Archaeology in British Towns: From the Emperor Claudius to the Black Death

Over the last twenty-five years, archaeology has revolutionized knowledge of the early history of towns in Britain. InArchaeology in British Towns, Patrick Ottoway examines the crucial work of the urban archaeologist during this exciting period and considers a variety of long-term research programs which have revealed new information about towns and the lives of their inhabitants. Ottoway recounts the story of Britain's first town, the Roman colony of Colchester, drawing from archaeological research conducted at such great historic centers as London and York, as well as at lesser known places such as Hull, Perth, and Aberdeen, examining the course of urban development in the Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Medieval periods. As a background to the discoveries themselves, the book looks at the increasingly sophisticated archaeological techniques. The work of the urban archaeologist is described in close detail, along with a thorough examination of the complex social and economicinstitutions which form towns. Some of the problems of preserving the urban past are also considered, and Ottoway illustrates these difficulties with reference to recent cases in which the interests of archaeology and property development have clashed. Archaeology in British Townsis of interest to those involved in archaeology, as well as to students of early social history.