Publisher's Synopsis
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a number of archaeologists and naturalists showed that numerous archaeological sites were present within the intertidal zone in Essex, and that it presented considerable potential for integrating archaeological research within a firm environmental framework. The County Archaeological Service undertook a detailed survey of the Hullbridge area which produced such promising results that the project was extended to cover the major estuaries in Essex, plus the Clacton and Dovercourt areas. This report contains an introductory stratigraphic and environmental framework. The period-by-period site descriptions which follow reflect the changing nature of the archaeology during the transgression. Hence, dryland Mesolithic and Neolithic sites that existed when sea-levels were considerably lower are followed by Bronze and Iron Age sites where waterlogged wood was common. The importance of Red Hills to the late Iron Age and Roman economies is shown, and the major drainage projects and sea-wall construction of the medieval and post-medieval periods are also covered.
