Nympsfield Long Barrow
Nympsfield Long Barrow is the remains of a Neolithic burial site or barrow, located close to the village of Nympsfield in Gloucestershire.[1] It lies at the edge of a woods, and is now the location of a picnic site.[1] It is one of the earliest examples of a barrow with separate chambers.[2] It was constructed around 2800 B.C.E.[3]
Location
It is sited to the southeast of the B4066 road, around 6 miles southwest of Stroud, and approximately 14 miles to the west of Cirencester within Coaley Peak Country Park.[1] The tumulus is no longer visible.[1]
In common with other barrows in the area it lies on the edge of a scarp of Jurassic oolitic (egg stone) limestone.[2][4]
Layout
The barrow is 27 m by 18 m in size and overall trapezoidal in shape. There is evidence of curving walls behind the east entrance, which leads into a square forecourt area, opening onto a central passage.[1] Three chambers lead off this passage, two larger chambers to either side and one small one to the end, divided off by constricting stones to restrict access.[5][6] A small part of the north chamber was separated off to form a cist.[7]
The long axis of the barrow is orientated in a southeast to northwest direction.[1]
History of excavation
The barrow has been excavated on three separate occasions,[6] in 1862 by Buckman with the Cotteswold Naturalist's Field Club, in 1937 by E.M. Clifford and in 1974 by A. Saville.[8]
Excavation finds
23 bodies were discovered within the site.[1] It was noted that the majority had common medical problems including infections in the mouth and gums, and abscesses.[1] It is believed that, following interment, the bodies were left for a predetermined length of time, before a specific event took place, where the tomb was sealed over permanently.[1]
Haematite was found in the mound, possibly used as face-paint to make the dead appear alive.[9]
The digs uncovered the remains of fires, and pig bones, within the forecourt, indicating that ritualized meals were eaten, during burial ceremonies.[1] Some dog bones were also uncovered on the site, but it is uncertain whether they age back to the original site, or from a later date.[10] At the time of the first excavation, Nympsfield was thought to be unique in being the only chambered barrow in which bones from birds had been discovered,[10] although several other such sites have now been discovered, such as the Tomb of the Eagles in the Orkney Islands.[11]
A leaf-shaped arrow-head and shards of pottery were also discovered.[6] Two reconstructed vessels, a bowl and a necked jar, have been attributed to Ebbsfleet ware.[12]
Quartz pebbles were noted amongst the blocking deposits at both ends of the mound. This is a common feature of many long barrows in the Cotwold-Severn group, in north Wales and northern and central Ireland and is thought to have a symbolic meaning.[13]
Relationship to other neolithic monuments
It forms part of the Cotswold-Severn group of monuments. It is similar in layout to the chambered tombs of Uley and Notgrove. It lies close to the so-called "Soldier's Grave" round barrow.[5]
Later Use of the site
The site was also occupied in both the Iron Age and Roman times.[14]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lord Montagu of Beaulieu (1987), P.H. Reed (ed.), English Heritage, Hampstead Road, London: English Heritage / Macdonald Queen Anne Press, p. 81, ISBN 0-356-12773-7
- ^ a b Leslie V. Grinsell (1958
Original from the University of Michigan), The archaeology of wessex, Methuen, p. 10
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|year=(help); horizontal tab character in|year=at position 19 (help)CS1 maint: year (link) - ^ Kev Reynolds (2007), The Cotswold Way: Two-Way National Trail Description, Cicerone Press Limited, ISBN 9781852845520
- ^ Edmonds, M. (2002). Ancestral Geographies of the Neolithic: Landscapes, Monuments and Memory. Routledge. p. 65. ISBN 9780203020197. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ a b Darvill, T.; Stamper, P.; Timby, J. (2002). England: an Oxford archaeological guide to sites from earliest times to AD 1600. Oxford archaeological guides. Oxford University Press. p. 296. ISBN 9780192841018. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ a b c Castleden, R. (1992). Neolithic Britain: new stone age sites of England, Scotland, and Wales. Routledge. p. 112. ISBN 9780415058452. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ Staelens, Y.J.E. (1982). "The Birdlip Cemetery" (PDF). Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society. 100: 19–31. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ Daniel, G.E. The Prehistoric Chamber Tombs of England and Wales. Cambridge University Press. p. 222. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ Clifford, E.M. "Graves found at Hailes, Gloucestershire" (PDF). Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society. 65: 187–198. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ a b Society of Antiquaries of London (1869), Archaeologia, Or Miscellaneous Tracts Relating to Antiquity, Volume 42, Part 1, General Books LLC, retrieved 2010-11-21
- ^ "The Tomb of the Eagles". Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ Smith, I. (1968). "Report on Late Neolithic Pits at Cam, Glos" (PDF). Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucstershire Archaeological Society. 87: 27. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ Darvill, T. (2002). "White on blonde: Quartz pebbles and the use of quartz at Neolithic monuments in the Isle of Man and beyond". In Jones A. & MacGregor G. (ed.). Colouring the past: the significance of colour in archaeological research. Berg Publishers. pp. 73â91. ISBN 9781859735473. Retrieved 1 December.
{{cite book}}: C1 control character in|pages=at position 4 (help); Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Woodcock, R. (1998). A year of walks in the Cotswolds. Sigma. p. 110. ISBN 9781850586081. Retrieved 1 December 2010.