North West Cambridge Archaeology. University of Cambridge. 2013-2014 Excavations. Site VI (NWC Report No. 4)

Abstract

The archaeological programme accompanying the University's North West Cambridge Development is of a vast-scale and is truly a landscape project. As described here, its first phase involved c. 13.6ha of site-exposure along a gravel ridge-top traversing the city's western claylands and, in this case, running from close-by the Observatory north up to Girton. Yet, this represents only the initial fieldwork stage and in future seasons other sites will be investigated. This has two consequences. First, what is posited here cannot, by any means, be considered the 'last word' and will be surely subject to change through the forthcoming excavations. Second, we are here dealing with enormous amounts of data and which will only grow. Accordingly, the backbone of the programme is it's computing and digitalisation, with all of the project's many reports and support-files posted, like this, up on the Unit's web-site. While scale primarily necessitates this, it is also considered appropriate as it allows the larger programme's diverse 'stakeholders' direct access to both the reports and to share, as it were, in the 'winding path' of the archaeology's interpretation.