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Later Neolithic cremations at Avebury
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In terms of the visible funerary monuments at Avebury there are the earlier Neolithic earthen and chambered long barrows (poss excarnation, bones 'arranged' in chambers, some signs of earlier mortuary enclosures) and the much later Bronze Age round barrows (individual articulated burials/cremations). The middle neolithic is sometimes referred to as 'invisible', as very little trace of the period is left (although cursus monuments were introduced at this time), but in terms of burial I *think* (could be wrong) some of the long barrows may still have been used into this period.
In the later neolithic cremation became 'de rigueur'(dreadful choice of words), and this is reflected by the large cremation cemetery in the Aubrey holes at SH.

However, I can't remember reading about evidence for later Neolithic cremations at Avebury.
Were later Neolithic cremations deposited into pits or stone/post holes only at this time?

Although the practice of secondary deposits was common in the BA (there were many later BA secondary cremations inserted into BA barrows (and even some r****n/saxon date)) I can't recall reading about a late neolithic cremation as a secondary deposit in a long barrow. Can anybody enlighten me as to where/when late-neo cremations have been found at Avebury?

Adding further uncertainty, I have read that in the chilterns there are thoughts that some of the small round barrows of scraped construction (no quarry ditch as in classic bowl/bell & fancypants construction) may actually be of late neolithic constrcution, rather than BA as presumed, although there has been little excavation. The only major barrow investigation I can recall on the chiltern ridgeway is Whiteleaf, and that is a 'kidney shaped' LB, very early. (around 3800bc i think)

Typed quickly as at work, so please forgive any errors! Thought it might be a good topic for discussion and maybe kick start some other topics for thought/conversation about the middle neolithic into late neolithic at Avebury. For example, the lack of a cursus monument is interesting. Did this and the large Late-Neo cremation cemetry at SH mean a shift fr Avebury to there at that time? (We are talking around 700-800 years, say 3400-2700) Was the 'great' circle, avenues and 2nd phase ditch (around 2800-2600) some kind of closing off perhaps or a coming back into use?

Sorry, probably too many questions, and not very well presented, but something to get stuck in to.

*edited for spelling


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Evergreen Dazed
Posted by Evergreen Dazed
27th November 2017ce
11:56