16th September 2013, 11:17 AM
(This post was last modified: 17th September 2013, 09:48 AM by Unitof1.)
Quote:Iron Age enclosures (and modern fields), the outer edges of the ditches usually have a shallower profile than the inner edges, presumably cos the cattle could only get in from the outer edge (evidence for hedges?)
http://www.butser.org.uk/reuvens.pdf
basically vegetation with deep roots can stabilise the side of a ditch quite quickly and treading and grazing can reduce the stabilisation effect of vegetation and lead to rapid erosion. Add in a little north south eas and west and no two sides of a ditch are likely to be the same to start with and so suffering these different conditions makes it impossible that two sides of a ditch will end up the same. Which is why I always record/interpret mine as u shaped or v shaped with a bit of fandango on one side or the other depending on your point of view......
Reason: your past is my past