Hazleton long barrows
 | |
| Location | Gloucestershire, England |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | (51°52'07" N, 01°53'45" W) |
| Type | Long barrow |
| History | |
| Material | Limestone |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | From 1979 to 1982 |
| Archaeologists | Team led by Alan Saville |
| Management | English Heritage |
Hazleton long barrows is a Neolithic chambered tomb located close to Hazleton village in Gloucestershire, England. As being part of the Cotswold-Severn group of long barrows, it dates back to approximately 3700-3600 BCE and is deemed a notable archaeological site owing to its well-preserved structure that helps researchers gain insight into early farming communities during prehistoric British society.[1] Hazleton North has undergone a major archaeological excavation starting from 1979 to 1982. Findings obtained from excavation offered direct evidence of kinship-based burial practices, revealing one of the earliest known family trees from DNA analysis. [2] Comprehensive research into barrow's construction, deconstruction and inner burial chamber gained valuable information on Neolithic burial culture and social organization during prehistoric Britain.
Location of Hazleton long barrows
[edit]Hazleton long barrows are geologically situated on the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire (51°52'07" N, 01°53'45" W), close to the main A40 road, south of Birmingham and west of Oxford. [3] The long mound of Hazleton barrows is located to the northwest of Hazleton Village, approximately 16 kilometers east of Cheltenham. [3]
Geological description
[edit]
Hazleton long barrows consist of two relics: Hazleton North Cairn and Hazleton South Cairn. [4] The north cairn is located north of Hazleton village, approximately 250 meters above Ordnance Datum on the margin of an unidentified local highpoint. It is grounded on the limestone bedrock, a geological characteristic that originates from the Great Oolite series of the middle Jurassic. [5] Archaeologists also found substantial springs water a kilometer away from the east of Hazleton North Cairn, flowing south-eastwards to the Sherbourne Brook and eventually the River Thames. [5] The landform of North Cairn was better preserved before excavation, as the aerial photograph shot by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England shows, it appears as a trapezoidal earthwork lengthens out to 63 meters and widths out to 22 meters. And after the full excavation and removal of all plough soil, the shape of North Cairn appears as an 'elongated, tapering rectangle some 53m long x 19-8m wide'. [6] And by observing the land surface by which Hazleton North was covered, it was discovered that Hazleton North tomb was built in an abandoned arable area where large trees such as beech and oak was scarce. And to acquire cairn stone resources for building purposes, two quarries were constructed adjacent to the tomb, one to the west and the other to the east, so that fine-grained limestone under the topsoil can be collected for constructing the cairn. Unlike Hazleton North Cairn that has been fully excavated in 1981 by the archaeology team lead by Alan Saville, South Cairn remains an intact earthwork that has not been archaeologically explored, locating at the south of Hazleton village. [6]This unexplored oval-shaped barrow lengthens out to 50 meters (northwest to southeast), widths out to 24.4 meters (southwest to northeast) and 0.9 meters in height. [7]
Archaeological context
[edit]The Neolithic period marked an era of transformation and had significant impact on human cultures, beliefs and interpersonal relationships.[8] The word "Neolithic" describes the later or polished Stone Age; a period characterized by beautiful weapons and instruments made of flint and other kinds of stone'.[8] During this period, the migration of Anatolian farmers occurred in continental Europe and the population began to spread out all over the continent. Such migration brought many innovative subsistence practices compared to lithic period, and it led to a new form of social connection, economy, material culture and inevitably, epidemic possibilities that endanger health.[8] From a sociological and anthropological perspective, the large migration of new population into Britian Isle had led to fundamental changes of British inhabitants in terms of interacting with the landscape, especially when it comes to constructing monuments.[9] Importantly, that is, the treatment of dead bodies had gone through fundamental changes compared to lithic period and those preceding it. [8]
And as far as the inhabitants' lifestyle is concerned, they were experiencing the fundamental transition from the 'hunter-gathering way of life' to a more stable living pattern due to the introduction of crops and domesticated animals.[8] And through the archaeological excavation of Hazleton long barrows, researchers could better identify which attributes of individuals contribute to the inclusion within the ancient tomb and thereby identify leadership during that Neolithic period. [8]
Archaeological excavation of Hazleton North
[edit]
The excavation project was organized by Alan Saville and his team with the support of Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum, staring from 1979 to 1982. Hazleton North was excavated in a technique coined by Professor W.F. Grimes, in which the cairn was dismantled in the opposite order of its construction, so that cairn's parts were properly protected without causing damage. Through this sequence of deconstruction, researchers had come to grasp the way in which Neolithic inhabitants had constructed monuments, especially regarding the logical sequence in which 'retaining walls or revetments were used to consolidate the mass of the structure, exploiting to the full the inherent properties of the local Cotswold limestone as a building materia'.[10] And building stones were collected from adjoining quarries locating at the north and the south of the monument, as archaeologists discovered red-deer-antlers-based picks that were used to extract limestone.[10]
Archaeological Findings and meanings
[edit]Hazleton North contained two burial chambers, the south chamber and the north chamber, which were all in a semi-collapsed condition. [5]However, due to limestone-based alkaline environment, the overall burial chamber was well preserved and allowed for more accurate observation of the mode of burial and specific numbers[5]. In the south chamber archaeologists found remains from 14 adults, 6-11 pre-adults, one foetus, which were placed in two places, one was in the passage and the chamber, and the rest of bones were placed in the entrance.[5] Archaeologists had also discovered the absence of long bones and spotted skulls placed on the edges of the burial chambers.[5]
And in the north chamber, archaeologists found bones remains of 4 adults, 4-6 pre-adults and a foetus, and at the same time one complete, extended adult male inhumed in the same place, as well as remains of two adults and two pre-adults, along with cremated bone of at least one adult and one pre-adult. [5]
And the whole burial chamber was protected by devices such as blocking slabs that guard against invasive access by humans and animals.[5] A typical illustration was from the north chamber, in which a collapse of the cairn stonework occurred yet the blocking slab in the passage preserved which still prevented access to the north chamber.[11]
Overall, the estimated number of burials found in Hazleton long barrows based on archaeological analysis, seems to be 27-30 individuals, evenly distributed in age and sex.[11] These archaeological findings obtained from the excavation of Hazleton North positively support the hypothesis that the whole Hazleton burials commenced in a successive order, in which bodies were decomposed within the tomb and skeletal parts were disarticulated owing to the human-made redistribution during the process of further burial practices.[11] Also, archaeologists have discovered that over 27 individuals were biologically related to the same successive generations of one single family, and the majority were biologically from the same man who had children with four different women.[12] Nevertheless, archaeologists also found genetically unrelated males adopted into the lineage and buried in the same cairn, suggesting that neolithic kinship structure also contains blended families.[citation needed]
The architectural construction of Hazleton North Cairn
[edit]
As the excavation of Hazleton North progresses, the inner Cairn was exposed to archaeologists and several subdivisions of cairn were observed, defined by the regular alignments of units within the general stonework-based sections.[5] These alignments of units appeared to develop a specific pattern of rectangle expanding to from the north to the south, and the southern part of the cairn was separated by an axial east-to-west ridge of stones that are pitched against each other.[5] As these units comprise a massive amount of stones and other deposits that are bound by vertical drystone revetment, the excavation method adhered to these revetments, clearing part or all of the internal mass of its fill so that the revetment can be isolated.[5] As shown in the left side figure, the cellular plan of the cairn is displayed and each excavated unit has been given alphabetic designations.[citation needed]
Nevertheless, the architectural system of these cellular units was not the preliminary part of the cairn construction, as it started with 'dumps of material on the cairns land surface.[5] These dumps were discovered to be made of soil and marl, and they contained three Neolithic sherds, 14 animal bone fragments from poultry including pig, sheep and cattle, and 13 pieces of flint, which suggested a subsistence economy trend involving animal husbandry and butchery practices.[5] And the research on flints and flint-based tools was particularly carried out by Alan Saville, who discovered solid evidence of flint-knapping activities in the forecourt area of the tomb from the Mesolithic site in Gloucestershire, carried by a group of hunter's encampments.[5] The findings from dumps were deemed correlated with the pre-cairn artefact assemblage excavated from the buried soil, indicating cultural activities before the formal monument use.[5]
Radiocarbon examination of Hazleton North burial site
[edit]
The excavation of Hazleton North has produced a substantial quantity of stratified materials for further radiocarbon examination done by AMS: Accelerator Mass Spectrometry.[11] Samples collected from the cairn were sent to the archaeology research lab located in University of Oxford. As one of the chambered tombs from the Gloucestershire hearltland of the Cotswold-Severn group, Hazleton North was the one that had fully undergone excavation and comprehensive radiocarbon-dated examinations.[11] Findings indicated that the Hazleton North tomb was chronologically located in the middle of the fourth millennium BC. Since the burial site was constructed periodically in accordance with chronologically developing cultural activities, the duration of its construction time can be, despite being debatable, compressed into a timescale around c. 3800-3500 BC, for all episodes of cultural activities including pre-cairn activities, construction of cairn, burial deposition practices as well as latter abandonment.[11] Apart from debate, the direct outcome of this dating project was the demonstration that contrary to other Cotswold-Severn tombs, the Hazleton North tomb was used in a short period of time, approximately less than 300 calendar years, as Saville reported. Another findings that supported the short-lived Hazleton barrow hypothesis was that by comparing to other barrows located in the Cotswold-Severn tombs group, Hazleton barrow was the rare one that contained paired cairns, indicating that it is precisely in this circumstance that a short using timespan was expected. [11]
Implications of the radiocarbon examination outcome:
[edit]An updated research project done by Bayliss and Whittle re-dated materials and bones from Hazleton barrow using advanced isotopic analysis techniques and reconfirmed that there was a rather narrow timescale of tomb construction and relevant burial practices at the beginning of the fourth millennium cal BC, around 3700 cal BC, suggesting that Hazleton North was used for short time and abandoned afterwards.[13] However, comparing to other radiocarbon examinations of Cotswold-Severn tombs including Penywrylod Mass grave, West Kennet long barrow, Wayland's Smithy barrow, and Ascott-under-Wychwood, the outcome indicated that the overall Cotswold-Severn tombs was used for a long period of time in terms of burial activities and cairn construction, which was considered poled apart to the existing findings from Hazleton barrow.[11] Such discrepancy of the duration of barrow use challenged the traditional chronological view of Neolithic barrows, implying certain burial privileges conferred upon members of the community in Hazleton barrow.
Post-excavation
[edit]All findings and site records during the Hazleton barrow excavation were sent to the Corinium Museum in Cirencester as collecting points for future archaeological research.[6] Alan Saville and his team also collaborated with the Corinium museum to establish a public display featuring a reconstructed painting of the Hazleton North inner chambers by John Sibbick, based on on-site photos and footage.[6]
See also
[edit]- Cotswold-Severn Group of long barrows
- List of long barrows in the United Kingdom
References
[edit]- ^ Saville, Alan (15 January 2013). Hazleton North: The excavations of a Neolithic long cairn of the Cotswold-Severn group. English Heritage. pp. |page=1. ISBN 978-1-84802-161-7.
- ^ Brown, Mark (22 December 2021). "World's oldest family tree revealed in 5,700-year-old Cotswolds tomb". The Guardian. pp. |page=1. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
- ^ a b Saville, Alan (15 January 2013). Hazleton North: The excavations of a Neolithic long cairn of the Cotswold-Severn group. English Heritage. pp. |page=1. ISBN 978-1-84802-161-7.
- ^ Meadows, John; Barclay, Alistair; Bayliss, Alex (2007). "A Short Passage of Time: the Dating of the Hazleton Long Cairn Revisited". Cambridge Archaeological Journal. 17 (S1): 45–64. doi:10.1017/S0959774307000169. ISSN 1474-0540.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Saville, Alan (15 January 2013). Hazleton North: The excavations of a Neolithic long cairn of the Cotswold-Severn group. English Heritage. pp. |page=1. ISBN 978-1-84802-161-7.
- ^ a b c d Saville, Alan (2010). "Anatomizing an Archaeological Project - Hazleton Revisited". Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society. 128 (1): 9–27.
- ^ Eogan, George (1991). "Hazleton North, Gloucestershire, 1979–82: The Excavation of A Neolithic Long Cairn of the Cotswold-Severn Group. By Alan Saville, with the assistance of Elizabeth Hall and Jon Hoyle and with numerous specialist contributions. 281 pp., 116 illus., 19 microfiche. London: Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England, 1990 (English Heritage Archaeological Report 13). £36.00". Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society. 57 (2): 227–229. doi:10.1017/S0079497X00004722. ISSN 2050-2729.
- ^ a b c d e f "Enriching the Neolithic: The Forgotten People of the Barrows - ProQuest". www.proquest.com. pp. |page=27-402. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
- ^ "Late Stone Age Hunters of the British Isles". Routledge & CRC Press. p. |page=181. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
- ^ a b Alan, Saville (2010). "Anatomizing an archaeological project - Hazleton revisited. Presidential address delivered at Gambier Parry Hall, Highnam, 27 March 2010". ["Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society"] (128): |page=32-42. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Saville, Alan; Gowlett, John A. J.; Hedges, Robert E. M. (March 1987). "Radiocarbon dates from the chambered tomb at Hazleton (Glos.): a chronology for neolithic collective burial". Antiquity. 61 (231): 108–119. doi:10.1017/S0003598X0007263X. ISSN 0003-598X.
- ^ Brown, Mark (22 December 2021). "World's oldest family tree revealed in 5,700-year-old Cotswolds tomb". The Guardian. pp. |page=1. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
- ^ Bayliss, Alex; Whittle, Alasdair William Richardson (2007). Histories of the dead: building chronologies for five southern British long barrows. Cambridge Archaeological Journal. pp. |page=116-117.
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