An investigation into the late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age round barrow monuments in the Wylye Valley, Wiltshire

Abstract

This thesis examines the significance of funerary practices and monuments dating to the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age in and around the Wylye Valley to the west of Stonehenge. This has been conducted through the re-evaluation of the work of Sir Richard Colt Hoare and the production of a database and Geographical Information System using the Wiltshire Sites and Monuments Record. The motivation behind why the monuments were positioned where they were has been attempted through spatial analysis within the GIS. The critical examination of the primary excavation data is based on modern interpretive frameworks and the interpretations which have been formed are re-examined to meet new thinking. The results of the thesis indicate the concentration of barrows towards the top of the valley on the northern escarpment and the clustering of barrows around older features in the landscape. This is similar to the spatial patterns observed nationally, supporting previous research and the interpretations drawn, though there appears to be a higher concentration of primary cremations and more nucleated cemeteries in the Wylye Valley area which may indicate local trends.