Adam's Grave

Adam’s Grave is a Neolithic long barrow in Wiltshire, standing on a broad chalk ridge near the village of Alton Barnes. The earth mound is trapezoidal, seventy metres long and seven metres high, flanked by ditches on either side. Its burial chamber, built of sarsen stones, once held partial human skeletons and an arrowhead. John Thurnam partly excavated the site in 1860, uncovering the chamber’s contents. The surrounding countryside contains many similar barrows, making the area archaeologically important. The barrow belongs to the Severn-Cotswold group of chambered tombs, distinguished by their precise trapezoidal shape. Two standing stones, called ‘Old Adam’ and ‘Little Eve’, mark the original entrance and forecourt. Local legend calls the mound the grave of a giant whose ghost is said to wander the downs. In Anglo-Saxon times it was known as Woden’s Barrow, and the Chronicle records two battles fought here in 592 and 715. Visitors find a quiet grassy mound rising above the open landscape, with the sarsen chamber visible at the centre. The flanking ditches create gentle hollows on either side, while the standing stones frame the entrance. From the top there are wide views across the surrounding downs and towards the nearby Avebury complex. The site’s sparse fencing allows close approach, and the lack of modern intrusions preserves its ancient atmosphere.