I think sometimes the bones were sorted, thigh bones in one section, skulls in another. Not all bones were kept. Maybe the bodies were left out elsewhere (or nibbled, PeteG?) and then disarticulated.
There surely must be longbarrows that have lain undisturbed and only excavated and recorded in recent years, so they'd give a truer picture of what the chambers would be like before being 'robbed out'.
Also I think any remains that are found 'elsewhere' in such barrows have tended to be more recent (ok maybe still old like Roman or Saxon, but provably reuse of the barrow). With the coming of the round barrows, then important people with fancy grave goods got a barrow to themselves. Maybe that indicates the development of a more hierarchical society?
But like you say, there must have been a lot more people died than whose remains wound up in a long barrow.. so how did they choose whose remains got put in - that kind of requires a hierarchy? Were they put in only at special times, the blocking stones being replaced in the meantime. and were the bones taken out for inclusion in 'rituals' outside? and etc etc so many questions.
Reply | with quote | Posted by Rhiannon 21st January 2005ce 17:22 |
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