Added December 26, 1997. Updated November 28, 2000.
The Earthen Long Barrow Phenomenon in Europe: a Vision of the Neolithic World.
Earthen long barrows represent the most tangible remains of Neolithic populations in Northern and Western Europe. Their emergence results from complex fusion of socio-cultural elements of local hunter-gatherers and Central European ("Danubian") farmers. They display a wide range of architectural and ceremonial features: individual burial reflects hunter-gatherer tradition, shape and layout replicate contemporary but culturally distinct settlement patterns. The barrow cemeteries of the North European Plain reveal similarities with the Passy sites in the western periphery of the Linearbandkeramik of Central France. While no direct links between the two areas are evident, it is suggested that similar social and symbolic processes are responsible for the emergence of these tombs.
University of Edinburgh
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