"Long barrows, with their massive tapering mounds and hidden burial chambers, bear witness to the architectural proficiency of our ancestors. Built by early farming communities between 4000 and 3000 B.C., they form part of western Europe's earliest surviving architecture. Today they are familiar features of our landscape, with over 200 examples scattered across the picturesque Cotswold Hills, north Wessex Downs, and the hills and vales west of the River Severn." "As well as exploring their design, construction and purpose, and the ceremonies that took place at these impressive structures, Professor Timothy Darvill examines their origins, considers their relationships with similar sites elsewhere in Britain, and shows how they acted as permanent focal points in a changing landscape."--BOOK JACKET.