3 t3 On Long Barrotvs and Round Barrows. 



for use as sling-stones) and a large stone bead." This excavation 

 seems to have been made near the centre of the barrow, before Mr. 

 Cunnington had ascertained that the interments in Long Barrows 

 are almost always at the larger, generally the eastern, end. " At a 

 subsequent period, Mr. Cunnington employed his men for several 

 days in examining the large end of this barrow, but he only dis- 

 covered the remains of three skeletons (a secondary interment) near 

 the top." 1 In 1866, Dr. Thurnam's " working- party made two 

 large openings at the extreme east end, and in the more westerly of 

 the two, on the natural level, at a depth of 8^ ft. and only one or 

 two feet from the point where Mr. Cunnington'' s excavations appear 

 to have been left off, was a heap of imperfectly burnt, or rather 

 charred, human bones, as many, perhaps, as would be left by the 

 incineration of one or at the most, two adult bodies. Careful search 

 was made for an entire unburnt skeleton or skeletons, but without 

 success." 



With the primary interments in Long Barrows no weapons or 

 implements of bronze or other metal are ever found, but oc- 

 casionally leaf-shaped arrow-heads and other implements of flint. 

 Long Barrows belong essentially to the Stone Age of this country,and 

 are to be regarded as the very earliest of our sepulchral monuments. 



The Long Barrows described by Dr. Thurnam were of the simple, 

 un chambered sort, such as are alone found in South Wiltshire, and 

 on the chalk downs of other parts of the South of England. In 

 North Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, however, where we have either 

 Sarsen stones of large size on the surface, or else quarries of oolitic 

 stone, Long Barrows in other respects similar to those of South Wilts, 

 but with Chambers built up under their broad ends, are met with. In 

 them are found numerous skeletons, many with the skull cleft, ranged 

 around the walls of the chambers, in the crouching attitude. Here 

 also is the same absence of metallic implements, but the presence 

 of those of stone. The striking analogy of these Chambered Long 

 Barrows to the so-called " Giant Chambers " of the Scandinavian 

 countries was pointed out. 



1 Ancient Wilts. Vol. i., p. 55, 



