A World of Summer and Autumn: The Romano-British to Early Medieval Weald and Signs of Continuity

Abstract

Recent developer funded projects conducted by Archaeology South-East, the contracting division of the Centre for Applied Archaeology (CAA) have, over the last decade or so, begun to fill a void in our knowledge of one of the most archaeologically under-researched areas in Britain. It is becoming clear that rather than being a marginal landscape beyond more habitable zones, the Weald of South-East England was actually one which experienced significant and widespread periods of colonisation. By examining the evidence from a number of sites the author is starting to explore the area’s early medieval landscape, which is beginning to show degrees of continuity from Roman and prehistoric times. This brief update is intended to highlight a revolution in our understanding of South-East England in the centuries surrounding the Roman Conquest. The ongoing research is a case study in landscape analysis and landscape regression. Results will be discussed in forthcoming articles as well as a ‘Spoilheap monograph’ due for release this year ( Margetts 2018).