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"Evidence" of a giant hill figure near Swindonhttp://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/10594307.The_hills_have_eyes____and_a_spear/ ".... it can be revealed that for the best part of 3,000 years a hillside near Swindon was the site of an epic chalk carving of a giant spearman. The 130ft high hill figure at Foxhill near Wanborough is believed to have been maintained for generations, almost certainly in honour of pagan gods worshipped throughout the centuries." |
Posted by tjj7th August 2013ce Edited 7th August 2013ce
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Comments (12) |
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A cynic writes: I'd like to bet that isn't news or evidence. I'd like to bet it's piffle. Actually Piffle with a capital P. Why has this never been noticed before or written about if it was maintained for generations yadda yadda yadda? Smacks of the gogmagog figures, but even less convincing. And why not go completely over the top and say it's from the Neolithic (I 'feel' it's from the neolithic, it says. That's ok then, why not). And they survived being ploughed (remarkable) but unfortunately folks, they're not detectable any longer. So you'll just have to believe me and my incredible discovery. Unfortunately the photos didn't print properly either in the newspaper? I must remember. It's august. There is no sensible news in the whole world. |
Posted by Rhiannon7th August 2013ce |
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“I must remember. It's august. There is no sensible news in the whole world.” There’s plenty of sensible news in the world - 17 items for August alone here - http://www.iccrom.org/eng/news_en/2013_en/field_en/press_en.shtml |
Posted by Littlestone7th August 2013ce |
| Er bad example, the second on the list is someone trying to identify the remains of king Alfred, even though he's been moved about several times, and since he died 900 years ago it's even less possible to get some kind of dna proof. So admits the article. More silly season I'd say :) |
Posted by Rhiannon 7th August 2013ce |
| Not a bad example at all - carbon dating to determine if the time frame is right and *then* maybe DNA analysis. There are 16 other items on that link by the way or are they ‘silly' as well? |
Posted by Littlestone 7th August 2013ce |
| I came by the link via Dorset County Museum - they seemed to think it may be exciting. I'll keep an open mind. |
Posted by tjj 7th August 2013ce |
| Fox Hill is on the Ridgeway and not a million miles from the Uffington White Horse. I'd love to believe it! |
Posted by A R Cane7th August 2013ce |
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Modern archaeology isn't really about individual famous people though, is it? Why does it have to be like that to make it newsworthy, is it because 21st britain is obsessed with celebrity? Isn't it a simplistic, populist, unrepresentative view of the past which we prehistory fans of all people should resist? Archaeologists are surely more interested in how people lived in general. Not trying to dig up individual kings (- to what end?). Or perhaps you think it's all brilliant. Anyway June, please do paste a link if you like because I can't find it mentioned. I can promise to eat my hat later but as there's no evidence except a grainy photo that won't reproduce properly, and there's said to be nothing on the ground to check any more, I won't be cracking open the ketchup just yet.. |
Posted by Rhiannon 7th August 2013ce |
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“Modern archaeology isn't really about individual famous people though, is it? Why does it have to be like that to make it newsworthy, is it because 21st britain is obsessed with celebrity? Isn't it a simplistic, populist, unrepresentative view of the past which we prehistory fans of all people should resist? Archaeologists are surely more interested in how people lived in general. Not trying to dig up individual kings (- to what end?). Or perhaps you think it's all brilliant.” You didn’t answer my question that, “There are 16 other items on that link by the way or are they ‘silly' as well?” Someone pointed out, on a forum thread recently, that selecting bits of people’s posts to support one’s own point of view (while ignoring the rest of the post) was an old (internet) chestnut and one we could well do without here. There were 17 news items in that link and you chose just one which you thought might support your original statement that, “There is no sensible news in the whole world.” In fact, the news item about Alfred’s remains doesn’t support your view that there’s no sensible news in the whole world at all. On the contrary, the search for Alfred’s remains is far from being not sensible or a ‘simplistic, populist, unrepresentative view of the past’ but a filling in of a major gap in our national history, not to mention affording due respect (if the remains do prove to be Alfred’s) to a man who, more than any other perhaps, was the founding father of what we now call ‘England’. That has nothing to do with modern archaeology (whatever that means) and everything to do with deepening our understanding of the past. And while archaeologists, historians and people like posters here may be interested in how people ‘lived in general’ I’m sure most of us are equally interested in individuals who might shed some light on their own personal lives as well as the lives of their contemporaries. And yes, I do think that is all brilliant – though perhaps the word ‘meaningful’ would be more appropriate. |
Posted by Littlestone 7th August 2013ce |
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"There is no sensible news in the whole world" is clearly hyperbole. And for some reason you have manufactured a straw man argument out of it. What, I'm supposed to argue at length with you that a newsfeed of archaeological stories isn't serious news? Or that very public efforts to identify whether some old bones are really King Alfred teaches us anything about anyone's everyday life? W/e. I'll walk away now thank you. |
Posted by Rhiannon 8th August 2013ce |
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Very interesting. Would be great if its genuine. Looks a bit 'spaceman' like. Could he be hauling a stone upright?! I say 'he' for (very) obvious reasons. Blimey. Either that or theres been an accident in the space suit. |
Posted by Evergreen Dazed8th August 2013ce |
| Soil resistivity testing should be able to confirm if a figure does in fact exist. |
Posted by MartinRS 15th August 2013ce |
| Oops, I missed this thread :-o I'd posted earlier: https://www.headheritage.co.uk/headtohead/tma/topic/69397/flat/ |
Posted by megalith6 16th August 2013ce |
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