The county of Wiltshire in southern England hosts the two tallest prehistoric mounds in Europe.
Both the Marlborough Mound (once dubbed Merlin’s Mount or burial place) and Silbury Hill are man-made earth mounds. They date from around 2400 BC. However, they remain places of mystery, as there is no current consensus as to why they were built and what they were used for.
Merlin’s Mound
The Mound at Marlborough College is the second tallest prehistoric monument in Europe. This excellent documentary explores the past, present and future of the Marlborough Mound. It “uncovers the history of the Mound, explaining its legacy to those unaware of its profound importance, and to those curious about the unknown”.
The ‘Marlborough Mound Film’ [35 mins]…
Silbury Hill
Silbury Hill is the largest prehistoric mound in Europe, and it lies some 5 miles up the road from Marlborough. The video below presents a snapshot, and outlines some of the theories as to why Silbury Hill was built in the first place.
‘Silbury Hill, Wonderful Wiltshire’ [3 mins]…
And finally
Silbury Hill is part of the Avebury neolithic monument complex. The video below introduces Avebury, before featuring Silbury Hill, and the (older) West Kennet long barrow nearby.
‘Avebury from the Sky’ [5 mins]…
Further reading
Two books on Silbury Hill…
The Story of Silbury Hill by Jim Leary and David Field, English Heritage, 2010 – The authors conclude that the continuous re-modelling of the hill in prehistoric times indicates that there was no original blueprint, and the process of its construction was probably the most important thing.
The Silbury Revelation by John Drews, 2015 – Drews suggests that the top of Silbury Hill was once higher and rounded, and states that it certainly wasn’t a tomb; it may have been part of a landscape effigy associated with the great goddess or earth mother.
Other theories (and books) on Silbury Hill are also available!
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