| Summary : A Later Neolithic round barrow concealing an Earlier Neolithic cairn, fully excavated in 1968. The first phase of construction was represented by an oval cairn orientated roughly east-west and containing a similarly-aligned passage or chamber around 27 feet long. The cairn was constructed with sandstone cobbles and sandy silt, and was surrounded by a kerb. The passage was lined with sandstone slabs, and may have been roofed with timber. Its estimated original height is a maximum 3 feet, and it was circa 2 feet wide. Towards the western end were three inhumations (male, female and uncertain) with skulls detached. One of the skeletons featured an amber bead at its neck. Also present in the immediate vicinity was a serrated flint blade and the skeleton of a dog/fox. The female skeleton has an (uncalibrated) radiocarbon date of 3000+/-90 BC. Also present within the passage were the disturbed remains of five further individuals, plus sherds of Grimston Ware. The entrance to the passage was blocked with cobbles. Subsequently, the cairn was enlarged by the addition of further mound material, and a kerb 75 feet in diameter constructed around its base. A pit dug into the centre of the primary cairn appears to pre-date the mound enlargement, and contained near its base a crouched male inhumation with jet belt slider and a waisted polished flint axe. The skeleton has a radiocarbon date of 2570+/-90 BC (uncalibrated). Below the inhumation was a small pit containing a pig humerus and calf mandible, with traces of a possible wooden cover. Air photographs show the barrow visible as a cropmark after excavation. |