Silbury Hill

Welcome to the verdant, rolling landscapes of Wiltshire, a landlocked county in southwest England that harbors some of the most profound prehistoric mysteries in the world. You are standing within the Avebury World Heritage Site,…

We begin our detailed exploration near the modern thoroughfare known as the A4 road, a route that cuts through the heart of this ancient landscape. As you drive or walk along this highway today, the sudden appearance of Silbury…

We have now walked down toward the southern base of Silbury Hill, moving closer to the water's edge. Listen carefully to the subtle sounds of the landscape here. …

As we continue our perimeter walk around the base of the hill, I want you to look away from the rising slope for a moment and focus on the ground immediately surrounding it. If you were to conduct a deep archaeological excavation…

Standing here at the very foot of the incline, gaze straight up the forty-meter slope of Silbury Hill. Today, the mound presents a beautifully smooth, rounded exterior, carpeted in thick, windswept grass. …

We have now moved to the eastern flank of Silbury Hill. Here, the archaeological narrative shifts from the grand scale of the monument's architecture to the intimate, human details of the people who constructed it. …

Although visitors are not permitted to physically climb the delicate slopes of Silbury Hill today, I ask you to tilt your gaze to the very top of the monument against the sky. From down here, the summit appears to have a…

Turn away from the massive bulk of Silbury Hill and look out across the fields and rolling terrain that immediately surround it. It is easy to assume that the ancient builders simply found a nice spot in the natural landscape and…

For our final viewing point, look northward, across the valley and over the gently rolling ridges. Silbury Hill is undeniably a masterpiece, but it does not stand alone. …

As our exploration of Silbury Hill comes to a close, take one last, lingering look at the largest man-made mound in Europe. We have walked its perimeter, examined its deep ditches, analyzed its stepped internal construction, and…