The Thames through Time The Archaeology of the Gravel Terraces of the Upper and Middle Thames The early historical period: AD 1–1000 Thames Valley Landscapes Monograph No. 27 2007

The gravel terraces of the river Thames have
revealed a wealth of archaeological information
about the evolution of the landscape of the region,
the development of the settlement pattern, and past
human occupation. Much of this has come to light
in the course of gravel quarrying, which has been so
extensive that the Thames Valley now provides one
of the richest resources of archaeological data in the
country.
This volume provides an up to date overview of
the archaeological evidence from the valley for the
late Iron Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods,
broadly speaking the first millennium AD. The area
studied in detail comprises the Upper Thames Valley,
from the source of the river to the Goring Gap,
and the Middle Thames Valley, from the Goring Gap
to the start of the tidal zone at Teddington Lock.
A summary of evidence for the character of the
river and the vegetation and environment of its
floodplain is followed by a detailed account of the
evolving settlement pattern as currently understood
from archaeological evidence. The authors then
consider what archaeology can reveal about the late
Iron Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon populations of
the valley, and their changing lifestyles, culture,
identities and beliefs. This is followed by a review
of the evidence for production, trade, transport and
communication, and the archaeology of power and
politics. The volume concludes with a discussion of
the state of knowledge today and its limitations,
and emerging themes and problem areas for future
research.