The Alluvial Geoarchaeology of the Upper River Kennet in the Avebury Landscape: a Monumental Transformation of a Stable Landscape

Research into the upper River Kennet in Avebury, UK, reveals that Neolithic monument building occurred in a predominantly open landscape with minimal human-induced soil erosion. Contrary to expectations, there is little evidence of widespread woodland removal for agriculture or timber during the 4th–3rd millennium BCE, suggesting light disturbance over millennia until the Bronze Age. The study, part of the AHRC-funded Living with Monuments project, used geoarchaeological methods to analyze floodplain deposits and paleo-channels, showing that sediment load increased only slightly from 3000–1000 BCE, indicating localized rather than extensive landscape disruption. Human-driven alluviation became dominant later, during the Late Bronze Age–Early Iron Age, correlating with shifts in land use and river morphology.

FRENCH, C., CAREY, C., ALLEN, M. J., TOMS, P., WOOD, J., DE SMEDT, P., CRABB, N., SCAIFE, R., GILLINGS, M., & POLLARD, J. (2024). The Alluvial Geoarchaeology of the Upper River Kennet in the Avebury Landscape: a Monumental Transformation of a Stable Landscape. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 90, 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1017/ppr.2024.6