Flowing through time: a longue durée perspective on riverine deposition in the Middle Thames Valley

Clifford, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1862-5952 (2026) Flowing through time: a longue durée perspective on riverine deposition in the Middle Thames Valley. Archaeological Journal. ISSN 2373-2288 doi: 10.1080/00665983.2025.2590652

Abstract/Summary

This paper presents the first long-term, multi-period analysis of riverine deposition within the Middle Thames, focusing on the period c. 2200 BC to 1100 AD. Utilizing a comprehensive dataset of 2,337 river finds, it investigates patterning in the selection and distribution of deposited objects, with particular emphasis on weapons, tools, and martial objects. This study identifies significant regional and chronological variation, as well as patterns of long-term behavioural continuity, including the dominance of spearheads across the Bronze Age and Early Medieval periods, and a restructuring of depositional practices, avoiding martial associations, in the Roman period. In addition to compositional changes, this paper highlights the variable physical and mental geography of the Middle Thames Valley, identifying an evolving relationship between key crossing points, socio-political authority and emerging religious ideas. Methodologically, the study applies a novel raster-based approach within GIS to integrate both high and low-resolution spatial data, offering a new framework for interpreting riverine assemblages recovered without precise provenance. In doing so, it demonstrates that while the underlying logic dictating riverine deposition in the past may remain elusive, patterns of change and continuity are clearly discernible, revealing the Middle Thames as a dynamic and enduring ritual landscape shaped by sustained, structured deposition.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/128414
Identification Number/DOI	10.1080/00665983.2025.2590652
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science > Department of Archaeology
Publisher	Taylor & Francis
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