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Silbury Hill - Facts and Figures

It's 4,400 years old and the biggest in Europe... So who made it? and why?

The Hill With The Hole
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Film maker:	蜜芽传媒 Points West
Length:	2:14 mins

It's the largest artificial prehistoric mound in Europe, stands over 40 metres (130 feet) tall, and is hard to miss in the Neolithic landscape around Avebury.

Boasting a foot print circumference of over 500m (1640 feet), and a bulk volume of nearly 340,000 cubic metres (12 million cubic feet), work first began on the mound back in 2660 BC.听 Built piecemeal, the mound is thought to have grown through several 'small construction events' before being finished off with a mound of chalk quarried from the surrounding ditch.

Although the summit of the hill may have originally been more domed shaped it is thought that it was truncated at a later date, during the Saxon or Norman periods, to give it the distinctive pudding basin shape we see today.

It's also thought that the series of medieval postholes and arrowheads, unearthed on Silbury's flat top, suggest that the mound may have been recruited as a lookout post or signal station.

Despite a few modifications, over it's 4,400 years, the biggest change to the look of Silbury occurred in 2000 when the ancient monument began to collapse and a hole appeared at the top of the mound.

But eight years, and 拢1.66 million, on and the prehistoric mound has not only been repacked with chalk and sealed but stabilised for the future.

Horse Burial and Devil's Doings

Nobody knows for sure why Silbury was constructed, although there are plenty of theories and ideas.

Folklore has it that the mound was placed there by the Devil who was intent on dropping a pile of earth on the good people of Marlborough (or Devizes, depending on who you talk to) but was persuaded to lose his load as a result of some Avebury-style hocus-pocus!

Others believe the Devil chose to hide a gold statue inside the mound whilst on his way to Devizes.

Earth worshippers believe that Silbury is, in fact, the swollen womb of the Earth Goddess and provides a symbol linking the harvest with the pregnant earth.

Others suggest that the hill was built as a burial mound for King Sil and his horse, whilst some believe it to be a giant astronomical 'sun' dial.

Ley Lines and the A4

It's also interesting to note that Silbury lies on a significant leyline that runs through the church at Avebury, through Silbury and on towards Stonehenge.

The Romans who laid down the road, that now makes up the A4, followed the ancient prehistoric trackways that led towards Silbury which some believe were constructed on identifiable leylines.

It has also been suggested that similar mounds exist in China on routes constructed on similar lines of earth energy.

last updated: 08/05/2008 at 11:26
created: 08/05/2008

Have Your Say

philip pike
These are thoughts I had at the time David Attenborough was in volved in a dig at Silbury Hill. I have never seen or heard of this being considered.Silbury Hill the Neolithic mound in Wiltshire, has been the subject of several investigations, the earliest known in 1776. These investigations have concentrated on its characterisation in an effort to determine its purpose. The found two chalk covered mounds, contained in the final structure, also chalk covered, prompts the view that its visibility and height was its primary purpose. If this is coupled with the avenues extending away in each direction from Avebury, possibly a mile and half or more in each direction, travelers on a good clear day would have had a beacon by which to guide them from as far away as Silbury Hill was visible. On a misty or days of poor visibility, if the error in their journey was no greater than 3 or 4 miles it would have brought them safely to Avebury. If this is so, it it probable there were distance markers many miles from the site.Philip Pike

Jackie Newing
In relay to Liz Horton's comment I too visited Silbury Hill at the time when I was pregnant and felt a great energy, something like which i have never felt before anywhere.

Roy Batham
Another interesting fact, the latitude of the site 51掳25' North is exactly 1/7th of the Earths circumference.

Amanda
I may be rather foolish in the simplicity of my thinking, but couldn't this just be a very early Motte and Bailey construction? The Normans packed layers of stone and earth together for their Motte and Baileys, and the layers of earth and chalk of Silbury hill mirror this technique. Couldn't it be that Silbury is one of the earliest "castles"?

Jamie Baynham
I went to Silbury Hill, Avebury and the Long Barrow down the road; a few years ago. The walk from Avebury to the Long Barrow is so beautiful. I walked the stone circles, people stayed out all night with sleeping bags or blankets, enjoying the evening, talking and drumming the night away. The morning looking across to Silbury Hill as the sun rises takes the breath away. Enjoy it whenever you can get there but try and get there early or stay at a local campsite.

Amber
In response to Liz Horton's comment, West Kennett Longbarrow, which is relatively close to Silbury Hill has engravings, some of which are thought to be of the female reporoductive system...

Liz Horton
I have visited Silbury Hill only twice. My first visit occurred when six months pregnant. Immediately on viewing the mound I found myself intensely attracted to it and felt I needed to lay my unclothed swollen body on its turf. The intensity of my attraction was amazing and totally unexpected and I have never experienced anything like that before or since. The second time I visited was last Monday. I am not pregnant and felt absolutely no sense of attraction to the mound or any complusion to lay on it. I wondered if other pregnant women have experienced similiar feelings when viewing. Maybe a study needs to be conducted to see if pregnant women 'feel' anything as I believe that Silbury Hill is some form of symbol for a pregnant woman and the energies from within to be a positive force during a pregnancy. (I went onto have a completely heathly beautiful child)

TOM HILL
CONSTRUCTED TO WORSHIP THE SUN OR THE MOON TO BE CLOSER TO THE CELESTIAL BODIES RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES

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