Ritual landscapes were created by the introduction of artificial structures or land divisions to emphasize the symbolic or ritual importance of a region, often over a long period of time.
Some of the best known ritual landscapes are located in Wessex, notably the area around Stonehenge, but they are also found in many other parts of prehistoric Europe.
Tombs built of stone and earthen mounds are among the most distinctive structures in these ritual landscapes. Round barrows, long barrows and various types of megalithic structure created the feeling of a relationship between ancestral rights and prestige in the present.
Another element often found in ritual landscapes is the causewayed enclosure. These encircling ditches crossed by irregularly-spaced causeways were popular in the Neolithic when they are thought to have been meeting places. Early examples have burials inside the enclosure and at a number it seems that the dead were exposed before some of the bones were collected and placed in nearby megalithic tombs.
The ditches of these enclosures often contained stone axes, possibly deliberately deposited there as part of ritual activities. Many animal bones and the remains of pottery vessels found in these ditches suggest that feasts were held at these sites.
In addition, a few of the causewayed enclosures were fortified settlements, occasionally with signs of violence.
