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Marlborough Mound

Artificial Mound

News

The Marlborough Mound: Prehistoric origins confirmed!


Jim Leary, who led the recent archaeological investigations for English Heritage at nearby Silbury Hill, and is co-author of the recently published The Story of Silbury Hill, coordinated EH's contribution to the investigation of Marlborough Mound, the initial results from which have been made public today.

More here - http://heritageaction.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/the-marlborough-mound-prehistoric-origins-confirmed/
Littlestone Posted by Littlestone
31st May 2011ce

Comments (7)

Just found out about this and have to confess, I've never visited the Marlborough Mound before. It would be interesting to know what the plans will be for preservation of this. Very significant. rocket Posted by rocket
31st May 2011ce
"It would be interesting to know what the plans will be for preservation of this."

Hi Anna. You might be interested in The Mound Trust. Follow the link from here - http://www.marlboroughcollege.org/col_college_history.aspx
Littlestone Posted by Littlestone
31st May 2011ce
News on the subject.....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/may/31/malborough-mound-wiltshire-silbury-neolithic

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-13604479
moss Posted by moss
1st June 2011ce
Thanks for the links. Appreciated. rocket Posted by rocket
2nd June 2011ce
Hi - just to say that the above news item is not entirely accurate.

Jim Leary only 'led' the final part of the recent archaeological investigations at Silbury Hill ie from June 15th 2007 onwards.

regards

fachtna
Posted by fachtna
5th June 2011ce
Recently I was talking with Bryn Walters, director of the Association of Roman Archeology. He was quite confident that the mounds at Silbury and Marlborough are exactly aligned on the spring and autumn equinox.

Besides being massive pieces of megalithic engineering, they seem to have been very deliberately positioned, so that viewing platforms on both were in line-of-sight of each other.

As Silbury was originally a stepped pyramid, with a spiral ascent path to a flat top, perhaps Marlborough was as well, and its spiral path always been there?
Posted by Boreades
21st October 2012ce
”Besides being massive pieces of megalithic engineering, they seem to have been very deliberately positioned, so that viewing platforms on both were in line-of-sight of each other.

“As Silbury was originally a stepped pyramid, with a spiral ascent path to a flat top, perhaps Marlborough was as well, and its spiral path always been there?”

We don’t know for sure that Silbury had a flat top, let alone a viewing platform - though I’ve always ‘felt’ that it probably did (have a flat top). What was once on the top is open to all sorts of speculation but, given that it might have had a flat top, a path up to it would have been needed, and a spiral path would seem to be the most logical choice (both from a practical point of view and perhaps also from a ceremonial one as well). Ditto the MM.
Littlestone Posted by Littlestone
21st October 2012ce
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