Silbury Hill in Wiltshire is huge, mysterious and inspiring. This gigantic hill squats in the flat Wiltshire landscape, not far from Avebury Henge. It is the largest man-made mound in Europe, comparable in size and age to the pyramids of Egypt. Until recently, no one was prepared to guess who built it or why. Now the latest theory is that this mound 130 feet high, 1640 feet in circumference, and containing 12 million cubic feet of dirt and chalk, just happened. Accidentally.
What is known about Silbury Hill
Beyond its approximate size and age, not much information is known about the hill. The best guess is that it was built around 2,400 BC. C., which makes it about 4,400 years old. It is made from locally mined chalk mixed with a variety of soils and experts estimate that it took 4 million man-hours to move the 500,000 imperial tons of material to create the hill.
All kinds of ancient local legends, usually involving the Devil himself, revolve around the site. According to one, old Nick planted a golden statue in the middle of the hill. In another story, he was planning to drop this load of dirt on a local town that had displeased him, but was magically persuaded to drop it on an empty meadow. And in yet another local story, the mound is supposed to be the burial place of a mythical King Sil (mentioned in no other context than this) and his horse in golden armor.
Needless to say, no one has found evidence that any of these stories is true, but not out of wanting to try.
Intended excavations
Several excavations have been attempted during the year. In 1776, a group of miners dug a shaft in the center of the hill, in search of a central burial chamber. They found nothing. Later, in 1849, a horizontal tunnel is bored through the hill and the diggers still found nothing. As recently as 1968, a BBC sponsored excavation was televised. The researchers found three different construction periods, but nothing more.
None of these excavations were filled properly and in 2000, the aftermath of all that excavation resulted in the collapse of the summit, opening a 45-foot-deep crater.
English Heritage, which manages the site, has filled the various excavations with chalk and stabilized the hill. Today they focus on seismic research and some limited excavations. In addition, they and experts from seven universities studied materials from the 1968 excavations. This is what they found and the conclusion they have now reached.
Scientists analyzed materials from the last major excavation. They observed stone and antler tools, as well as biological materials such as remains of insects and snails and pollens. The result is that they think that the construction of this extraordinary mountain was not deliberate, but a by-product of approximately one hundred nearby activities. There may have been a ritual of some kind that resulted in the deposition of chalk and soil from various communities on the hill, but apparently its final appearance was totally unintentional.
If you stack stones, chalk and dirt in the same place, over and over again, then hit the stakes into the ground to prevent everything from falling over and covering the landscape, what you end up after 100 years is riding the size of Silbury Hill. They also learned that the Romans built a road and a settlement near the foot of the hill. And, during the Middle Ages, the upper part, which had been a dome, was crushed, possibly as an observation post. And that, after millions of dollars of excavation, backfilling and study, is all that is known.
Things to do in Silbury Hill
Let’s be honest; Despite Silbury Hill’s impressive appearance and mysterious history, there’s only so much time you can spend looking at it from a distance. Fortunately, there is a lot to do nearby. The hill is part of Stonehenge, Avebury and associated UNESCO World Heritage sites.
If you are interested in mysterious and prehistoric sites, the largest and most complex Neolithic site of Avebury Henge Europe is less than 2 miles away. It has a huge (though mostly invisible) stone circle and a museum, as well as the home of the man who bought the land it sits on, just to save it. Stonehenge, with its museum and visitor center (new in 2013 and a great improvement to the site) is only 6 miles away. And near Stonehenge, England’s Woodhenge, there is a mysterious series of circles in the landscape, which was recently seen with aerial photographs and now marked with wooden posts.
Other nearby activities
You can spend a whole day immersed in antique hunting in Hungerford. The town, about 16 miles east of Silbury Hill on the A4, is one of England’s best cities for antiquity, with plenty of individual antique shops and several antique markets and flea markets. Marlborough, about six miles to the east, is another charming market town. Marlborough College, an alma mater of the Duchess of Cambridge (the former Kate Middleton), has a mound of its own on its grounds, said to be Merlin’s burial site.
Silbury Hill Essentials
- Where: Silbury Hill, West Kennet, Marborough, Wiltshire SN8 1QH
- When: Open every day during reasonable daylight hours.
- How much: The site and parking in the small observation area are free.
- How to visit : The observation area has free parking for approximately 15 cars, is paved, and has a path from the parking lot that ends at a closed gate. That’s about 550 feet up the hill, which is as close as possible for a good look. The A4 road passes much closer, but it is a busy street with no place to stop and park.
- Note: There is no access to the hill itself to protect its delicate structure. Drone overflights are not allowed.
