tumulus

[ too-myuh-luhs, tyoo- ]

noun

, plural tu·mu·lus·es, tu·mu·li [too, -my, uh, -lahy, tyoo, -].

1. Archaeology. an artificial mound, especially over a grave; barrow.
2. Geology. a domelike swelling or mound formed in congealed lava.

tumulus

/ ˈtjuːmjʊləs /

noun

1. archaeol (no longer in technical usage) another word for barrow 2

Word History and Origins

Origin of tumulus¹

1680–90; < Latin: mound, swelling, equivalent to tum ( ēre ) to swell + -ulus -ule

Word History and Origins

Origin of tumulus¹

C17: from Latin: a hillock, from tumēre to swell up

Example Sentences

Last summer, archaeologists and a metal detectorist conducted a small survey of the tumulus on behalf of the Norwegian Directorate for Culture Heritage.

From New York Times

The stones, or menhirs — some as tall as six feet — buttressed a massive capstone set in a tumulus, or a mound of earth and pebbles.

From New York Times

“I didn’t know there was a tumulus in it.”

From Literature

Bassett said he was sitting on a pile of boulders when he realized that the rocks were the top layer of a tumulus, an archaeological term for a burial chamber or sepulcher.

From Washington Times

It's possible, he said, that when pyramid building came into fashion at Sedeinga it was combined with a local circle-building tradition called tumulus construction, resulting in pyramids with circles within them.

From Scientific American