Adam's Grave facts for kids
Adam's Grave is a very old burial mound, called a long barrow, located near Alton Barnes in Wiltshire, southwest England. It was built a long, long time ago during the Neolithic period, which is also known as the New Stone Age. Today, it is protected as an ancient monument because it's an important historical site.
What is Adam's Grave?
Adam's Grave is a special type of long barrow known as a Severn-Cotswold tomb. These tombs were carefully built. They usually look like long, wide mounds of earth. Inside, they have burial chambers. This is why they are called a type of chambered long barrow.
How Was It Built?
The burial chamber at Adam's Grave was made from large stones called sarsen stones. When people explored the chamber, they found parts of human skeletons. They also found an arrowhead, which is a tool or weapon used in ancient times.
The mound itself is quite large. It is about 70 metres (230 ft) (230 feet) long and around 7 metres (23 ft) (23 feet) high. There are ditches on both sides of the mound.
Discoveries and Importance
In 1860, a person named John Thurnam partly dug up (excavated) Adam's Grave. This helped us learn more about it. The area around Adam's Grave is very important for history. Many other long barrows are found nearby. This shows that the area was significant to people in the Stone Age.
Legends and Old Names
The way the stones are placed around Adam's Grave suggests there might have been a special border or entrance area. Two of these stones are known as 'Old Adam' and 'Little Eve'. They are close to where the entrance to the barrow used to be.
According to old stories, called folklore, people believed Adam's Grave was the burial place of a giant. Some even said they saw the giant's ghost! People have also suggested that Adam's Grave might be connected to Avebury, another famous ancient site.
During the time of the Anglo-Saxons, this place had a different name. It was called "Woden's Barrow" (which means "Woden's Hill" in Old English). The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, an old historical record, mentions two battles that happened here. These battles took place in 592 and 715.
