Thing that springs to mind firstly is why crate one huge spoil heap and the problems that brings with it, why not say 10 smaller heaps. ?
Doesn't do it for me i'm afraid.[/quote]

That was my only issue with it initially but the book deals with that quite comprehensively. Essentially it says that a single large hill is the most efficient way to dispose of spoil with 2 main reasons for a hill.

Firstly it says that because it developed in stages with no imagined idea of what it would ultimately become they couldn't have avoided making a hill. Once the first phase mound (small by comaprison to the finished article but still a substantial structure) was no longer sufficient and the water table dropped they had to dig more spoil and the easiest way to deposit this was in the close vicinity on top of the existing mound. Why would they take effort to carry the spoil further afield or place it in the area where they wanted water to collect.

Secondly the terrain in the vicinity is not condusive to depositing large amounts of chalk due to the seep vales and their tendancy to get waterlogged in extreme conditions causing the chalk spoil to be washed back into the ditches. Also importantly once the ditch got to a certain depth it would be impossible to get it out other than by a chalk ramp left in situ by the builders leading to the top of the hill. Still in visible existance today which could also function as a processional spiral pathway to the summit.