Barrows at the Core of Bronze Age Communities: Supplementary Material

Barrows at the Core of Bronze Age Communities argues that round barrows were central to Early Bronze Age communities, not just the death side. The People of the Heath project, 2014-18, integrates data from field study and excavations into one of its major cemeteries in the Rother Region. Fourteen of 21 surviving barrows were sampled, yielding diverse burial rites and organic artefact repertoire. The supplementary material includes a crucial new analysis of enclosure barrows in Wessex, further analyses regarding barrow morphologies, condition, cemetery formation and siting, observations on damage, and recommendations on the future management of the archaeology of Petersfield Heath.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 258 pages
Publication date: 28 February 2022
Publisher: Sidestone Press

Barrows at the Core of Bronze Age Communities, a groundbreaking study by archaeologists, challenges the traditional view of round barrows as solely associated with death in Early Bronze Age communities. Instead, the study reveals that these monumental structures played a vital role in the daily lives of these communities. The research focuses on the Rother Region, where the Weald meets the Wessex massif, and incorporates extensive fieldwork and excavations into one of its major cemeteries, Petersfield Heath in Hampshire. Excavation of 14 out of 21 surviving barrows yielded valuable insights into burial rites, diverse organic artefact repertoire, and damage to the archaeological site. The supplementary material includes a crucial analysis of enclosure barrows in Wessex, detailed morphologies and condition of barrows, cemetery formation and siting, damage assessment, and recommendations for future management. Additionally, the volume provides comprehensive context descriptions for block-lifted urns and log-coffin burials subjected to pioneering stratigraphic micro-excavation, palaeoenvironmental evidence from the region, quartz optical dating, re-assessment of the excavated ring-ditch at Heath End, Duncton, and detailed finds and methodologies. Together, the two volumes offer new perspectives on early burial practices, prehistoric occupation of the western Weald, and debates about variability in Bronze Age societies.

Weight: 656g
Dimension: 210 x 279 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789464260465