Abstract

An analytical overview of the outcomes of a programme of archaeological test pit excavation focussed on excavating and analysing new archaeological data in order to reconstruct the development of currently occupied rural settlements
(CORS). Data reviewed include tens of thousands of datable pottery sherds recovered from known archaeological contexts in scores of historic rural settlements across the six counties of East Anglia which is enabling settlement development and long-term demographic change to be measured and mapped at a range of scales. This paper considers how these data contribute to and advance understanding of a number of key themes pertaining to settlement change from the end of the Roman period to the sixteenth century AD.