West Kennet Long Barrow
West Kennet Long Barrow chambered tomb · South Long Barrow
Early Neolithic·Cotswold-Severn Neolithic·🇬🇧 Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom
About
About West Kennet Long Barrow
Early Neolithic chambered long barrow on a chalk ridge 1.5 km south of Avebury, 100 m long trapezoidal mound covering five sarsen burial chambers. Built around 3650 BCE and used for collective inhumations of at least 46 individuals over a millennium. Excavated by Piggott & Atkinson 1955-56 and restored with accessible chambers under English Heritage guardianship.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Why mound was deliberately blocked c.2500 BCE
- 02Selection for collective burial
Theories
- 01Lineage house for farming communities
- 02Territorial claim in early agriculture
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3650 BCE
- Period
- Early Neolithic
- Culture
- Cotswold-Severn Neolithic
- Purpose
- Collective burial and territorial marker
- Abandoned
- c. 2000 BCE
- Rediscovered
- Recorded 1720s Stukeley; excavated 1859, 1955-56
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 3650 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1081 CE
Major expansion
On the ground
Structures & features
51.4085° N · 1.8504° W · 180 m · 2 mapped features
Western Passage Chambers
chamberCentral passage with two side chambers and end chamber
51.4086° N · 1.8506° WForecourt Facade
forecourtSemicircular sarsen forecourt facing southeast
51.4085° N · 1.8500° W
Gallery