ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the hierarchy of human settlement from individual sites to entire regions and discusses some of the methods used to study them, including geographic information systems. Landscapes are distinct from settlement patterns, for they are humanly perceived and change constantly through time. The chapter discusses ways in which archaeologists study sacred and secular landscapes in a search for the intangible beliefs of ancient societies. Seamus Caulfield inherited a passion for archaeology from his school teacher father, who had discovered stone walls deep under the peat that mantles the local landscape. Archaeologists study patterning in such structures as houses and storage pits just as thoroughly as they study artifacts and food remains. They also analyze distributions in time and space of different communities and relationships between them. The Céide Fields project is a classic example of settlement archaeology.
