Introduction

The Yorkshire Dales Hunter-Gatherer Research Project is a jointly run project by the University of Bradford and Michigan State University under the direction of Dr. Randolph Donahue (Bradford) and Professor William Lovis (MSU). The project provides archaeological training for students from both universities.

The principal aim of the Yorkshire Dales Hunter-Gatherer Research Project is to test hypothesis concerning hunter-gatherer mobility and subsistence strategies during the Mesolithic or "Middle Stone Age" in Northern England. Others aims include identifying economic resources utilized by hunter-gatherers and an evaluation of the impact of bioturbation on archaeological sites within the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Research Area

The research project area encompasses a 160km2 area, centering on the Malham plateau and includes sections of both Wharfedale and Ribblesdale. It is bounded by the villages of Settle in the Southwest, Grassington to the Southwest, Kettlewell in the Northeast and Horton in Ribblesdale to the Northwest.

Centered upon the Malham plateau is a shallow upland tarn covering a total of 52 hectares. The tarn itself is an internationally renowned nature reserve. The area of the tarn is rich with Mesolithic sites, and the Malham plateau forms a complex network of later Prehistoric and Medieval settlement. Previous archaeological work has been carried out within the area, upon the abundant network of caves utilised in a number of chronological periods for occupation or as burial chambers.