Re: spiral path | Forum — The Modern Antiquarian

Silbury Hill 180

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spiral path

FourWinds Sep 7, 2004 13:23:21

Replying to Earthstepper

Dublin also had a Thing right in the city centre at the bottom of what is now Grafton Street. In Suffolk Street there is a pub called the Thing Mote, which is more or less on the old site of the mound.

The mound was only levelled in the 1700s. Apparently the earth from it was used to raise the level of Suffolk Street by 6 feet. Suffolk Street is 300m long. That's a lot of soil and one big mound.

FourWinds Sep 7, 2004 13:29:26

Replying to FourWinds

And just around the corner there is The Longstone pub, which is near to where the Viking longstone stood in Pearse Street. The original one was erected on the shore by the Vikings where they landed, but this disappeared in the 1800s. There is now a copy in its place (outside the main Garda headquarters).

Although the stone marks the spot where the Vikings first landed it is now a mile inland due to reclaimation.

Earthstepper Sep 7, 2004 13:42:36

Replying to FourWinds

Yes - I was thinking a bit more about possible connections of moots and mottes. What do you think about this?

Saxons had their local parliaments, law courts etc on moot hills - some were adapted barrows and others were natural or purpose built mounds. (Vikings had the same sort of things(!)) Normans came along and took them over. They made them bigger and more dominating. but they were still places of government and justice. They called them mottes rather than moots, but they performed the same function as did later castles. This would give continuity and would explain why some are not necessarily in a strong defensive position, but do dominate the surrounding land. Root word must be precisely that - mot = word, moot = meet - I don't know of any explanation of the origin of motte - must be the same surely? My dictionary just says its from the French for a mound.