West Kennet Long Barrow (c. 3,600 BC) is one of Britain's oldest monuments! It stretches 100 meters long with a 30-40 foot chamber. Multiple skeletons were found inside, suggesting a multi-purpose site rather than a pure tomb. The original entrance faces east toward the equinox sunrise, and the rough-hewn stones have remarkable acoustic properties.
West Kennet Long Barrow dates to 3,600 BC with multiple skeletons found
EnglandGeneral
Key facts
- West Kennet Long Barrow dates to approximately 3,600 BC, making it one of the oldest monuments in the area
- The blocking stone was placed about 1,000 years after construction, likely by the people who built Avebury around 2,600 BC
- The barrow is 100 meters (300 feet) long, with the chamber itself about 30-40 feet long
- Multiple skeletons were found inside, but researchers believe it was a multi-purpose site rather than purely a grave
- The site has notable acoustic properties despite using rough hewn stones rather than precision carving
- The original entrance faces east toward the equinox sunrise
Site mentioned
Sources
West Kennet Long Barrow - Oldbury Toursoldburytours.co.uk
Subsequent carbon dating of human bones found during these excavations suggest a date for construction between 3,700 and 3,600 BC assuming the chambers were ...
West Kennet Long Barrow - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Probably constructed in the thirty-seventh century BC, during Britain's Early Neolithic period. Today it survives in a partially reconstructed state. West ...
West Kennet Long Barrow, Avebury - English Heritageenglish-heritage.org.uk
One of the largest and most impressive Neolithic chambered tombs in Britain. Built in around 3650 BC and used for a short time only, nearly 50 people were ...
West Kennet Long Barrow - Visit Wiltshirevisitwiltshire.co.uk
Constructed around 3400 BC, the barrow is one of the oldest of the elements included in the Avebury and Stonehenge UNESCO World Heritage Site. The World ...
[PDF] West Kennet Long Barrow Wiltshire Archaeological Watching Briefreports.cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk
Grave goods included pottery vessels of early and later Neolithic date as well as beads and stone implements including a dagger dated to between 3000 BC and.
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