Archaeology and environment in York

Despite extensive excavation work both in the City and Vale of York, there has been little attempt to synthesize the considered wealth of biological information which has occurred. This paper discusses some of the preliminary results obtained by the Environmental Research Team of the York Archaeological Trust and endeavours to relate these into the rather inadequate regional background, a mosaic, which, even in comparatively well-studied fields such as animal and human bones, still has more holes than pieces. Considerable emphasis is placed upon the more recently developed lines of research, particularly the insect remains, since it is felt that these have much more to offer than is realized by most archaeologists. The final section reviews certain aspects of the interaction between man and his environment, particularly the climate, in relation to the limited amount of evidence as yet recovered from York. This research has stressed the additional amount of information which can be gained by a close association of field archaeologist, historian and environmental scientists.