the first, evidence for occupation in a sand dune included successive hearths and imported early medieval finds. In the second, three phases of early medieval structures were uncovered, along with more imported finds including amphora sherds. At least one of the structures was very large, and is presently unique in Devon. The landscape context of the site is considered along with the impact of sea-level change and coastal erosion. The paper concludes with a discussion of the site and its relationship to post-Roman networks of trade and communications with late Antique Atlantic Europe and the Mediterranean. We argue that Mothecombe helps us towards a better understanding of these networks by furnishing new insights on their social foundations in western Britain.

Landscape Archaeology for the Past and Future: The Place of Historic Landscape Characterisation

Abstract Different aspects of landscapes provide central concerns for many people, including various academic disciplines, professional groups and members of the general public. These groups have not always communicated their concerns effectively to one another, as shown by the relationship between landscape historians and cultural geographers. Historic Landscape Characterisation provides flexible but distinctly archaeological perspectives on landscapes that could help bridge some of the gaps between disciplines. By developing such archaeological perspectives, we may be able to foster better-informed debate and discussion about what we value in landscapes, the reasons we value these things, and how we might endeavour to shape todays historic landscapes for the future.

The Eslington Sword and the Kingdom of Northumbria

NEW DISCOVERIES may indicate the location of a previously unknown early medieval burial ground in central Northumberland. Objects discovered during the course of metal-detecting include an assemblage with a folded, pattern-welded sword and zoomorphic shield mount. Excavation indicated near total destruction of deposits as a result of post-medieval land-use and only Bronze-Age burials inserted into bedrock remained intact. Three putative early medieval burials are identified here, with the largest assemblage associated with a high-status male. The sword and shield mount from this assemblage are comparable with finds from high-status burials in southern and eastern England. Together with the landscape context of the site, the assemblage provides evidence for the burial practices of an emerging Northumbrian elite in the late 6th century ad.

Changes and continuities in a Mediterranean landscape : a new interdisciplinary approach to understanding historic character in western Catalonia

Abstract To understand why historic landscapes changed in the past researchers need to identify when and where changes took place, but in rural landscapes, the origins and development of many historic elements including field systems, roads, terraces and other earthworks remain poorly understood. This paper outlines a practical interdisciplinary method using GIS-based historic landscape characterisation (HLC) to integrate data from different sources and model how historic character varies in space. It pilots an innovative approach using luminescence profiling and dating that can underpin the HLC with significantly improved knowledge of historic processes of change. We focus on four case studies of terraced agricultural landscapes in western Catalonia and demonstrate for the first time that existing terrace systems often have medieval or early modern origins.