Abstract

The prehistoric landscape of Dartllloor: wider illlplications Andrew Fleming or reaves, of Dartmoor, which have been under INTRODUCfiON study for the past decade. This article is intended both to introduce these boundaries and their Prehistoric field systems and single boundary-works implications to readers of Landscape History and to of various kinds exist in some profusion in the as archaeological features visible both follow on from two papers in the Proceedings of the British Isles, Prehistoric Society (Fleming 1978a; 1983), in which on the ground and from the air. Fowler (1983) has the pattern made by the reaves is described without recently described some of these land boundaries and set them in their agrarian context, insofar as extensive discussion. Readers of Landscape History should refer to these papers for more detailed this is possible; he makes it clear that their study is descriptions as the present paper inevitably contains essentially in its infancy, despite the fact that they some simplifications. In what follows, the first have figured in archaeologists' writings for well over section summarises the main facts about reaves; the a century. Few examples have been closely dated, second- section describes the pattern they make and the socio-economic context