Posted on 05/12/2007 10:43:08 AM PDT by blam
Work begins to uncover secrets of Silbury Hill
By Richard Savill
Last Updated: 2:26am BST 12/05/2007
Work began yesterday to save an ancient landmark in Wiltshire from collapsing.
Silbury Hill, which at 130 feet high is the largest prehistoric man-made construction in Europe, continues to mystify archaeologists.
English Heritage is to spend £600,000 this summer trying to preserve the mound.
Specialist engineers will enter the mound through a tunnel which was dug in 1968 by a team led by the archaeologist, Prof Richard Atkinson. That tunnel was the last of three made over two centuries by archaeologists.
The original purpose and use of the hill, which is south of the village of Avebury, is still a mystery. Theories suggest it was either a burial mound, a solar observatory or a representation of a Neolithic goddess.
"It is very unlikely we will ever know why it was built," said Robert Bewley, English Heritage regional director for the South West.
"But this project may give us a better idea of when it was built and how it was built. That could provide us with further clues as to why it was built."
On Thursday archaeologists found the small end of an antler outside the tunnel. "This shows they could only use the antlers of deer and pickaxes," Mr Bewley said. "Their tools were very simple so it was a phenomenal achievement to build a mound like that.
"We know from Prof Atkinson's investigation there were at least two phases of construction. We hope to clarify how long it took to build the mound, which may have been a generation or more."
Engineers yesterday prised open the door of the 1968 tunnel. They will repack every inch of the 40-year-old tunnel as they withdraw to make sure it is stable. A number of craters on the hill will also be refilled.
Earlier this year, archaeologists found traces of a Roman settlement at the landmark. They believe the site may have been a place of pilgrimage 2,000 years ago.
Mr Bewley said: "The hill has been a stunning part of the Wiltshire landscape for 4,400 years and we hope the work we do this summer will stabilise its structure and keep it safe for many years to come."
Ah yes. Wodenes Dyke.
"In its most perfect state it began at Andover, in Hampshire, ran through the counties of Berkshire, Wiltshire, and Somersetshire, and terminated in the “Severn Sea” or Bristol Channel. It was called Wodenes Dyke by the Saxons, contracted into Wondes-dyke, and corrupted to Wans-dyke, as Wodenes-daeg is into Wednes-day."
Ah found ma thrill, on Silbury Hilllll.... Sing it Fats!
They needed a plateau to hang-glide from.
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba49/ba49news.html#inbrief
Dyke redated
Wat’s Dyke,a 40 mile earthwork which runs parallel to Offa’s Dyke in the Welsh Marches, has been dated to the 5th century. The dyke was assumed to be a near-contemporary predecessor of Offa’s Dyke, built by the 8th century Mercian king. But excavations at Maes-y-Clawdd near Oswestry by Shropshire’s archaeological service have uncovered a small fire site, eroded shards of Romano-British pottery and quantities of charcoal, radiocarbon dated to between AD411-561. The discovery appears to link the dyke with the post-Roman kingdom which centred on Wroxeter.
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Gods |
Just updating the GGG info, not sending a general distribution. |
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