Round barrows and the harmonious landscape: placing Early Bronze Age burial monuments in south‐east England

Abstract

The distribution and siting of barrows within the landscape of south‐east England is considered, and it is observed that clustering occurs on certain geological units and in specific topographical positions. A socio‐economic explanation for the distribution of those in Sussex is possible, and the concentrations can even be considered in terms of territorial units. However, distribution across the south‐east is nodal, and the clusters present on the South Downs are not matched on the North Downs, and it is necessary to consider other explanations. A cosmological approach provides a fresh insight into the siting of barrows and helps explain siting within cemeteries as well as within the wider landscape.

The inverted dead of Britain's Bronze Age barrows: a perspective from Conceptual Metaphor Theory

“…It has long been suggested, for example, that barrows in Britain may have claimed grazing land, guarded boundaries and controlled or overlooked routeways (e.g. Field 1998;Kitchen 2001;Pryor 2001: 407-408;Watson 2001;Buteux & Chapman 2007;Garwood 2007: 151-53;Johnson 2017). Implicit in such suggestions, however, is that barrows have something that controls, guards, claims and looks-and, moreover, that this something must also take action against those who transgress.…”

The Afterlife of Monuments in the English Peak District: The Evidence of Early Bronze Age Burials

“…One possible result of the influence of past monuments is that it can create an area of sacred zoning, a concentration of structures, or monuments, which share similar purposes or uses. These monuments would not have been located incidentally in the landscape (Field ); instead their placement would have been governed by the rules and structures deemed appropriate by that society. By studying how landscapes formed, we may be able to discern these rules of placement and thus gain an understanding of how prehistoric communities interacted with monuments from the past.…”

Dawkes, G; (2019) Living by the creek: excavations at Kemsley, Sittingbourne, Kent

“…It has also been noted that barrows are often located on marginal land and near social boundaries. RD1 may well have marked the eastern limit of the Kemsley settlement (Field 1998).…”