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| This is a fantastic find - it is curious that the 'halls' were burned down before the long barrows were constructed. We touched on this in the thread 'Neolithic Settlement' when an extract from Barry Cunliffe's book Britain Begins was quoted (by meself) to suggest they may have be burned down in a hostile attack. Tiompan said in the old ways of Romany gypsies the head person's caravan was always burned when they died. Here is the extract referred to: Perhaps the most striking characteristic of the early phase of settlement is the appearance of large rectangular timber-built houses or halls as they may more appropriately be called. They have been found across Britain from White Horse Stone and Yarnton near Oxford to a number of finely preserved structures in eastern Scotland. A comparable example has been excavated at Llandegai near Bangor in north Wales, while at least forty-six rectangular houses have so far been identified in Ireland. Although there is some variation in size and structural detail, all are imposing structures representing the concerted effort of the community working together to identify, cut, haul, and erect timbers. Many of the larger buildings show a marked similarity in plan, size, and internal layout, having partitioning dividing the large enclosed space into discrete areas for different functions. Clearly we are dealing with a tradition of building. The halls represented the desire of the social group to make a mark on the landscape – to create a ‘place’. Their very existence is symbolic of the community’s willingness and ability to work together. Thus they represent group cohesion, but how did they actually function? They could have housed extended families, the larger examples being capable of sheltering between twenty and twenty-five households, but they could equally well have been communal buildings used for assemblies or reserved for the performance of specific rites. Nor is it impossible that they were multifunctional. That three of the large Scottish halls, Claish, Crathes, and Balbridie, were all burnt down hints at the possibility of a ritual end, the burning representing a deliberate act of closure. If the halls had been the residences of the elite, then the death of a prominent member may have been the occasion. If they were communal structures, termination by fire might have been associated with the idea of social renewal. We can speculate, but are unlikely to ever know. Reply | with quote |  30th July 2013ce 14:48 In reply to: Two 6,000-Year-Old 'Halls of the Dead' Unearthed (moss) |
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