Julian Cope presents Head Heritage

tiompan,

Maybe they knew the barrows were empty, maybe they didn't. Either way, I suspect that superstition played a big part in the respect shown.

If they did know they were empty, then perhaps they knew that the intention of an empty barrow was a sacred one, and, like the occupied barrows, showed the same respect. After all, there are so many records of empty barrows, so the huge effort in erecting them must have been for a compelling purpose. If not to represent a sacred place, or boundary, then what else?

Records of the respect that the Romans paid to prehistoric sites shows that the aura that those places had continued well after their use. Surely this must have been the case in previous centuries when the hillforts were built.

Cheers,
TE.