As the People of the Heath team is preparing for the next excavation, the enclosed Bulletin 6 provides a detailed report of the dig in June and an outlook on the dig of two barrows on ‘Music hill’ and a third barrow to the north of it from 8th-26th September.

As the four-year project continues, each dig contributes to the overall knowledge of the cemetery and valuable comparisons between barrows provide further clues. For instance barrow 18 close to the pond was made up from different soil to barrow 11 excavated last year, but a similar type of ironstone (or ferruginous sandstone) was found which would not have occurred there naturally. Barrow 21 turned out to be a natural mound, but if this might sound disappointing, the excavation has still contributed importantly to our understanding of the natural environment within which the cemetery is situated and its overall shape and size.

Picture by Stuart Needham