Methods of Investigation: Desk-based research
The desk-based methods of investigation can best be discussed through the aims of the project, which mark the progress of VASLE. Of the four stated aims (see 'project overview'), the desk-based research encompasses all or parts of Aims 1 and 2. These are:
Aim 1: To map national distributions of metalwork types c. AD 700-1000 and to compare these with distributions of early medieval coinage, and landscape factors, in order to understand the visibility, recovery and archaeological distribution of early medieval 'productive sites'.
All of the data used in Aim 1 comes from the PAS and EMC, representing thousands of finds from across the country. In their raw state there were nearly 11,000 records for the early medeival period as a whole (i.e. c.400-1100) from these two sources. The initial work with this data saw its cleaning and enhancement, i.e. the deletion of any unwanted data, including that from the early Saxon period, or from findspots outside England and Wales (cleaning), and the input of additional information about the individual artefacts or standardisation of the data, ranging from dating to description, which will aid in our analysis (enhamcement). This process is summarized in Naylor and Richards (2005). The resulting datasets are analysed in two main ways. First, GIS (Geographical Information System) analysis allows for the assessment of national distributions of different materials and data sources from which interpretations regarding the nature of each datset can be made, as well as bringing new insight into our understanding of early medieval settlement society and economy. This is extremely important because it is probable that distributions of metal-detected finds in general may be biased towards those areas where recording of finds has the longest history, i.e. East Anglia, and to areas where detecting is least problematic, such as areas with large amounts of ploughed land. It is also important to remember that although the EMC has collected finds for well over a decade, the PAS has only been in existence since 1997 when a pilot scheme based around five areas was begun. The Scheme did not go nationwide until 2003. As a result it is possible that archaeologists' and numismatists' ideas that most 'productive sites' are in eastern England may reflect the levels of recording in the Midlands and west of England until recently. To test this, the PAS data is being tested against the EMC data to see if any differences occur, and both will be compared to a range of 'control' datasets, including the entire PAS dataset, around 125,000 records. Using the entire PAS dataset will allow for more confident assessment of bias within the data, and differences between this and the early medieval records are likely to be indicative of aspects of historic settlement rather than just problems in the datasets.
At the end if Aim 1, we will understand whether our present coinage and metalwork distributions are a reflection of modern research agendas, and recovery/reporting schemes, or if they may actually resemble the settlement patterns of early medieval England. In all likelihood, the results will indicate a complex situation of regional variability between the two.
Aim 2: To characterise the finds assemblages of individual 'productive sites', graphing percentages of coins and other object types in order to examine change through time and across the country; and to place these sites within the context of local settlement history and landscape. Together this will help us to define the evolution of settlement hierarchy and to assess the function of metalwork- and coin-rich sites in Middle and Late Anglo-Saxon England.
For Aim 2 research becomes much more tightly focussed around the most artefact/coin-rich sites. It examines their landscape characteristics, the history of settlement in the immediate area and compares the finds assemblages against the background of regional deposition. By doing this, we are able to examine how sites developed and changed through time, including the longer history of settlement in that area and what it may tell us about their nature and function. In addition, the quantitative analysis, producing a variety of graphs helps us to build a range of characteristics which can be used to interpret different types of site from their metal-detected assemblages. Similar, although much less detailed, work to this has been previously undertaken elsewhere. This has shown a wide variety of patterns of coin loss indicating not all 'productive sites' can be considered economically significant (Naylor 2004, 46-54, 101-104), whilst the metalwork shows generally similar patterns across many sites (Leahy 2000, 71-80; Naylor 2004, 75-80). VASLE's more in-depth research builds upon this, examining more sites across a wider area to further enhance our understanding of the nature, function and development of the early medieval landscape.
A basic artefact 'fingerprint', from Cottam, East Yorkshire showing the proportions of different metalwork types found at the site (source: Naylor 2004, fig. 4.34a)
This page was last updated by John Naylor on 22/12/2006
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