Introduction
The territory of the UK is rich in numerous valuable archaeological sites. For instance, archaeologists have discovered and explored loads of areas with finds dating back to the Neolithic period. Crickley Hill, Belas Knap and Nympsfield Long Barrow are sites which can reveal secrets of this period as well as later periods of the development of the human society.
Crickley Hill
The first site to be considered is Crickley Hill. The site is situated in Gloucestershire, and the settlement dates back to ca. 7-6th century BC (Adams 16). The excavation started in the late 1960s at the site and lasted from 1970s to 1990s (Darvill 59). It is found that the territory was inhabited in the period between 4000 BC and 500 AD (Harding 84). The settlements were Neolithic, Iron Age and Post Roman. The site has great archaeological value as it helps understand the way human society developed in this part of the world.
Belas Knap
Belas Knap is another amazing archaeological site which sheds light on the Neolithic period. The site is situated in Gloucestershire as well, but the site became known to researchers much earlier than the previous one as the excavations started in the 1860s (Knusel & Smith 115). This site dates back to 3000 BC, and it is a complex of four chambers (Daniel 74). It is regarded as one of the best burial chambers in England (North 121).
It is also associated with Druidism as the outline of the chamber is similar to other burial chambers arranged by druids (Kendrick 165). Admittedly, this site has been explored extensively, and it seems there can be no questions. However, it is also clear that the site can reveal much more secrets concerning the life in the Neolithic and Iron Age periods. The site is also remarkable as it sheds light on one of the most questionable religious practices in the history of humanity.
Nympsfield Long Barrow
Nympsfield Long Barrow is one more valuable archaeological site. This burial site is located in Gloucestershire, and it also has several chambers (Hooke 47). There were three major excavations which took place in 1862, 1937 and in 1974 (Colledge et al. 319). This burial complex dates back to 2800 BC. It is also quite big, and it could be arranged for thirty corpses, and those people were buried in accordance with the beliefs of the Neolithic period (Bingham 3). Like in any other set of burial chambers, there were weapons, tools and other objects which could be necessary for those people’s afterlife.
Conclusion
To sum up, it is possible to note that the three archaeological sites considered above have a great historical and cultural value as they help people unveil secrets of previous generations. Analysis of the construction and objects found in the site has helped researchers learn about life in such periods as Neolithic, Iron Age and Post Roman. These sites should be some of the first stops of a novice archaeologist as they tell the story of the earliest settlements and cultures. This is the basis of the further development of human society in the area. These sites also help trace the changes which took place between 4000 BC and the first century AD. Interactions of different people and different cultures are also revealed in the sites.
Works Cited
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Bingham, Jane. The Costwolds: A Cultural History. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print.
Colledge, Sue, James Conolly, Keith Dobney, Katie Manning, and Stephen Shennan. Origins and Spread of Domestic Animals in Southwest Asia and Europe. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, 2013. Print.
Daniel, Glyn E. The Prehistoric Chamber Tombs of England and Wales. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013. Print.
Darvill, Timothy. Prehistoric Britain. London: Routledge, 2002. Print.
Harding, Dennis. Iron Age Hillforts in Britain and Beyond. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print.
Hooke, Della. Trees in Anglo-Saxon England: Literature, Lore and Landscape. Suffolk: Boydell & Brewer, 2010. Print.
Kendrick, T.D. Druids and Druidism. London: Courier Dover Publications, 2011. Print.
Knusel, Christopher, and Martin Smith. The Routledge Handbook of the Bioarchaeology of Human Conflict. New York, NY: Routledge, 2013. Print.
North, John. Stonehenge. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 2007. Print.