Towards a reappraisal of henge monuments: origins, evolution and hierarchies

Clare, Tom

doi:10.1017/s0079497x00006344

Cited by 17 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Over the last decade Harding's volume has remained a valuable source of information and its interpretative approaches have generally stood the test of time, with the exception of a consideration of the supposed origins of the class in causewayed camps (Clare 1987;Barclay 1989): the main argument against such an origin is that radiocarbon dating suggests that henge construction occurred earlier in the north of Britain, where there is no known causewayed camp tradition (Parker-Pearson 1993). Soon after the Harding survey appeared, Clare produced a two-part paper (Clare 1986; in which he attempted to bring order to a great range of ceremonial and funerary monuments of the later Neolithic and earlier Bronze Age, including henges.…”

Section: Developments Since 1987mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cairnpapple Revisited: 1948–1998

Barclay

1999

Proc. Prehist. Soc.

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It is 50 years since Stuart Piggott excavated the prehistoric complex at Cairnpapple. At that time there were few excavated parallels in Scotland, and interpretation inevitably relied heavily on sites excavated in southern Britain. Much more locally relevant data are now available and the sequence at Cairnpapple can now be reassessed its regional context.Piggott identified five Periods, commencing with a stone setting, ‘cove’ and cremation cemetery of ‘Late Neolithic date’ around ‘c. 2500 B.C.’. Period II was a henge monument, consisting of a ‘circle’ of standing stones with ceremonial burials in association, and an encircling ditch with external bank – ‘Of Beaker date, probably c. 1700 B.C.’ Period III comprised the primary cairn, containing two cist-burials ‘Of Middle Bronze Age date, probably c. 1500 B.C.’ Period IV involved the doubling of the size of the cairn, with two cremated burials in inverted cinerary urns. ‘Of final Middle Bronze Age or native Late Bronze Age date, probably c. 1000 B.C.’ Period V comprised four graves ‘possibly Early Iron Age within the first couple of centuries A.D.’The present paper, using comparable material from elsewhere in Scotland, argues for a revised phasing: Phase 1, comprises the deposition of earlier Neolithic plain bowl sherds and axehead fragments with a series of hearths. This is comparable to ‘structured deposition’ noted on other sites of this period. Phase 2 involved the construction of the henge – a setting of 24 uprights – probably of timber rather than stone, probably followed by the encircling henge ditch and bank. The ‘cove’ is discussed in the context of comparable features in Scotland. Phase 3 saw the construction of a series of graves, including the monumental ‘North Grave’, which was probably encased in a cairn. Piggott's ‘Period III’ cairn was then built, followed by the ‘Period IV’ cairn. The urn burials seem likely to have been inserted into the surface of this mound, which may have covered a burial (since disturbed) on the top of the Period III mound, or may have been a deliberate monumentalising of it. The four graves identified as Iron Age by Piggott seem more likely to be from the early Christian period.The reassessment of Piggott's report emphasises the value of the writing of a clear, and sufficiently detailed account. While no report can be wholly objective it can be seen that Piggott's striving for objectivity led him to write a paper that is of lasting value.

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Section: Developments Since 1987mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cairnpapple Revisited: 1948–1998

Barclay

1999

Proc. Prehist. Soc.

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“…With its large size, circular plan, bank and timber revetment or palisade, the large enclosure might plausibly be classified as a henge. While the site was not included in Burl's (1969) gazetteer and discussion of henges, it does appear in Clare's (1986Clare's ( & 1987. In sheer size Blackshouse Burn is comparable to the grand henges of Durrington Walls or Avebury in Wiltshire or Forteviot in Strathearn, among others (Clare 1986, 295).…”

Section: Comparable Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The excavation and survey of prehistoric enclosures at Blackshouse Burn, Lanarkshire

Lelong¹,

Pollard²,

Crone³

et al. 1999

PSAS

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Reports on work carried out between 1985 and 1986 at a large banked enclosure with an associated smaller enclosure, on the edge of an ancient bog. It is suggested that the site had both ritual and domestic associations. There are specialist contributions on: `Soils' by David Jordan (35--7); `Pollen analysis' by Susan Ramsay (37--40); `Pottery' by Olivia Lelong (40); `Worked stone' by Tony Pollard (40--1); and `Dendrochronological analysis of three wooden posts' by Anne Crone (42--3).

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Beyond Newgrange: Brú na Bóinne in the later Neolithic

Davis¹,

Rassmann²

2021

Proc. Prehist. Soc.

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The Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site, Ireland is best known for its megalithic monuments, in particular the great developed passage tombs of Knowth, Dowth, and Newgrange, and its abundance of megalithic art. However, our understanding of the wider Brú na Bóinne landscape has changed beyond all recognition in the last decade owing to the application of modern, non-invasive survey technologies – in particular LiDAR and large-scale geophysical survey – and most recently as a result of the hot, dry summer of 2018 which revealed a series of remarkable cropmarks between Newgrange and the River Boyne. Despite a lack of excavation it can be argued, based on their morphological characteristics, that many of the structures revealed belong within the corpus of late Neolithic ritual/ceremonial structures, including earthen henges, square-in-circle monuments, palisaded enclosures, and pit/post-alignments. These display both extraordinary diversity, yet also commonality of design and architecture, both as a group and with the passage tombs that preceded them. This paper provides an up-to-date survey of the late Neolithic and presumed late Neolithic landscape of Brú na Bóinne. It provides new evidence and new insights from ongoing survey campaigns, suggesting parallels within the British Neolithic but also insular development within some monument classes.

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Towards a reappraisal of henge monuments: origins, evolution and hierarchies

Cited by 17 publications

References 24 publications

Cairnpapple Revisited: 1948–1998

Cairnpapple Revisited: 1948–1998

The excavation and survey of prehistoric enclosures at Blackshouse Burn, Lanarkshire

Beyond Newgrange: Brú na Bóinne in the later Neolithic

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