Excavation and Survey at Dyffryn Lane Henge Complex, Powys, and a Reconsideration of the Dating of Henges

Abstract

The henge monument and round barrow at Dyffryn Lane, near Welshpool, Powys, represent a rare instance of earthwork survival amongst the Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments of the upper Severn Valley. Antiquarian excavation in response to agricultural degradation suggested that the monument represented a round barrow covering a stone circle. Whether these stones represented a stone circlesensu strictoor a stone kerb for a turf barrow, was not determined at the time. Aerial photography subsequently demonstrated that the barrow as surrounded by a single-entranced henge monument. The present excavation was designed to assess the degree of plough damage to the site, determine the nature of the circular arrangement of stones, investigate the development of the site, and retrieve absolute dating and palaeoenvironmental material for the various phases encountered. Excavation has demonstrated that the site saw the ritual deposition of Impressed Ware pottery prior to a stone circle being erected on the site. This circle was allowed to decay before being encircled by a henge and subsequently covered by a round mound. The site adds to a small but growing body of evidence suggesting the lateness of the henge element within multi-phased monuments.