Stephen Rippon

"This handbook introduces some of the techniques that archaeologists, historians, historical geographers and planners can use to unravel the complex history of the countryside. A series of case studies demonstrate practical applications of historic landscape analysis for a broad range of uses and at a variety of national and regional levels." "This well-illustrated and clear guide will be essential reading for anyone trying to understand the origins and development of regional variation in historic landscape character."--Jacket.

"Coastal wetlands form some of the major landscapes in North West Europe, and a challenging environment for the communities that lived there. This is the first study of the human development of that landscape during the Roman and medieval periods." "The use of the wetlands fluctuated in intensity: first the rich natural resources were harvested, then the environment was modified to increase agricultural productivity, and finally there was reclamation - wholesale landscape transformation. Dr. Rippon draws on the wealth of archaeological and documentary evidence to examine the factors of time and place that governed the different strategies chosen. He reveals a range of socio-economic issues (proximity to centres of consumption, relations between lords and peasants, shifting patterns of agrarian wealth and innovation) that have significance far beyond the wetlands themselves."--Jacket.

"The medieval period was at the centre of W.G. Hoskins concerns: the period when his 'palimpsest' of the English landscape was, if not quite wiped clean, very thoroughly overwritten. The essays here demonstrate how researchers have moved beyond issues of describing and 'reading' the landscape to address the social and ideological - as well as economic - functions of landscapes, and to seek explanations for regional difference."--P. of cover.