Tumulus

A tumulus (plural tumuli or tumuluses) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or kurgans and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn.

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Scandinavia

Burial mounds were in use until the 11th century in Scandinavia. In their undamaged state they appear as small, man-made hillocks, though many examples have been damaged by ploughing or deliberately damaged so that little visible evidence remains.

Related Topics:
11th century - Ploughing

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By burning the deceased, he was moved to Valhalla by the consuming force of the fire. The fire could reach temperatures of 1500 °C. The remains were covered with cobblestones and then a layer of gravel and sand and finally a thin layer of turf.

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:Thus he (Odin) established by law that all dead men should be burned, and their belongings laid with them upon the pile, and the ashes be cast into the sea or buried in the earth. Thus, said he, every one will come to Valhalla with the riches he had with him upon the pile; and he would also enjoy whatever he himself had buried in the earth. For men of consequence a mound should be raised to their memory, and for all other warriors who had been distinguished for manhood a standing stone; which custom remained long after Odin's time. It was their faith that the higher the smoke arose in the air, the higher he would be raised whose pile it was; and the richer he would be, the more property that was consumed with him. (Ynglinga saga)

Related Topics:
Odin - Ynglinga saga

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As the old Scandinavians worshiped their ancestors, the mounds were also places of worship.

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Of note is King Björn's barrow in Håga (Old Norse name: Haug) near Uppsala. This location has a very strong connection with Björn at Haugi. First, the Nordic Bronze Age barrow gave its name to the location Håga ("the barrow"), which became part of the cognomen of the king, at Haugi ("at the barrow"), and interestingly, the mound was later named after the king.

Related Topics:
Old Norse - Uppsala - Björn at Haugi - Nordic Bronze Age

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Russia and Central Asia

Main article: Kurgan.

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The word kurgan is of Turkicn origin borrowed from Russian language. In the north, there are royal kurgans of Varangian chieftains, such as the Black Grave in Chernigov (excavated in the 19th century), Oleg's Grave in Staraya Ladoga, and vast, intricate Rurik's Hill near Rurikovo gorodische. http://tinyurl.com/6dvm9 Other important kurgans are found in South Russia and are associated with much more ancient steppe peoples, notably the Scythians (e.g., Pazyryk) and Proto-Indo-Europeans (e.g., Ipatovo) The steppe cultures found in South Russia naturally continue into Central Asia, in particular Kazakhstan.

Related Topics:
Kurgan - Turkic - Russian language - Varangian - Black Grave - Chernigov - Oleg - Staraya Ladoga - Rurik - Rurikovo gorodische - Steppe - Scythian - Pazyryk - Proto-Indo-European - Ipatovo - Central Asia - Kazakhstan

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Britain

In Britain, early references to tumuli were made by William Camden, John Aubrey, and William Stukeley. During the 19th century in England the excavation of tumuli was a popular pastime amongst the educated and wealthy middle classes who became known as "barrow-diggers". This leisure activity played a key role in laying the foundations for the scientific study of the past in England.

Related Topics:
Britain - William Camden - John Aubrey - William Stukeley - 19th century - England - Pastime

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Israel

Near the western city limits of modern Jerusalem in Israel, 19 tumuli have been documented (Amiran, 1958). Though first noticed in the 1870s by early surveyors, the first one to be formally documented was Tumulus #2 in 1923 by William Foxwell Albright, and the most recent one (Tumulus #4) was excavated by Gabriel Barkay in 1983. Since 21 kings reigned in Jerusalem during the Israelite monarchy from David to Zedekiah (who was conquered and humiliated by the Chaldean king, Nebuchadnezzar), it is not unreasonable to suspect that these mounds were the locations of ceremonies to mourn/honor them after they had already received proper burial in the royal tombs (probably located in the heart of the city where they could be continuously guarded). See 2 Chronicles 16:14, 21:19 (which states that King Jehoram was not given this honor), 32:33, the book of Jeremiah 34:5 (a conditional promise for Zedekiah that he did not earn), and Biblical archaeology. Gabriel Barkay popularized this theory after studying tumuli near Salamis in Cyprus. More than half of these ancient Israeli structures have now been threatened or obliterated by modern construction projects, including Tumulus #4, which was excavated hastily in a salvage operation. The most noteworthy finds from this dig were two LMLK seal impressions and two other handles with associated Concentric Circle incisions, all of which suggests this tumulus belonged to either King Hezekiah (Barkay, 2003, p. 68) or his son Manasseh (Grena, 2004, p. 326).

Related Topics:
Jerusalem - Israel - William Foxwell Albright - Gabriel Barkay - Israelite - David - Zedekiah - Chaldea - Nebuchadnezzar - 2 Chronicles - Jehoram - Book of Jeremiah - Biblical archaeology - Cyprus - LMLK seal - Hezekiah - Manasseh

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Japan

In Japan, powerful leaders built tumuli known as kofun. The Kofun period of Japanese history takes its name from these burial mounds. The largest is over 400 meters in length. In addition to other shapes, kofun include a keyhole shape.

Related Topics:
Japan - Kofun

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U.S.A.

Mound building was a central feature of the public architecture of many Native American cultures from Chile to Minnesota. Thousands of mounds in the USA have been destroyed as a result of farming, pot-hunting, amateur and professional archaeology, road-building and construction. Surviving mounds are still found in river valleys, especially along the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio Rivers.

Related Topics:
Architecture - Native American - Mississippi

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Mounds were used for burial, to support residential and religious structures, to represent a shared cosmology, and to unite and demarcate community. Common forms include conical mounds, ridge-top mounds, platform mounds, and animal effigy mounds, but there are many variations. Mound building in the USA is believed to date back to at least 1200 BCE in the Southeast (see Poverty Point), and recent research shows that it may predate that as well. The Adena and Mississippian cultures are principally known for their mounds. The largest mound site north of Mexico is Cahokia, a vast World Heritage Site located just east of St. Louis, Missouri. The most visually impressive mound site (due to the area being free of trees) is in Moundville, Alabama.

Related Topics:
Cosmology - Platform mound - Effigy - BCE - Poverty Point - Adena - Mississippian - Mexico - Cahokia - World Heritage Site - Moundville, Alabama

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The Czech Republic

During the early Middle Ages, Slavic tribesmen inhabiting Czech lands used to bury their dead under barrows. This practice has been widespread in southern and eastern Bohemia and some neighboring regions, like Upper_Austria and Lusatia, which at that time have been also populated with Slavic people. However, there are no known Slavic barrows in central part of the country (around Prague), neither they are found in Moravia. This has led some of the archaeologists to speculations about at least three distinct waves of Slavic settlers, which have colonized Czech lands separately from each other, each wave bringing its customs with it (including burial rituals).

Related Topics:
Middle Ages - Slavic - Bohemia - Upper_Austria - Lusatia - Prague - Moravia

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At places where barrows have been constructed, they are usually found in groups (10 to 100 together), often forming several clearly distinct lines going from the west to the east. Only a few of them have been studied scientifically so far; in them, both burials by fire (with burnt ashes) and unburnt skeletons have been found, even on the same site. It seems that builders of the barrows have at some time switched from burials by fire to burying of unburnt corpses; however, the reason for such change is unknown. The barrows date too much back to history (700 AD to 800 AD) to contain any Christian influences - it is almost certain that all people buried in them were pagans.

Related Topics:
Christian - Pagans

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As Czech barrows usually served for burials of poor villagers, only a few objects are found in them except for cheap potestry. Only one Slavic barrow is known to have contained gold.

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Most of the burial barrows in Czechia have been damaged or destroyed by intense agriculture in the densely populated region. Those which remain are usually located in forests, especially at hilltops in remote places. Therefore there is no general knowledge about burial barrows in Czech population.

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The best Slavic barrow sites can be found near to Vitín, a small village close to ?eské Bud?jovice (also known as Budweis). There are two groups of barrows close to Vitín, each containing about 80 barrows ordered in lines. Some of the barrows are as much as 2 meters high.

Related Topics:
Vitín - ?eské Bud?jovice

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There are also some prehistoric burial barrows in Czechia, built by unknown people. Unlike Slavic barrows, they can be found all across the country, though they are scarce. Distinguishing them from Slavic ones is not an easy task for the unskilled eye.

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