Silbury Hill 180
Image by Jane
Silbury Hill

spiral path

The stepped pyramid concept has always seemed the most likely to me and I seem to remember that an artist's impression of such was on display when I was last there. Since then, I seem to recall that theory having been called into question. Spiral paths at Silbury, Glastonbury Tor and Merlin's Mount do not convince me and seem to be wishful thinking combined with (in the case of Merlin's Motte) later landscaping. I do agree though, that Silbury would have been a shining white pyramid in its day and probaby would have been kept that way by regular scouring until the local religion went off in a different direction.

something that has always intigued me is that for such a height the top is just visible and no more from Avebury , Barret suggested that activities in the circle and on the top of the mound were intended to be intervisible.

>....Merlin's Motte......

I've said this before in your presence, Earthstepper. Look at the image of Merlin's Mount that I've posted farther up this thread:

http://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/archaeology/images/marlborough.gif

Now, if you were building a motte from scratch, would you place it in that location? I don't know, I'm no expert on mottes, but it seems to me that the Normans would have placed it on higher ground, not at the bottom of a valley and next to a river.

Now, if there was already a substantial mound there, then I may be lazy and utilise it. What do you think, Earthstepper?

:o)

Baz