Flag Fen: A Concise Archæoguide

by Francis Pryor

An illustrated guide to the archaeology of one of Britain's most important prehistoric sites, Flag Fen, written by Time Team's Francis Pryor.

Over two millennia ago, a large wooden platform was constructed over fenland waters in present-day East Anglia. From this, objects including swords, daggers, pins and quern (corn-grinding) stones were broken, placed into the dark waters and left.

Whether sat by the fire with your Kindle, on the bus with your smart phone, or studying with your laptop, the bite-sized chapters of 'Flag Fen: A Concise Archæoguide' will take you through the story of this remarkable site, and inspire further curiosity for Britain's prehistoric past.

Chapters include: The Discovery of Flag Fen; The Platform; The Finds; The Religious Ceremonies; Wood, Wheels and Status; The Sophistication of Ancient Technology; and Flag Fen and the Public.

(Note: Not to be confused with the author's other excellent books on this subject - this is a stand alone digital edition)

Genres: Archaeology, History, Reference

57 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2012

About the author

Francis Manning Marlborough Pryor MBE (born 13 January 1945) is a British archaeologist who is famous for his role in the discovery of Flag Fen, a Bronze Age archaeological site near Peterborough, and for his frequent appearances on the Channel 4 television series Time Team.

He has now retired from full-time field archaeology, but still appears on television and writes books as well as being a working farmer. His specialities are in the Bronze and Iron Ages.

His first novel, Lifers’ Club, is due to be published in 2014.

Reviews

[Lesley Arrowsmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book on archaeology I've read for a long time. The descriptions of how the digs were organised really took me back to when I was working in archaeology.
I visited around 1990 and saw the "lake village" on the mere that he's now so embarrassed about.

[Carlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The archaeological site of Flag Fen is known internationally because of the preservation of Bronze and early Iron Age wood and timber (about 1300BCE onwards). It was a Bronze Age causeway or trackway (Pryor calls it a post alignment, because of its significance as something other than just a transport route) across the wetland that separated Fengate from Northey ‘island’ near Peterborough in the UK. But it was also a barrier that separated the Flag Fen basin from the open fen (in the past marshy and usually flooded in winter) to the north and east.

I first read about this fascinating site in English Heritage Book Of Flag Fen: Prehistoric Fenland Centre by Francis T. Pryor in 1992 and visited the public visitor centre on a lovely warm summer day in about 2010. The site is so special because a small section of the causeway can be viewed "in situ" in the large Preservation Hall (where the wood is kept moist with regular water spray using a sprinkler system).

This short book (published for the Kindle) provides a brief but very interesting overview of the discovery of the archaeological site and the possible significance of the post alignment (causeway), which probably held some religious significance because of the large number of finds (over 300 examples of metal work, plus unused corn-grinding stones and pottery).
It also has a couple of really interesting short chapters about the technology (the physical processes) used to create the wooden posts and other objects found at the site.

A great and very enthusiastic introduction.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much Pryor, nevertheless a good introduction.