In the Foreword, Barry Cunliffe writes: "The publication of the
excavation of the multi-period settlement site at Highstead near
Chislet is a matter for celebration. Highstead, with its long
sequence of occupation spanning the first millennium B.C. and early
first millennium A.D., was excavated under difficult conditions
between 1975 and 1977 in those pioneering days when rescue
archaeology was in its infancy. It is a story well told by Paul
Bennett in his preface and is a stark reminder of how hand-to-mouth
archaeology was in the era before developer-funding. What the small
dedicated team managed to recover during the course of those three
punishing years was little short of remarkable. More remarkable
still has been the dogged determination of the Canterbury
Archaeological Trust to see the project through to the completion
of full academic publication." The value of Highstead is two-fold.
It is a type-site for Late Bronze Age and Iron Age settlement in
eastern Britain and it provides a pottery sequence without parallel
in the region which demonstrates not only the longue duree
development of ceramic technology throughout the first millennium
but also the mobility of ideas and of course people between the
Continent and Britain. It is no exaggeration to say that Highstead
calls for a complete reassessment of connectivity in the
ChannelNorth Sea zone. Paul Bennett, in his preface, says that this
report is unashamedly old fashioned. If by this he means it is
designed to be used rather than to impress, he is right. There is
an unfortunate tendency these days to produce either superficial,
colourful accounts bereft of necessary detail or tortured
constructions muddling interpretation with observation. The
Highstead report is crisp, well structured and a delight to use.
The facts are logically presented and easy of access, and there
follows a splendid interpretative essay succinctly placing the site
in its national and international context. What more could one
want?
General
Imprint: |
Canterbury Archaeological Trust Ltd
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Series: |
Archaeology of Canterbury, 4 |
Release date: |
December 2007 |
First published: |
December 2007 |
Authors: |
Paul Bennett
|
Dimensions: |
275 x 220 x 30mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
329 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-870545-11-2 |
Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
Archaeology >
General
|
LSN: |
1-870545-11-7 |
Barcode: |
9781870545112 |
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