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barrow Grassy burial mound with a few small trees on top, surrounded by fields under a lightly clouded sky in Denmark.
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barrow
barrow Barrow in Kent, Eng.

Barrow

burial mound
Also known as: tumulus
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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Barrow, in England, ancient burial place covered with a large mound of earth. In Scotland, Ireland, and Wales the equivalent term is cairn. Barrows were constructed in England from Neolithic (c. 4000 bc) until late pre-Christian (c. ad 600) times. Barrows of the Neolithic Period were long and contained the various members of a family or clan, while those of the Early Bronze Age (c. 1900 bc) were round in shape and were used to bury a single important individual, perhaps a chief or clan leader. The bodies were placed in stone or wooden vaults, over which large mounds of soil were heaped. Both types of barrows continued to be used in England until the advent of Christianity. Their sites are most common in the county of Wiltshire.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.