Understanding the inhabitation of the Stonehenge environs : the interpretative potential of ploughsoil assemblages.

This thesis has two main objectives. The first is to develop our understanding of the
Neolithic and Early Bronze Age inhabitation of the Stonehenge landscape. This is
attempted principally through the analysis of the ploughsoil assemblage collected by the
Stonehenge Environs Project. Concurrently the second objective is to explore the
interpretative potential of ploughsoil assemblages.
Current approaches to the Stonehenge Environs are critiqued and it is suggested that
they share a tendency to focus upon contexts of ritual action, which create the
appearance of a highly structured landscape. A consequence of this is that the
interpretation of monuments is often prioritised whilst ploughsoil assemblages arc
neglected. It is also suggested that the Stonehenge Environs Project's attempt to rectify
this situation through the analysis of surface collected material was hampered by its
lack of depth.
Accordingly this project is aimed at discovering what a detailed metrical and
technological analysis of the ploughsoil assemblages can reveal. This approach is
complimented by a comparison of field survey projects in southern Britain, which
provides a regional context of inhabitation.
Ultimately the analysis shows that there is a high degree homogeneity in the surface
scatters around Stonehenge. The patterning of this material runs counter to many
previous interpretations that have described the landscape as zoned and ordered. Small scale
elements of variation are also highlighted, which relate to the practice of a more
systematic form of technology. Finally, the regional analysis indicates the unusual
density of surface material in the Stonehenge Environs indicating the intensity of
activities in the area. The different aspects of the analysis provide a means of
understanding the conditions under which people approached Stonehenge and its
landscape.