Cursuses and related monuments of the British Neolithic
Excavated sites provide the morphological criteria for cursus identification. Two principal plans exist: type A (convex terminals), type B (squared terminals); and three structural forms: ditched enclosures, pit (?post) defined enclosures and linearbanks. Application to cropmarks reveals a continuum from very short (5Om) to greatly elongated sites (564Om), divisible into groups titled MAJOR and MINOR CURSUSES and OBLONG DITCHES. The latter grade into cropmarks of ovate and trapeziform plan necessitating initially common treatment as ELONGATED DITCHES. Some may represent former multiple round barrows but the principal oblong ditch range is set apart. To an even greater degree than cursuses these are concentrated in the Midland/East Anglian region. Despite 1st millennium bc dates for three sites (two European) the majority can be ascribed to the Neolithic. Two types of monument are indicated: long mortuary enclosures and turf built long barrows. Long mortuary enclosures are distinguished from palisade enclosures(mound features) and regarded like shallow flanking ditches elsewhere (eg Dalladies) as delimiting the intended barrow precinct. Mounds probably stood within some priorto plough erosion but the heavy
Loveday, Roy
Archaeology
Cursuses and related monuments of the British Neolithic. Excavated sites provide the morphological criteria for cursus identification. Two principal plans exist: type A (convex terminals), type B (squared terminals); and three structural forms: ditched enclosures, pit (?post) defined enclosures and linearbanks. Application to cropmarks reveals a continuum from very short (5Om) to greatly elongated sites (564Om), divisible into groups titled MAJOR and MINOR CURSUSES and OBLONG DITCHES. The latter grade into cropmarks of ovate and trapeziform plan necessitating initially common treatment as ELONGATED DITCHES. Some may represent former multiple round barrows but the principal oblong ditch range is set apart. To an even greater degree than cursuses these are concentrated in the Midland/East Anglian region. Despite 1st millennium bc dates for three sites (two European) the majority can be ascribed to the Neolithic. Two types of monument are indicated: long mortuary enclosures and turf built long barrows. Long mortuary enclosures are distinguished from palisade enclosures(mound features) and regarded like shallow flanking ditches elsewhere (eg Dalladies) as delimiting the intended barrow precinct. Mounds probably stood within some priorto plough erosion but the heavy
related monument british_neolithic excavated site provide morphological criterion identification two_principal plan exist type terminal type square terminal structural form enclosure pit post define enclosure application cropmarks reveals continuum short greatly elongate site group title major_minor latter grade cropmarks plan necessitate initially common treatment may_represent former multiple round_barrows principal ditch range set_apart even great_degree concentrate midland east_anglian region despite date three_site european majority ascribe neolithic two_type monument indicate long mortuary enclosure build long_barrow long mortuary enclosure distinguish enclosure mound feature regard like shallow flank ditch elsewhere delimit intend barrow precinct probably stand within plough erosion heavy