Excavation, Analysis and Interpretation of Early Bronze Age Barrows at Guiting Power, Gloucestershire

Excavation, Analysis and Interpretation of Early Bronze Age Barrows at Guiting Power, Gloucestershire covers the full excavation, analysis and interpretation of two early Bronze Age round barrows at Guiting Power in the Cotswolds, a region where investigation and protection of such sites have been extremely poor, with many barrows unnecessarily lost to erosion, and with most existing excavation partial, and of low quality. One monument, Guiting Power 1, typical of many others in the region in terms of general form, was investigated to assess how far surviving evidence could be used to indicate original structure, as a basis for discussion of function as a funerary and ritual site.

The project is paired with the full excavation of a larger round barrow, of similar date, nearby, at Guiting Power 3 in the valley below. Both sites have been considered within their local environment and as part of the general pattern of settlement. The monuments have also provided data for a programme of experimental investigation of prehistoric cremation.

Discovery of a post ring with well-preserved basal structures, sealed under an early bronze age round barrow at Guiting Power 3, enables detailed analysis of its structure, associations, and place in the sequence. This review of a sample of other post rings from southern and western Britain places the example from Guiting Power within its archaeological context.

Table of Contents:
Analysis of an Early Bronze Age Round Barrow: A Case Study at Guiting Power 1, Glos. (UK) ;
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE SITE ;
SECTION 2: OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT ;
SECTION 3: METHODS FOR INVESTIGATION OF THE SITE ;
SECTION 4: STRUCTURAL SEQUENCE AT THE SITE ;
SECTION 5: GENERAL DISCUSSION OF THE SITE ;
SECTION 6: FINDS AND SAMPLES FROM THE SITE ;
SECTION 7: SUPPLEMENTARY STUDIES ;
SUPPLEMENTARY STUDY A: Round barrows in the northern Cotswolds: current state of preservation in a selected study area ;
SUPPLEMENTARY STUDY B: Summary of published data on excavated round barrows from the Cotswold region ;
SUPPLEMENTARY STUDY C: Other round barrows in the area: data from geophysical survey ;
SECTION 8: APPENDICES ;
SECTION 9: SUPPORTING INFORMATION/SOURCES ;
SECTION 10: FIGURES AND PLATES ;

Interpretation of an Early Bronze Age Round Barrow: Excavation of the Monument at Guiting Power 3, Glos. (UK) ;
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE SITE ;
SECTION 2: OBJECTIVES AND METHODS FOR INVESTIGATION OF THE SITE ;
SECTION 3: STRUCTURAL SEQUENCE AT THE SITE ;
SECTION 4: GENERAL DISCUSSION OF THE SITE ;
SECTION 5: FINDS AND SAMPLES FROM THE SITE ;
SECTION 6: SUPPORTING INFORMATION/ SOURCES ;
SECTION 7: FIGURES AND PLATES ;

A Brief Review of Post Rings Associated With Earlier Bronze Age Round Barrows in Southern Britain: A Context for the Example at Guiting Power 3, Glos. (UK) ;
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION ;
SECTION 2: REVIEW OF PUBLISHED INFORMATION ;
SECTION 3: SUMMARIES OF INDIVIDUAL POST RINGS ;
SECTION 4: GENERAL DISCUSSION ;
SECTION 5: SOURCES OF INFORMATION ;
SECTION 6: FIGURES

About the Author :
Alistair Marshall has a formal background in archaeology and the natural sciences, general interests in European prehistory, and is currently developing various projects including: application of remote sensing, from broader study of landscapes to detailed interpretation of ritual monuments with related experimental work; structural analysis of megalithic sites, with especial reference to interpretation of axial alignment; investigation of broader aspects of tribal economies during the later Iron Age in Britain and Northwestern Europe.