Ancient Cities of the Dead Revisited: Early burial cairn investigations in Victoria

Darcy Mathews is cw:rendy working towards his master's degree in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Victoria. He is also a senior archaeologist with Millennia Research. His ongoing research is on the spatial and morphological analysis of the Rocky Point burial cairn cemetery in Metchosin. Located southwest of Victoria, this site has over three hundred cairns and mounds. The early cairn investigations outlined in this article have obvious
relevance to Darcy's ongoing research at Rocky Point. In addition to work at Rocky Point, Darcy's current research interests include the use of material culture in mortuary ritual, GIS spatial analysis, landscape archaeology and the role of social memory and identity in the archaeological record.