Grave-mounds and Their Contents: A Manual of Archæology, as Exemplified in the Burials of the Celtic, the Romano-British, and the Anglo-Saxon PeriodsJewitt, Llewellynn Frederick William
History
Grave-mounds and Their Contents: A Manual of Archæology, as Exemplified in the Burials of the Celtic, the Romano-British, and the Anglo-Saxon Periods
Jewitt, Llewellynn Frederick William
Great Britain -- Antiquities; Megalithic monuments -- Great Britain; Mounds -- Great Britain
A large cist, or chamber, was discovered near the centre of the large
mound. It was formed by four immense stones, inclosing an area six feet
long, five feet wide, and about four feet deep. In all probability
the capstone had been removed, as none was found. On the cist being
cleared, was discovered a regular paved floor of limestone, entirely
covered over with human bones, presenting a confused mass of the relics
of humanity. The skeletons lying in the primitive position, crossed
each other in all directions. They proved to be the remains of thirteen
individuals, both males and females, varying from infancy to old age.
The interior of this cist is shown on the accompanying engraving, and
its position in the mound will be seen at A on the plan.
[Illustration: Fig. 24.]
On the floor were found three arrow-heads of flint, wrought into
beautiful thin leaf-shaped instruments, and many other calcined flakes
of the same material; also bones of the ox, hog, deer, and dog. Not
far from the cist, and near the surface, was found a skeleton minus
the head, imbedded in gravel, rats’ bones, and charcoal. On the floor
some animal bones were found that had been burned, also neatly wrought
arrow-heads and pieces of flint, and fragments of two human skulls.
The point of a bone spear and a bone pin were found during our labours
in this mound. “Another skeleton was found in the bank, crushed into
small fragments; and where another grave had been made in the bank,
for a secondary interment, the sides and bottom were found to have
been burned to lime, which now resembled old mortar, to an extent that
could not have been effected by an ordinary fire. It is not unusual
to find small stones burnt to lime on the floors of barrows; in the
present instance it had acquired a hardness almost equal to the stones,
effected during a very long period by imbibing carbonic acid gas from
the atmosphere, to which it had free access; pieces several inches
thick were broken up intermixed with charcoal.”
[Illustration: Fig. 25.]
[Illustration: Fig. 26.]
On one side of the cist two skulls lay close together, and mixed up
with a skeleton, the bones of which, in some instances, crossed each
other; in the centre lay the fine skull shown in figs. 25 and 26.[13]
Two other remarkable skulls, one of a woman of about fifty years of
age, and the other of a girl not more than seven years old, were also
found.
[Illustration: Fig. 27.]
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