The Deserted Medieval Village of Cottam and the Settlement Matrix Model

This volume introduces the concept of the Settlement Matrix, a heuristic model that connects the analysis of the symbolic and practical aspects of human culture by placing them both within the same spaces defined by a settlement and its support area. The settlement matrix model examines each venue of daily life from the house to the settlement to the field system as integral parts of a single cultural construct, the settlement matrix. By defining discrete spaces and a way to connect them, the settlement matrix model provides a way to combine technologies like GIS with current archaeological theory. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Illustrations Acknowledgments 1. Introduction 2. English Medieval Villages 3. Elements of the English Medieval Village 4. The Deserted Medieval Village of Cottam 5. The Settlement Matrix Model 6. The Settlement Territory 7. Elements of the Settlement Matrix 8. Cottam’s Settlement Matrix Appendix. A Feature Chronology and Descriptions References Index