Editing Addington Long Barrow (section)

{{short description|Chambered long barrow in Kent, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2015}}
{{Infobox museum
|name          = Addington Long Barrow
|image         = Addington Long Barrow, north side of road 01.jpg
|caption       = View of the damaged burial chamber
|map_type      = Kent
|map_caption   = Location within Kent
|latitude      = 
|longitude     = 
|established   = 
|dissolved     = 
|location      = [[Addington, Kent|Addington]], [[Kent]]
|type          = [[Long barrow]]
|visitors      = 
|director      = 
|curator       = 
|publictransit = 
|website       = 
}}

'''Addington Long Barrow''' is a [[chambered long barrow]] located near the village of [[Addington, Kent|Addington]] in the southeastern English county of [[Kent]]. Probably constructed in the [[4th millennium BC|fourth millennium BCE]], during [[Neolithic British Isles|Britain's Early Neolithic period]], today it survives only in a [[Ruins|ruined state]]. Built of earth and about fifty local [[sarsen]] [[megalith]]s, the long barrow consisted of a sub-rectangular earthen [[tumulus]] enclosed by [[Megalithic architectural elements|kerb-stones]]. Collapsed stones on the northeastern end of the chamber probably once formed a stone chamber in which human remains might have been deposited, though none have been discovered.

[[Archaeology|Archaeologists]] have established that the monument was built by [[pastoralism|pastoralist]] communities shortly after the introduction of agriculture to Britain from continental Europe. Although representing part of an architectural tradition of [[long barrow]] building that was widespread across Neolithic Europe, Addington Long Barrow belongs to a localised regional variant of barrows produced in the vicinity of the [[River Medway]], now known as the [[Medway Megaliths]]. Of these, it lies near to both [[Chestnuts Long Barrow]] and [[Coldrum Long Barrow]] on the western side of the river. Two further surviving long barrows, [[Kit's Coty House]] and [[Little Kit's Coty House]], as well as the destroyed [[Smythe's Megalith]] and possible survivals such as the [[Coffin Stone]] and [[White Horse Stone]], are located on the Medway's eastern side.

After the Early Neolithic, the long barrow fell into ruins, with a small road being built through the centre of the monument by the 19th century at the latest. Local [[folklore]] grew up around the site, associating it with the [[countless stones]] motif. The ruin attracted the interest of [[antiquarianism|antiquarians]] in the early 18th century, and was studied by local archaeologists in the 20th. Both it and the nearby Chestnuts Long Barrow are on private land and are no longer (as of October 2019) accessible to the public.