Names and Archaeology

Some names, particularly place-names, have long been recognized as carrying archaeo - logical significance. Both in theory and in practice, the potential to combine onomastic and material evidence finds application everywhere (Stuart and Houston 1994; Zadora- Rio 2001; Lape 2002; Whitridge 2004; O’Connor and Kroefges 2008); but here examin - ing this association is restricted to an English context. In what follows, the usefulness of place-names for archaeological prospection, analysis, and interpretation is considered. Emphasis is placed on how the archaeologist’s craft has been informed and enriched by an awareness of information communicated through names. The other side of this dia - logue is not neglected; advancing archaeological methods and approaches are radically transforming our understanding of the origins and early development of many forms of settlement as well as the wider landscape, and by so doing, opportunities to re-assess— and at times re-interpret—the names they carry, have begun to open up. [First paragraph]