Tumulus - Types of Barrows

Types of Barrows

Archaeologists often classify tumuli according to their location, form, and date of construction. See also mound and howe. Some British types are listed below:

• Bank barrow
• Bell barrow
• Bowl barrow
• D-shaped barrow, round barrow with a purposely flat edge at one side often defined by stone slabs
• Disc barrow
• Fancy barrow, generic term for any Bronze Age barrows more elaborate than a simple hemispherical shape.
• Long barrow
• Oval barrow, Neolithic long barrow consisting of an elliptical, rather than rectangular or trapezoidal mound
• Platform barrow, The least common of the recognised types of round barrow, consisting of a flat, wide circular mound that may be surrounded by a ditch. They occur widely across southern England with a marked concentration in East and West Sussex.
• Pond barrow, a barrow consisting of a shallow circular depression, surrounded by a bank running around the rim of the depression, from the Bronze age
• Ring barrow, a bank that encircles a number of burials
• Round barrow, a circular feature created by the Bronze Age peoples of Britain and also the later Romans, Vikings, and Saxons Divided into subclasses such as saucer and bell barrow—the Six Hills are a rare Roman example
• Saucer barrow, circular Bronze Age barrow that features a low, wide mound surrounded by a ditch that may have an external bank
• Square barrow, burial site, usually of Iron Age date, consisting of a small, square, ditched enclosure surrounding a central burial, which may also have been covered by a mound