Discovering
Prehistoric England A Gazetteer of Prehistoric Sites. By James Dyer
Shire: 2001 (2nd); 248 pp; 19 figures; 74
plates; ISBN 0747805075.
Thanks to the popularity
of television programmes such as The Time Team and Meet the Ancestors,
public interest in archaeology is high. This is reflected in the flurry
of tie-in books and general archaeology manuals, guides and gazetteers
that have appeared over the last five years. This is the second edition
of a guide originally published by Shire books in 1993. It is a useful
size for putting in a rucksack and has a fairly robust, paperback cover.
A description of different types of monument by period is included in
the second chapter. There then follows the main body of the gazetteer,
with counties listed alphabetically containing sites listed by name.
Each site is dated and the Ordnance Survey six figure co-ordinates are
given. A description of the monument and the results of any excavations
are also given and supplemented by sketch maps and photographs. At the
end of the book are a number of maps showing where each site is within
the county. A very general bibliography is followed by an index of sites
at the end of the book.
Herein lies one of
the books main weaknesses. Having encouraged people to visit these sites
no serious attempt is made explain how a nascent interest can be taken
further. This book would benefit greatly from a further study/reading/what
to do next section at the end of the book, such as the type found in
the excellent series of English Heritage/Batsford books. Bibliographical
references within the body of the text on each site could serve this
purpose or reference to the Royal Commission volumes for each County.
Despite their age they usually include most of the major prehistoric
monuments in a County together with bibliographical references. They
are available and easily accessible in most County Libraries and Museums.
This section could also include details of the County Sites and Monuments
Records S.M.R.). They are the bedrock of local archaeological research
and maintain up to date information on each site. Anybody wishing to
take their interest in the archaeology of their local area should always
be encouraged to visit their local S.M.R. The same is true of local
museums, which often exhibit finds from excavations of the sites listed
in this book and are usually associated with local societies who are
always looking for enthusiastic volunteers and members. Every opportunity
to flag these local and often under-funded and over-worked resources
to the general public should be taken.
In this day and age some reference to the resources available
on the Internet would also provide useful references. For example the
Monument Class Descriptions available on the English Heritage Monument
Protection Programme website provide detailed descriptions of type-sites
and have useful bibliographies. The Council for British Archaeology
(C.B.A) website in a fund of information about archaeology and how to
get involved at all levels.
As to the nuts and bolts of the book, the gazetteer and descriptions
themselves, I can only claim detailed knowledge of the Sites and Monuments
Records and field archaeology of two areas, Dorset and Wiltshire. It
is accepted that these counties contain a large amount of Prehistoric
monuments. However the absence of major monuments such as Spetisbury
Rings, Chilcombe and Bulbury Camp, as well as the bank barrow at Broadmayne
(all in Dorset and there are others), in a guide that claims to be "..a
comprehensive guide to almost seven hundred of the best preserved, most
interesting and accessible prehistoric monuments considered worth visiting
in England", seems rather perplexing.
Despite the statement that for this second edition "In many
cases the original entries have been extensively updated.", the
writer does not seem to acknowledge work done in these counties as a
result of developer funded archaeology over the last ten or fifteen
years. Just one example will serve to illustrate a number I am personally
acquainted with. The notes on the Old and New King Barrows in Wiltshire
(page 194) make no mention of the excavations done by Wessex Archaeology
in 1990 to record tree holes created in the wake of the 1989 hurricane.
These excavations produced important information on the structure of
the barrow mounds and ditches, as well as environmental information
for the area around Stonehenge. These excavations have been published
and are on the County Sites and Monuments Record (S.M.R.). If the (unpublished)
excavations at Avebury in the summer of 2000 by Southampton, Newport
and Leicester Universities (page 182) can be included then why not these
published results? Or is this simply a manifestation of the "research
archaeology -good, developer funded archaeology-bad" attitude still
rearing its ugly head?
Despite these points and to summarise, this book provides a good,
accessible introduction to the prehistoric monuments of the counties
of England and puts them in a sound chronological and typological framework.
It could be improved greatly by the integration of the results of recent
fieldwork, bibliographical references for individual sites and a guide
to taking an interest in archaeology further.
Dominic Barker.
Department of Archaeology
University of Southampton
Review Submitted: November 2002
The views expressed in this review are not
necessarily those of the Society or the Reviews Editor. |