Landscape in the Longue DureE

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Pebbles, typically found on beaches, take on a new significance when they extend inland to form ridges that touch the sky. This work presents a 4,000-year history of these unique stones, drawing from a four-year archaeological project in the east Devon Pebblebed heathlands, a geologically distinct UK landscape made entirely of water-rounded pebbles. Christopher Tilley argues that pebbles hold a unique place in both prehistoric and contemporary contexts, prompting a re-evaluation of continuity and change through the lens of long-term embodied relationships between people and objects. The book is divided into two parts: the first examines the prehistoric landscape from the Mesolithic to the end of the Iron Age, while the second analyzes the same area from the eighteenth century to the present. Tilley reveals key findings from the study, including archaeological discoveries like early Bronze Age cairns and the documentation of 829 surviving pebble structures. Additionally, he explores the landscape's influence on local economies and its current role as a military training site. This research has implications across various fields, including archaeology, cultural and art history, anthropology, conservation, and landscape studies.