Epe/Vaassen - Grafheuvellijn - Epe

Many burial mounds from prehistoric times have been found on the Veluwe. What is special is that in the current municipality of Epe there are about 50 burial mounds one behind the other in a straight line of about six kilometers. Research is making it increasingly clear that the location of these burial mounds is […]

Buried in prehistory

A burial mound is a mound built by humans in which the remains of the deceased were buried. This has been happening since the Late Stone Age (ca. 2800 BC). Often the hill was surrounded by a ditch or a row of posts. From the Bronze Age (2000-800 BC), several people (family) were buried in a burial mound. From 800 BC. Until the beginning of our era (Iron Age), the deceased were cremated. Their remains were buried in urns in low burial mounds: the so-called urn fields.

Burial mounds in a straight line

Research increasingly shows that grave monuments are not placed randomly in the landscape. Strange rows of posts, stone circles and sacred paths suggest that there were special transitions to the realm of the dead, surrounded by rituals. The dozens of burial mounds at Epe and Vaassen may be located along a sacred road that runs from the world of the living to the world of the dead. It is certainly no coincidence that the St. Martin’s Church in Epe is located on the same line as the burial mounds. Perhaps the first missionaries joined the ancient local traditions to make the transition from the old faith to Christianity easier.

Monuments from prehistory

Burial mounds now form the largest number of prehistoric, archaeological monuments in the Netherlands. By accurately dating burial mounds, patterns can be discovered that may tell a story about the thinking of our ancestors. There were once thousands of these types of burial mounds clearly visible in the landscape. Nowadays they are sometimes made visible again, such as at Epe and Vaassen.