Round barrows are one of the most common types of archaeological monuments. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos A monument is a structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of past Although concentrated in Europe they are found in many parts of the world because of their simple construction and universal purpose.

Schematic plans and sections of various types of round barrow

At their simplest, round barrows are hemispherical mounds of earth and/or stone raised over a burial placed in the middle. A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a Mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves Beyond this there are numerous variations which may employ surrounding ditches, stone kerbs or flat berms between ditch and mound. Forecourt In Archaeology, a forecourt is the name given to the area in front of certain types of Chamber tomb. A berm is a level space shelf or raised barrier separating two areas Construction methods range from a single creation process of heaped material to a complex depositional sequence involving alternating layers of stone, soil and turf with timbers or wattle used to help hold the structure together. Sod or turf is grass and the part of the Soil beneath it held together by the Roots or a piece of this material

The central burial may be placed a stone chamber or cist or in a cut grave. A cist (ˈkɪst or /ˈsɪst/ or kist (/ˈkɪst/ is a small stone-built coffin-like box or Ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. Both intact inhumations and cremations placed in vessels can be found. Burial, also called interment and inhumation, is the act of placing a person or object into the ground Cremation is the act of reducing a Corpse by burning, generally in a crematorium furnace or crematory fire

Many round barrows attract surrounding satellite burials or later ones inserted into the mound itself. In some cases these occur hundreds or even thousands of years after the original barrow was built and were placed by entirely different cultures. In addition to its usual meaning in Social science, in Archaeology, the term culture is also used in reference to several related concepts unique to

Round barrows on the chalk ridge of Bronkam Hill in Dorset, U. K. There are numerous round barrows along the south Dorset Ridgeway, including some well-preserved examples of the different sub-types.

In the British Isles, round barrows generally date to the Bronze Age although Neolithic examples are also known. The British Isles (Irish variously Na hOileáin Bhriotanacha, Oileáin Iarthair Eorpa, Éire agus an Bhreatain Mhór; Ellanyn Goaldagh Eileanan The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos Later round barrows were also sometimes used by Roman, Viking and Saxon societies. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas The Saxons or Saxon people were a Confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Examples include Rillaton barrow and Round Loaf. Rillaton barrow is a Bronze Age Round barrow situated in the parish of Linkinhorne on Bodmin Moor, in Cornwall. Round Loaf is a Neolithic or Bronze Age Tumulus on the West Pennine Moors on Anglezarke Moor within the locale of Chorley Where several contemporary round barrows are grouped together, the area is referred to as a barrow cemetery.

Numerous subtypes include the bell barrow, bowl barrow, saucer barrow and disc barrow. A bell barrow, sometimes referred to as a Wessex type barrow, campanulate form barrow, or a bermed barrow is a type of Tumulus identified as A bowl barrow, sometimes referred to as a cairn circle, cairn ring, howe, kerb cairn, tump or rotunda grave is a type of A disc barrow is a type of Tumulus or Round barrow, a variety of Fancy barrow identified in English Heritage 's Monument Class Descriptions

See Also

• Tumulus

External links

• Round barrow and barrow cemetery search results from The Megalithic Portal. A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a Mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves
• Chart of Neolithic, Bronze Age and Celtic structures from Pretanic World.