Tuesday 22 May 2012

Taphophile Tragics


Neolithic barrows near Stonehenge

Barrows are Neolithic burial mounds. These ones are part of the Stonehenge Cursus situated next to Stonehenge in Wiltshire. I think this photo was taken from the road. The barrows are the raised mounds  running across the centre of the shot.

This is an entry in Julie's Taphophile Tragics meme.

11 comments:

Dina said...

When you snapped this picture you probably didn't imagine that someday it would fit a grave meme.

I knew tumulus but not barrow. Thanks for the new word and your links.

Ann said...

Dina, I was amazed at how many photos I've taken over the years that fit the meme. I haven't done any travelling since Julie started it.

Jim said...

The greens are so green.

Mark said...

This is a lovely part of England. I lived nearby for a year. Avebury was a big favourite.

Gemma Wiseman said...

Love how the countryside has been retained around the barrows and there's no intrusive building! Beautiful view!

SeaThreePeeO said...

Fantastic picture. There is an Iron age barrow just up the raod from me in Taplow. I have never seen it, something I hope to change.

Herding Cats

hamilton said...

How nice that it has not been built up with 20thC development (apart from the roadway...)

Francisca said...

And to think it predates Stonehenge! I'd never heard of the Cursus nor did I know about such group internments in long barrows. There are quite a few of them all over the UK, I just learned.

Julie said...

Indeed, all this is new to me, also. I knew nowt of barrows or tumulus, Avebury or Curcus.

But i googled Avebury (thanks, Mark) and the satellite view is just terrific. I think I can even make out the mounds.

I had always thought SH to be a massive imposing place, but read a couple of years ago that the stones are not really all that tall. And the crowds are really really bad, even in the winter.

Glad that you can use these old travel shots. They sure do make fascinating viewing/reading for those of us who did not spend our youth travelling.

Julie said...

Wiki lists about a dozen types of 'barrows' and also suggests that a h'howe' is a form of bowl-barrow.

One is never to old to be fascinated by all this burial stuff ...

Dina said...

Ann, yeah I know what you mean. I already had enough cemetery photos for the next decade of the meme. I guess we were all taphophiles before and didn't know it.