The Vale of York has also seen far less archaeological investigation than other major English river basins such as those of the Trent and Thames. The great width of the Ouse basin suggests that it may have undergone significantly different processes of channel development and patterns of sedimentation than the river valleys which have been more extensively researched. The drift geology of the Vale is complex, and the rates of geomorphological processes, particularly on the floodplain, are likely to have varied significantly through time. These differences may in turn have resulted in different patterns of settlement and exploitation by the communities which inhabited them in the past. Tantalising glimpses of the archaeology of the Vale suggest that it may have been extensively settled from at least the late Iron Age, about 2,000 years ago, and that it was settled and exploited from as early as the Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) period, up to 7,000 years ago.
The main
objective of this phase of the project is to begin to build a broader
picture of the patterning of the known archaeological resource in the
Vale below the 25 m contour in relation to geological, geomorphological
and hydrological information. The first step towards this objective, currently
ongoing, is the examination of a broad range of datasets relating to these
categories of evidence within a Geographical Information System (GIS).
It is hoped by these means to create an initial model of the processes
and chronology of the development of the Ouse basin, how these interrelate
with both the visibility and preservation of archaeological sites, and
with the activities of the past human communities who settled in the Vale
and exploited its resources. In the current phase of research the GIS
will be developed for the area of the Vale within the county of North
Yorkshire and the city of York. It is hoped that its scope will be expanded
to cover that part of the Vale within the East Riding of Yorkshire in
any subsequent phase of the project.
If ALSF funding is renewed - it is currently available to this project until the end of March 2004 - it is hoped that the model resulting from this work may be developed and refined through targeted fieldwork and excavation. Within the scope of the current phase of the work, the data held within the GIS will be developed as a resource and research tool for archaeological curators and local authority planners. It will also be disseminated to the modern inhabitants and communities of the Vale of York, including schools and local interest groups, through a range of presentations and publications, including this website, which will be regularly updated to reflect the developing results of the research.
