Re: Silbury Hill - Dr Brown from EH writes | Forum

nigelswift Apr 24, 2004 23:36:37

Replying to Littlestone

Whether it was originally flat topped involves some interesting speculations....

If it was needle shaped then the builders are owed less admiration - anyone can build a big tall thing that's visible from everywhere, but if it was deliberately at that height, so it peeps and hides in the way it does, that's impressive.

IF the height was deliberate, and an exact sight line was meant, there's 2 possibilities - either they were seriously miraculous surveyors to plan it that way, or they just banged it up and stopped when they could see the exact height they wanted, hence the truncated top.

Littlestone Apr 24, 2004 23:42:29

Replying to nigelswift

Yep - in fact from West Kennet the top of Silbury is almost in line with the top of Waden Hill.

BlueGloves Apr 25, 2004 08:59:14

Replying to nigelswift

One thing I've seen, in my little valley, is the profile of a natural drumlin, which can be seen from throughout the valley, being copied in a pile of collected stone, as a cairn. There was a general viewing point of maybe an eighth of a mile by an eighth of a mile where the profile of the little hill, the cairn, and the big hill, the drumlin, were the same. This area is full of simple cupmarked stones and may have been a gathering area - it has a full view of the sunsets. Sadly the cairn has now been bulldozed and it's the only example of 'hill emulation' that I had.

Silbury Hill — Dr Brown from EH writes