Big caveat about Ballowall Barrow: its Bronze Age date comes from pottery typology, not radiocarbon, and the original dig was nearly a century ago. Nobody has since pulled those finds out of their museum boxes to run modern lab dating on them. The researchers argue that reassessment is overdue — at badly preserved sites, conclusions often rest on a few thin strands of evidence, and the burials being Bronze Age doesn't automatically date the monument itself 🔬
Bronze Age dating at the barrow rests on typology and has never been lab-tested
EnglandDating
Key facts
- The site is dated predominantly to the Bronze Age, but the dating is typological rather than scientific and was carried out nearly a century ago.
- No one has since taken the finds out of their museum boxes and applied modern laboratory dating techniques to them.
- The presenters argue this reassessment should be done, noting that conclusions at badly preserved sites often rest on small strands of evidence.
- They state the Bronze Age burials are known, but that it cannot be assumed from them that the building itself is Bronze Age in date.
Sources
Ballowall Barrow - Chambered Cairn (S12)southwestcoastphotos.com
Built in phases from the Neolithic Period (approx. 3500 BC) and the Middle Bronze Age. A large central dome (now unroofed), side cist chambers and a small ...
Ballowall Barrowen.wikipedia.org
is a prehistoric funerary cairn (chambered tomb) the Bronze Age. It is situated on the cliff top at Ballowall Common, near St Just in Cornwall, England, UK. It ...
Ballowall Barrow, St Just, Cornwall | Prehistoric Burial Moundbritainexpress.com
Barrow is a prehistoric burial site. Ballowall was used throughout the Neolithic and Middle Bronze Ages. The cairn, which is 67 feet in diameter,
Ballowall Barrow - AllDaysOut!alldaysout.co.uk
In a spectacular cliff-edge position, this unique Bronze Age tomb had a long and complex history as a sacred site.
Ballowall Barrow: Bronze Age Tomb in Cornwallfindandgo.co.uk
Ballowall Barrow dates from the Early Bronze Age (around 2000–1500 BC) and was used as a burial and ritual site by local communities. Its design includes a ...
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