Abstract

Dating villages: theory and practice Brian K. Roberts INTRODUCTION distinctchronologies(Roberts 1987, Fig. 1.5). First, if it were indeed possible to date the ultimate origin The physical evidence for settlement is today seen of each and every settlement within a given area, compressed into a single temporal plane of the both surviving and destroyed, an absolute present but the material remains of settlement chronology could be defined. The difficulties of forms and patterns arc important silent witnesses to doing this are well-attested by the results of the presence and operation of cataclysmic and excavations, for the ultimate roots of all European gradual processes operating at varied scales through settlements must lie in prehistory. Nevertheless the long periods of time. Historical geography is a idea of an absolute chronology affords a us~ful viewpoint essentially concerned with what may be datum from which to view all other attempts to termed the ecology of settlement, i.e. those wider 'date' settlements. The problem may be envisaged contexts, environmental, historical, economic, social as a blank_ m~p. upon which it is desired to assign and administrative, within which settlements evolved colours to tnd1v1dual settlements to indicate periods and interacted. For such an enquiry two things are