Being an environmental archaeologist undertaking major research in southern England, I am one of the foremost snail analysts, with now over 25 years experience. The analysis of land snails can provide details of a different prehistoric or early historic landscape to that we see today. Programmes of analysis may provide evidence of human activity prior to the first archaeological evidence you have. It may indicate abandonment phases not recognisable from your excavated evidence. Snails will allow you to address questions such as: did my ditch hold water? was it flowing? Could, or was, the landscape farmed? Was woodland cleared for the construction of the monuments or well before? What was the floodplain like? Could it have been cultivated? How did the land-use develop in tandem with the archaeological evidence?

In order to tackle these queries it is advantageous to ensure suitable contexts are appropriately sampled. AEA can provide:

• On-site Sampling
• Assessment
• Analysis
• Report writing