The cursus enigma : prehistoric cattle and cursus alignments /
Saunders, David John,1957-author.
Jacques Davideditor.
"This book links quantifiable cattle movement to mainstream archaeological research to highlight that areas of pasture affected by winter flooding correlate with the precise alignment and location of cursus monument sites. This suggests that cursus monuments commenced life as some form of cattle management system, perhaps as droveways, thereby identifying a practical function to the landscape prior to their possible ritual importance. This book aims to make an original contribution to the cursus monument debate. Previous cursus monument studies have tended to focus on the construction or post-construction phases of the monument rather than upon the reason a Neolithic community decided to locate and align these monuments where they did. David Saunders grew up in West Sussex. Living less than 50 metres from the River Arun, its floodplains and meadows became part of his childhood playground. His early memories consist of wandering though the cattle-filled pastures of the Pulborough Brooks, the herds often encroaching to within a few feet, sometimes less, as they tried to discover what this ten-year-old boy was up to. Little did he know that those childhood experiences of long summers spent interacting with cattle would play such a vital role within his future archaeological career"--
Includes bibliographical references and index.
The openness of the landscape during the Mesolithic/Neolithic transition period -- Geology, geography and topography -- The link with hunting or herding -- Field research -- Cursus monuments : a statistical evaluation -- A statistical evaluation of my fieldwork -- A case study : the Milfield Basin.
"This book links quantifiable cattle movement to mainstream archaeological research to highlight that areas of pasture affected by winter flooding correlate with the precise alignment and location of cursus monument sites. This suggests that cursus monuments commenced life as some form of cattle management system, perhaps as droveways, thereby identifying a practical function to the landscape prior to their possible ritual importance. This book aims to make an original contribution to the cursus monument debate. Previous cursus monument studies have tended to focus on the construction or post-construction phases of the monument rather than upon the reason a Neolithic community decided to locate and align these monuments where they did. David Saunders grew up in West Sussex. Living less than 50 metres from the River Arun, its floodplains and meadows became part of his childhood playground. His early memories consist of wandering though the cattle-filled pastures of the Pulborough Brooks, the herds often encroaching to within a few feet, sometimes less, as they tried to discover what this ten-year-old boy was up to. Little did he know that those childhood experiences of long summers spent interacting with cattle would play such a vital role within his future archaeological career"--
Neolithic period
Monuments
Mounds
Earthworks (Archaeology)
Cattle trails
Cattle herding