Definition: Abbot's Way is a Neolithic trackway, first built about 2000 BC as a footpath to cross a lowland mire in the Somerset Levels and Moors wetland region of Somerset, England. The track extends 2,560 meters in length and connected two islands along a raised mire hummock.
The walking surface on Abbot's Way was built of split wooden planks and logs laid transversely, creating a corduroy trackway about about 1 meter in width. Wood used in the trackway construction included alder, hazel, ash and oak, laid flat side down and held in place by wooden pegs. The trackway had to be rebuilt several times during its lifetime (ca 2000-500 BC), and eventually it was overgrown with cotton grass.
Excavations at Abbot's Way were first conducted in the mid 19th century; a recent investigation associated with conservation issues was undertaken in 2000 by the was led by the School of Conservation Sciences at Bournemouth. Like many archaeological sites in wetland regions in the world, Abbot's Way is very fragile today.
The walking surface on Abbot's Way was built of split wooden planks and logs laid transversely, creating a corduroy trackway about about 1 meter in width. Wood used in the trackway construction included alder, hazel, ash and oak, laid flat side down and held in place by wooden pegs. The trackway had to be rebuilt several times during its lifetime (ca 2000-500 BC), and eventually it was overgrown with cotton grass.
Excavations at Abbot's Way were first conducted in the mid 19th century; a recent investigation associated with conservation issues was undertaken in 2000 by the was led by the School of Conservation Sciences at Bournemouth. Like many archaeological sites in wetland regions in the world, Abbot's Way is very fragile today.
Sources
The always-useful Megalithic Portals site has a feature on Abbot's Way. Photos of the trackway may be found at E.J. Godwin's website, The Abbot's Way and Meare.
Beckett, S. C. and F. A. Hibbert 1979 Vegetational Change and the Influence of Prehistoric Man in the Somerset Levels. New Phytologist 83(2):577-600. Free to download
Cox, Margaret, et al. 2001 An Assessment of the Impact of Trees upon Archaeology Within a Relict Wetland. Journal of Archaeological Science 28(10):1069-1084.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
