Illustration
Bant's Carn is a Scillionian entrance grave in very well-preserved condition. It is located on the island of St. Mary's in the Isles of Scilly, UK. It was excavated in 1900 by the archaeologist George Bonsor where he found piles of cremated bones at the end of the chamber as well as Bronze Age pottery shards. The burial chamber is surrounded by a round cairn that is surrounded by a stone kerb.
Even though human remains were found at the site, archaeologists believe that entrance graves such as this one were not only used as graves, but may have had other ritual uses.
The burial chamber dates back to the Bronze Age (c. 2500 to 800 BCE) and is now surrounded by the ruins of the later Halangy Down settlement which dates to the Iron Age (c. 300 BCE) and the early Middle Ages (c. 600 CE). The inhabitants of the settlement did not take stones from the cairn, apparently respecting the much older site. There is also a prehistoric field system adjacent to the site, which is maintained by English Heritage.
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References
- History of Bant’s Carn Burial Chamber and Halangy Down Ancient Village | English Heritage, accessed 15 Apr 2024.
- Ratcliffe, Jeanette. Scilly's Archaeological Heritage. Twelveheads Press, 1992.
Cite This Work
APA Style
Crabben, J. v. d. (2024, April 16). Bant's Carn Entrance Grave. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18830/bants-carn-entrance-grave/
Chicago Style
Crabben, Jan van der. "Bant's Carn Entrance Grave." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified April 16, 2024. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18830/bants-carn-entrance-grave/.
MLA Style
Crabben, Jan van der. "Bant's Carn Entrance Grave." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 16 Apr 2024. Web. 22 Feb 2025.
