Archaeological survey and excavation was conducted along the route of Anglian Water's Isleham link main pipeline, and a main water supply pipeline installed between Isleham and Ely in southern Cambridgeshire. This work constituted the main phase of archaeological fieldwork and concentrated on the remains of prehistoric settlement of the ancient Isleham peninsula and its fen-edge. Previous evaluation of the rest of the route had shown little, or low-status archaeology being present in the pipeline corridor. A full suite of investigative techniques was employed to extract information from the ploughsoil which had already been seen to be a major repository of artefacts, brought up after each year's ploughing. The extent to which these relate directly to underlying earth-cut features was crucial for the reconstruction of the former manipulation and exploitation patterns in the landscape. The excavations were enhanced by the presence of a well preserved former channel of the River Snail, environmental evidence from which has been able to establish the vegetational and climatic history of periods before, during and following settlement from the early Neolithic period. This information, combined with physical cultural evidence, has now become an important regional sequence for defining the major environmental boundaries and how they changed through human action. The importance of the environmental evidence was matched by the artefact assemblages which consisted largely of worked stone (flint) dating from early Neolithic to early Bronze Age occupations. In addition, the discovery of a unique miniature antler bow from an early Bronze Age settlement at Prickwillow Road, Isleham, endorses the importance of this area as a settlement locale and also its cultural history. The Anglian Water Pipeline formed a corridor of investigation through an area rich in prehistoric settlement and permitted its investigation through a variety of complementary archaeological techniques . Together, these create an impression of settlement character and the environment in which they are set. This work forms a significant contribution to our understanding of human occupation and adaptation of the south-eastern fen-edge.