Our landscapes are palimpsests of human activity, often covering many thousands of years and evidence of this can survive as earthworks (the ‘humps and bumps’ you may see in a field). A walkover survey is a systematic method for recording above ground, visible archaeology in a landscape, often undertaken in advance of fieldwork.
These indicators of past human activity may include prehistoric burial and ceremonial monuments, Roman enclosures, medieval and post-medieval field boundaries or the remains of medieval agricultural practices such as the distinctive ridges and furrows left by the plough. Many aspects of past activity may only survive as below ground traces and will not be visible during the survey, although fieldwalking over ploughed land can be used to record surface artefact scatters denoting human activity ‘hotspots’.
Archaeological features are identified, mapped, photographed and their characteristics recorded. Acer Archaeology utilises GPS or Total Station, digital photography, pro-forma record sheets and UAVs (drones) in the field. In the office the results can be combined with research from historic maps, LiDAR, published aerial imagery to produce contextual plans.
Walkover surveys are popular for community and heritage groups to supplement local knowledge. Acer Archaeology can undertake these surveys and have extensive experience in training individuals and groups to conduct their own.
A wider landscape perspective may also be taken to prospect for hitherto unknown archaeological sites.