Earthen Long Barrows

Over the last 30 years, there has been extensive new research on Neolithic Long Barrows. David Field describes the origin of the monuments and their construction, including the pits, standing stones, and posts found beneath the later mounds, their location within the country side and what this might mean for contemporary society. He also discusses the nature of platforms, pavements, internal cairns, and earthen round mounds. Evidence of feasting and ceremony is assessed. Emphasis is placed on the new finds that have been made from the air and on the use that was made of earthen barrows by later civilizations.

David Field is an Archaeological Investigator working with English Heritage and specialising in Neolithic and Bronze Age landscapes. He has spent 15 years in Wessex surveying, analysing and interpreting monuments of all periods, especially the surviving barrows in the region. He lives in Yatesbury, Wiltshire.