What research topics and experiments are documented in the Butser Ancient Farm Archive?

Updated

The Butser Ancient Farm Archive 1973–2007 documents experimental research into prehistoric and Roman agriculture and building techniques, carried out at Butser Ancient Farm under founding director Dr Peter Reynolds (1939–2001). The site is intended for students and researchers, giving access to Reynolds's methods and results. Its scope covers crop and soil experiments, structures, metals, and work across several sites and outstations.

Agriculture and arable experiments

The archive lists a set of interconnected field and crop topics:

  • Cereal yields – measured outputs from growing prehistoric-type cereals
  • Climate – weather and growing conditions as a variable in the experiments
  • Grain storage – how harvested grain was kept
  • Grain dryer – drying grain after harvest
  • Plough zone – the soil layer affected by ploughing
  • Carbonised seed – charred seed remains, relevant to interpreting archaeological finds

Alongside these are cultivation and soil topics:

  • Ploughing and hoeing as contrasting tillage methods
  • Sowing and manuring as crop-management steps
  • Soil and arable plant communities – the ground itself and the weed/plant groups associated with cultivated land

Structures experiments

Building techniques are documented through reconstructions and related studies:

  • Roundhouses
  • Turf House
  • Roman Villa Construct
  • Geophysics Testbed

The structures list also names specific roundhouse and related sites used as references or reconstruction subjects: Maiden Castle, Balkesbury, Moel y Gaer, Pimperne, Longbridge Deverill, Cowdown, and Moel y Gerddi.

Metals experiments

Metalworking is covered as its own area, with a general Metals entry plus dedicated monographs:

  • Metals Monograph
  • Iron Monograph
  • Tin Monograph

Earthworks

Earthworks appears as a distinct experiment area, separate from the crop, structure, and metal topics.

Sites and outstations

The research was not confined to one location. The archive records work at:

  • Little Butser – demonstration site
  • Fishbourne
  • Wroughton
  • Bascomb – the final site created by Peter Reynolds, now run by Butser Education CIC
  • Outstations – additional linked sites

How the material is organised

The archive groups content into recurring categories, including Project Concept, Site Publications, Structures Experiments, and the individual topic pages and monographs listed above. It also provides background papers: one outlining the history and development of Butser Ancient Farm, its research philosophy and methodology, its use in education, and its relationship with the general public; one summarising Reynolds's views on what constituted experimental archaeology; and a 1990s seminar list he called "Golden Nuggets," summarising the main themes of his work and its outcomes.

For anyone researching a specific topic, the practical route is to start from the relevant category (for example, Cereal Yields or Roundhouses) and then follow the linked publications and monographs, which the site describes as giving the complete picture of the experiments behind the synopsis. Note that "Butser Ancient Farm" and the roundhouse logo are registered trade marks of Christine Shaw.