- La Hougue Bie
La Hougue Bie is a historic site in the Parish of
Grouville ,Jersey .The site consists of a 20 metre long passage chamber covered by a 12 metre high earth mound. The site was first excavated in 1925 by the
Société Jersiaise . Fragments of twenty vase supports were found along with the scattered remains of at least eight individuals. Gravegoods, mostly pottery was also present. At some time in the past, the site had evidently been entered and ransacked. On top of the mound were built two Medieval chapels. TheChannel Islands (in contrast with mainlandBrittany , where they are rare), have fivepassage grave s with side chambers (La Hougue Bie, Faldouet and Grantez in Jersey, La Varde and Le Déhus inGuernsey ). La Hougue Bie is aNeolithic ritual site which was in use around 3500 BC. InWestern Europe , it is one of the largest and best preservedpassage graves . Although they are termed "passage graves", they were ceremonial sites, whose function was more similar to churches orcathedral s, where burials were incidental. Since the excavations and restoration of the original entrance of the passage observations from inside the tomb at sunrise on the spring and autumnequinox have revealed that the orientation of the passage allows the sun's rays to shine through to the chamber entering the back recess of the terminal cell. Although many passage graves showed evidence of continued activity into theLate Neolithic period, La Hougue Bie was abandoned before that time. [cite book|title=Statements in Stone: Monuments and Society in Neolithic Europe|author= Mark Patton|year= 1993|publisher=Routledge (UK)|url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0415067294&id=169_3pCX9EUC&pg=PA96&lpg=PA96&ots=b-yvovCtRv&dq=%22La+Hougue+Bie%22&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html&sig=Y9S5BAodEkc7S_J6iCqQxotYSng|id=ISBN 0415067294] [cite book|title=Environmental Archaeology and the Social Order |author= John G. Evans|year=2003|publisher=Routledge (UK)|url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0415304032&id=muu6iKGfzuIC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&ots=v72-oJgMEU&dq=%22La+Hougue+Bie%22&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html&sig=vST-hui-FI16GV6XtDxPSl7Q2zY|id=ISBN 0415304032] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/jersey/4364185.stm Hundreds expected at burial site]BBC News , (19 March, 2005).]"Hougue" is a
Jèrriais /Norman language word meaning a "mound", and comes from theOld Norse "haugr".The site is managed by
Jersey Heritage . Atop the mound is a medieval chapel. This bulding has been altered a great deal through its history - including being engulfed for a period by a grand castle structure. DuringWorld War II it was used as a key lookout point, and an underground command bunker was built in the mound and adjacent. This structure is open to the public, and houses an exhibition commemorating the workers from across Europe forced to build defences in Jersey during the German occupation.The site also houses the island's Archeology and Geology Museum.
ee also
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Jersey Dolmens References
Further reading
*"The Archaeology of the Channel Islands. Vol. 2: The Bailiwick of Jersey" by Jacquetta Hawkes (1939)
*"The Prehistoric Foundations of Europe to the Mycenean Age", 1940, C. F. C. Hawkes
*"The Archaeology and Early History of the Channel Islands", Heather Sebire, 2005.
*"Dolmens of Jersey: A Guide", James Hibbs (1988).
*"A Guide to The Dolmens of Jersey, Peter Hunt", Société Jersiaise, 1998.
*"Hougue Bie, Mark Patton, Warwick Rodwell", Olga Finch, 1999
*"The Channel Islands, An Archaeological Guide", David Johnston, 1981
*"The Archaeology of the Channel Islands", Peter Johnston, 1986
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