The Transformation of Coastal Wetlands

Stephen Rippon

"Coastal wetlands form some of the major landscapes in North West Europe, and a challenging environment for the communities that lived there. This is the first study of the human development of that landscape during the Roman and medieval periods." "The use of the wetlands fluctuated in intensity: first the rich natural resources were harvested, then the environment was modified to increase agricultural productivity, and finally there was reclamation - wholesale landscape transformation. Dr. Rippon draws on the wealth of archaeological and documentary evidence to examine the factors of time and place that governed the different strategies chosen. He reveals a range of socio-economic issues (proximity to centres of consumption, relations between lords and peasants, shifting patterns of agrarian wealth and innovation) that have significance far beyond the wetlands themselves."--Jacket.

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