This paper considers some of the circumstances associated with the archaeological study of the Thames river system in south-east England. It focuses on work related to the 95km reach of the river below Teddington, examining Holocene archaeological issues in the floodplain, on the urban waterfront and on the foreshore. Plotting the complex development dynamics of the river system itself, over a 10,000-year period, and the correlation of that information with an understanding of the changes in the patterns of settlement, encroachment and exploitation calls for an integrated multi-agency, multidisciplinary approach if further progress is to be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]