During the early Neolithic period, many people were buried in communal tombs. The burial rites are varied; often the bones were de-fleshed before finally being deposited. This might have occurred at a different site or within the burial chamber. The tomb could be re-used over a period of years and on some sites the bones of over 50 people have been found.

In southern and eastern England communal tombs take the form of long barrows while in the west and north, megalithic tombs are constructed from stone (megalith means ‘large stone’). The simplest ‘earthen’ long barrows cover a wooden chamber, though more elaborate structures are known. Sites such as Hazleton North in Gloucestershire used stone to build the chambers. The tombs would not have been covered with earth until the final burial had taken place. Until that time, they would have stood above ground and accessible for new burials. The tombs could finally be sealed using more stones.

Personal grave goods are rarely found in these collective tombs. There is evidence for the deliberate selection and repositioning of bones as part of an elaborate funerary process. It is thought that this points to a belief system where after death individuals underwent a process of transformation and joined their ancestors.