Flag Fen: Life and Death of a Prehistoric Landscape Paperback - 2005

From the publisher

Francis Pryor has been working at the late Bronze Age site of Flag Fen, near Peterborough, for over thirty years and, during that time, it has emerged as one of the most important and most understood prehistoric landscapes in Britain. Pryor is an excellent communicator with an enthusiasm for archaeology that is catching and evident throughout this accessible and expert archaeological study. It comprises a complete reworking of Flag Fen: Prehistoric Fenland Centre (1991), reflecting the mass of new material that has been uncovered and gathered during the last fifteen years. At the heart of the study is the unique wetland environment of Flag Fen, an environment which is now catastrophically threatened by modern water management', and Pryor's concerns to conserve Flag Fen's natural resources and beauty along with its archaeology. The archaeological account, which follows an assessment of the complex methodologies required to excavate wetlands, begins with the earliest farmers of 4000 BC but the emphasis is on the Bronze Age when the region was transformed by field systems, boundaries, settlements, timber causeways and platforms. A huge array of wooden and metal artefacts also survive, including Britain's earliest wheel, all of which required the development and refinement of innovative conservation and preservation techniques. The book also charts Francis Pryor's growing realisation about the significance of the ritual activity at Flag Fen; how valuable metal objects were purposely broken (or made safe and killed) and deposited in the water to form a mental boundary between life and death. Throughout, Pryor reflects on his years at the site, the challenges and triumphs, and his efforts to open the site to the public and, through accessibility, reconstructions, books and television programmes, make more people aware of this hugely important site and archaeology as a whole.