Summary : A cropmark ring ditch shown by excavation to represent the plough-levelled remains of a Middle Bronze Age barrow. Part of a small cluster of monuments located a short distance from the Dorset Cursus (Linear 41), it is listed by RCHME as Gussage St Michael a39. This and other sites in the vicinity (ST 91 SE 118, 174 and 175) were first reported by Martin Green and Barry Lewis. In 1991, the ring ditch was excavated by Martin Green. 12 metres in diameter, the ditch had been recut, representing two main constructional phases. The first phase saw an internal mound separated from the ditch by a berm. The primary burial beneath the mound was a Middle Bronze Age cremation in a bucket urn, deposited in a central pit. The berm, circa 1 metre wide, was the focus for further cremation burials, mainly on the northern and western sides. Several of these cremations were badly damaged by ploughing. Three were contained within bucket urns, two were accompanied by sherds, and another 8 were unaccompanied. During the second phase, the ditch was deepened and the mound expanded to cover the berm. This phase also seems to belong to the Middle Bronze Age. |