Information technology and cartography: British scholars to create the first map of prehistoric England

The School of Archaeology at the University of Oxford is to compile a map of prehistoric England for the first time. Most modern day parishes are based on how the land was set out in Roman estates or even before then by peasant communities. There could be metal works, ancient field systems, peasant huts, a Roman villa or even human bodies under modern buildings. It is planned to create a digital archive which data will be used for cartography.

According to the Daily Telegraph the 'Portal to the Past’ project will allow people to look online to discover the history of their own area over 3,500 years, from the Bronze Age in 1500BC to the Domesday Book in 1086. The five year project, funded by £1.8 million from the European Research Council, will bring together all the available data into a digital archive to create maps and as much information as possible about prehistoric England.

Professor Chris Gosden, who is leading the project, said local history is one of the most popular internet searches after family ancestors. However at the moment the parish records will only show up to around 1,000 years ago. Oxford researchers will work with the British Museum, the Archaeology Data Service and local history experts with a good knowledge of the period. Mr. Gosden believes that this will enable to expand the time frame of the research thrice. “We tend to look at surface of the world we live in but as soon as you look beneath the surface there will be a wealth of ancient features," he said.