people living a nomadic or semi-nomadic life. It is apparent that although a common material culture was shared throughout most of the British Isles in this period, there was great regional variation regarding the nature and distribution of settlement, architectural styles, and the use of natural resources. Stour Long Barrows Across Western Europe, the Early Neolithic marked the first period in which humans built monumental structures in the landscape. These were tombs that held the physical remains of the dead, and though sometimes constructed out of timber, many were built using large stones, now known as "megaliths". Individuals were rarely buried alone in the Early Neolithic, instead being interred in collective burials with other members of their community. The construction of these collective burial monumental tombs, both wooden and megalithic, began in continental Europe before being adopted in Britain in the first half of the fourth millennium BCE. Many archaeologists have suggested that this is evidence for an Early Neolithic ancestor cult revolving around veneration of the spirits of the dead. Given that other rites may have taken place around these long barrows, the historian Ronald Hutton termed them "tomb-shrines" to reflect their dual purpose. In Britain, these long barrows were typically located on prominent hills and slopes overlooking the surrounding landscape, perhaps at the junction between different territories. The archaeologist Caroline Malone noted that the tombs would have served as one of a variety of markers in the landscape that conveyed information on "territory, political allegiance, ownership, and ancestors". Many archaeologists have subscribed to the idea that these tomb-shrines served as territorial markers between different tribal groups, although others have argued that such markers would be of little use to a nomadic herding society. Instead, it has been suggested that they were markers along herding pathways. Many archaeologists have suggested that the construction of such monuments reflects an attempt to stamp control and ownership over the land, thus representing a change in mindset brought about by Neolithicisation. Others have suggested that these monuments were built on sites already deemed sacred by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. Archaeologists are aware of around twelve Neolithic long barrows located in Kent. The best known are the Medway Megaliths found in the vicinity of the River Medway, each of which contains a stone burial chamber: the Coldrum Stones, Addington Long Barrow, Chestnuts Long Barrow, Kit's Coty House, Little Kit's Coty House, (the destroyed) Smythe's Megalith, and