PARISH OP UPPER SWELL, GLOUCESTERSHIRE. 527 



of the parts not so disturbed, even though its upper surface might 

 be maintained at the same level. 



From the trench-grave, and from various depths in it, and to some 

 extent from the passages leading to it, we obtained evidence of 

 the presence of 14 adult human bodies, 10 of the skulls or calvaria 

 of which either have admitted of reconstruction or were too complete 

 to require it, and of the bodies of 5 children. Intermingled with 

 the human bones were found bones of the roe (Cervus capreolus), 

 red deer (Cervus elaphus\ ox (Bos taurus\ wild boar (Sus scrofa, 

 var. ferus), goat (Copra hircus), pig (Sus scrofa, var. domesticus). 

 In the rubble were also found some bone-implements such as we 

 may suppose to have been used for flaying and for cleaning the 

 hides of the animals above mentioned, and also for removing the 

 bark from trees for use in hut-building and roofing, and a bone 

 pin : a considerable number of worked and weathered flints ; one 

 vessel for domestic use, of coarse pottery 1 and rude type, but, as 

 it is scarcely necessary to state, no traces of any metallic weapon 

 or implement. 



One skeleton was found undisturbed and surrounded by other 

 human bones so disposed, and in such numbers, as to make it clear 

 that the skeletons they had belonged to had been displaced to make 

 room for it. And this cardinal fact shows that, as regards this 

 barrow at least, the theory of ' Successive Interments,' the theory 

 proposed by Professor Nilsson 2 to account for the appearances 

 often presented by the multitude of often irregularly scattered 

 human bones found in barrows of the Stone and Bone-implement 

 Period, is the true one. 



The first human remains (1) to be found lay in the middle line 

 of the trench, which was also about the middle line of the barrow. 

 They comprised a number of bones which gave proof of the pre- 

 sence and of the disturbance of three human skeletons, one of which 

 had belonged to an infant, one to a man in the middle period of 

 life, and one to an aged woman. "With them had been irregularly 

 intermingled bones of ox, pig, and red deer. One human skull, 

 that representing the man in the middle period of life, has been 

 partially reconstructed from this set of bones, though it is much 



1 Fragments of pottery were found outside the limiting wall opposite either end of 

 the grave, and in especial abundance opposite the east end of it, indicating perhaps, 

 as do certain other considerations, that access was most ordinarily made to the grave 

 from this side. 



2 Early Inhabitants of Scandinavia, ed. Lubbock, pp. 167-169 ; Journal of Anthro- 

 pological Society, vol. v. p. 134, Oct. 1875. 



