National Archaeological Identification Survey: South West Cambridgeshire
Author(s): David Knight, Jonathan Last, Sally Evans, Matthew Oakey
The National Archaeological Identification Survey (NAIS): South West Cambridgeshire project (RaSMIS 6948) combined the mapping and interpretation of air photographs, airborne laser scanning (lidar) and digital elevation models derived from height data to record visible archaeological evidence of all periods from the Neolithic to the 20th century. The project area covers 374sq km to the west of Cambridge, from the historic fen edge at Fenstanton to the chalk downs south of Royston. This report summarises the results by broad chronological period, followed by more detailed case-studies which include the nature of the Iron Age and Roman landscape, the dating and purpose of extensive embanked medieval field systems and boundaries, and finally the correlation and complementarity between commercial archaeology in the region and the aerial study. The report concludes with recommendations for future work. The interpretation and mapping has increased our understanding of the archaeological landscape, including prehistoric funerary practices on the chalk and the later Iron Age and Roman periods on the claylands where a large number of previously unknown buried sites were identified from cropmarks. The mapping also identified extensive medieval embanked field systems spanning large areas, interspersed with settlements and moats. Overlying this were military sites of the 20th century, including four airfields and numerous depots and camps. The project created 1204 new monument records in the National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE), nearly doubling the number of existing records in the area, and amended a further 300. All data was supplied to the Cambridgeshire or Hertfordshire Historic Environment Records.
- Report Number:
- 67/2018
- Series:
- Research Report
- Pages:
- 162
- Keywords:
- Bronze Age Coprolite Early Medieval Post Medieval Roman Settlement Aerial Photograph Interpretation Aerial Photography Lidar Survey Villa Second World War Barrow Airborne Laser Scanning Henge Moat
