Archaeology of Mendip

"The Mendip Hills in Somerset, south-west England, have an archaeological sequence that stretches back half a million years with many sites of national and international significance. In this ... book twenty contributors present the results of new research and new ideas about the archaeology and history of the wider Mendip landscape. The Archaeology of Mendip details both newly discovered sites and reinterpretations of those already known, summarises periods through history, gives accounts of artefacts and reflects on the relationship between sites and the implications for landscape use, meaning and organisation. The contributors to this volume have variously employed and combined archaeological, historical and scientific approaches to research the history of humans in these hills. The papers are broadly organised chronologically, ranging from the Palaeolithic to the twentieth century, but there are many common themes and ideas. The physical landscape, the backdrop to all the human activities discussed in this volume, is also considered with contributions that cover geological studies and the environmental history of the Mendip landscape."--Page 4 of cover.