The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

Fieldnotes by photobabe

Latest Posts

Overton Hill (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery)

This was on a hot summers day in August this year, well a couple of them... Having seen various Barrows on the sky-line and hill sides in the distance from Avebury ring itself... Curiosity (among other things) drove me to seek out and explore these exquisit and ancient features...
I was not disappointed as hiking in the heat along the Ridgeway we came across those barrows, visible more from the Avenue of Stones, that I have affectionally named 'The Gang of Four" as there are four of them in close proximity to each other...
With their twisted outer ring of sentinel-like trees (so shaped due to the wind?) and other magical things and relics found, like the remains of magical cigarette like objects which I guessed weren't quite so old, I found myself transported to another time and place.
Incidentally, I also noticed that Avebury itself with its hard to miss Stone Circles and ring, was not visible from here, nor was the equally hard to miss Silbury Hill... or anything for that matter, even though we were quite high up. Interesting, we thought. All of it was hidden by series of natural banks, hills and and hollows, and probably deliberately. So with this in mind we sought out the other Barrows that could be seen from the Avebury Ring itself.. and sure enough found them a little further down (up?) northward along the Ridgway.
Crossing the harevested cornfields in the undulating counyryside we got to these Barrows.. two of them, or so we thought.. standing out magestically from the hill side. One covered in trees and one 'bald' one... (rather it was covered in nettles). On exploring the Tree covered mound, it was like entering a fairyland with the eerie sculpted trees adorning its form. From here we could see another barrow much further down the hill side.... and also (finally) Avebury Ring itself...
On leaving these mounds, tramping through the crisp cut, corn stubble we chanced to turn back and saw, to our astonishment, what looked like a third mound next to these two we had just explored.. how could we have missed THAT? we thought... how indeed...
Who am I? good question...

From the birth of the dawn to the death of sunset,
From the full of the Moon to the Dark that we've met...
I feel there within me a rage & a storm,
But for those who I see I maintain my form...
Wherever I am, and with whom I shall be,
I become part of them; they become me.......

The start of the day brings me people to see,
And every which way there are changes in me,
For whoever I'm close to Their hearts become mine;
And whatever I do, Through me their souls shine...
Whatever I turn into, their thoughts direct;
With feelings that come from them, I cant select......

At the end of the evening, the angst feelings keep;
I sing as they sing and I weep as they weep...
For there is within me a conflict extreme;
I just wish to see that this is a dream...
For wherever I fall in the depths of the night;
With me come all on whom I've lain sight...
Wherever I am and on those who I see...
I become part of them, they become me......

My TMA Content: