The cursus enigma : prehistoric cattle and cursus alignments / David John Saunders, edited by David Jacques.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Saunders, David John, 1957- author.

Contributor:

Jacques, David, editor.

George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

Series:

Studies in the British Mesolithic and Neolithic ; v. 3.

Studies in the British Mesolithic and Neolithic, 2297-1068 ; vol. 3

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Neolithic period--Great Britain.

Neolithic period.

Cattle herding.

History.

Cattle trails.

Earthworks (Archaeology).

Mounds.

Monuments.

Great Britain.

Monuments--Great Britain.

Mounds--Great Britain.

Earthworks (Archaeology)--Great Britain.

Cattle trails--Great Britain--History.

Cattle herding--Great Britain--History.

Great Britain--Antiquities.

Antiquities.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

220 pages : illustrations (some color), maps (some color) ; 30x21 cm.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Peter Lang, [2021]

Summary:

"This book links quantifiable cattle movement to mainstream archaeological research to highlight that areas of pasture affected by winter flooding correlate with the precise alignment and location of cursus monument sites. This suggests that cursus monuments commenced life as some form of cattle management system, perhaps as droveways, thereby identifying a practical function to the landscape prior to their possible ritual importance. This book aims to make an original contribution to the cursus monument debate. Previous cursus monument studies have tended to focus on the construction or post-construction phases of the monument rather than upon the reason a Neolithic community decided to locate and align these monuments where they did. David Saunders grew up in West Sussex. Living less than 50 metres from the River Arun, its floodplains and meadows became part of his childhood playground. His early memories consist of wandering though the cattle-filled pastures of the Pulborough Brooks, the herds often encroaching to within a few feet, sometimes less, as they tried to discover what this ten-year-old boy was up to. Little did he know that those childhood experiences of long summers spent interacting with cattle would play such a vital role within his future archaeological career"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

The openness of the landscape during the Mesolithic/Neolithic transition period

Geology, geography and topography

The link with hunting or herding

Field research

Cursus monuments : a statistical evaluation

A statistical evaluation of my fieldwork

A case study : the Milfield Basin.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

Other Format:

Online version: Saunders, David John, 1957- Cursus enigma

ISBN:

9781789977455

1789977452

OCLC:

1193559174

Publisher Number:

40030743613