I could not go home without a visit to Avebury, my special place. First we went to Glastonbury in search of King Arthur. Well I do believe we found him. I was so thrilled.
There is something magical about ruins, they spark the imagination more to me than a complete house. This place was Holy. It reeked of history, it had the atmosphere of a pleasantly haunted place.
Here is the Glastonbury Thorn tree, said to have taken root when Joseph of Arimathea took the boy Jesus there. Joseph left his staff in the ground and it grew into the thorn tree. (And did those feet in ancient times, walk upon Englands mountains green.....)
Right close by was a marked place.............
The ruins speak for themselves........they are magnficent
Then we found him. The grave of Arthur.
There were people there praying, I waited to take the picture and I have to say I felt like kneeling too.
From Glastonbury we made our way to Avebury passing Glastonbury Tor......no time to climb.
Then we were there. Avebury. The stone circle with the great ditch surrounding it. Its my most favourite place. I would love to stay in the village so that I could visit when there was no one else there. Maybe some day.
People left flowers on some of the stones but others climbed upon them. Do parents have no respect? Do they not understand the significance of these great stones, how old they are?
I had to go and see if my trees were still there and they were........waiting for me. I went under to see the roots that look like fingers, a branch caught my clothes and held me there for a moment for all the world as though it were greeting me again.
People left prayer ribbons on them. I did notice an absence of Crows, before it seemed the air would be full of their cries.
A lot of the stones were out in the cow pastures, happy cows.
There are lovely houses in the village.
The circle from the air......not my picture needless to say.
Silbury Hill a man made hill that no one has yet fathomed. Prehistoric and made from Chalk 131 feet high. Why? and what is it? will we ever know?
Then on a short distance to Kennett Long Barrow.A nice trek up through farm lands
Underground buriel chambers.........people still honour the dead here especially at the solstices. The occupants may no longer be there in body but are in spirit
This is a picture Jason took of the inside........thats me in the back, and who/what is the misty shadow in the front?
Who are they, or who were they..........
Wikipedia has this to say
The West Kennet Long Barrow is a Neolithic tomb or barrow, situated on a prominent chalk ridge, near Silbury Hill, one-and-a-half miles south of Avebury in Wiltshire, England. The site was recorded by John Aubrey in the 17th century and by William Stukeley in the 18th century.
Archaeologists classify it as a chambered long barrow and one of the Severn-Cotswold tombs. It has two pairs of opposing transept chambers and a single terminal chamber used for burial. The stone burial chambers are located at one end of one of the longest barrows in Britain at 100 m: in total it is estimated that 15,700 manhours were expended in its construction. The entrance consists of a concave forecourt with a facade made from large slabs of sarsen stones which were placed to seal entry.
The construction of the West Kennet Long Barrow commenced about 3600 BC, which is some 400 years before the first stage of Stonehenge, and it was in use until around 2500 BC. The mound has been damaged by indiscriminate digging, but archaeological excavations in 1859 and 1955-56 found at least 46 burials, ranging from babies to elderly persons. The bones were disarticulated with some of the skulls and long bones missing. It has been suggested that the bones were removed periodically for display or transported elsewhere with the blocking facade being removed and replaced each time.
The latest excavations also revealed that the side chambers occur inside an exact isosceles triangle, whose height is twice the length of its base. Artefacts associated with the burials include Neolithic Grooved ware similar to that found at nearby Windmill Hill.
It is thought that this tomb was in use for as long as 1,000 years and at the end of this period the passage and chamber were filled to the roof by the Beaker people with earth and stones, among which were found pieces of Grooved ware, Peterborough ware and Beaker pottery,[1] charcoal, bone tools, and beads. Stuart Piggott, who excavated this mixture of secondary material, suggested that it had been collected from a nearby 'mortuary enclosure' showing that the site had been used for ritual activity long after it was used for burial. The finds from the site are displayed at the Wiltshire Heritage Museum in Devizes.
Michael Dames (see References) put forward a composite theory of seasonal rituals, in an attempt to explain the Long Barrow and its associated sites (the Avebury henge, Silbury Hill, The Sanctuary and Windmill Hill).
There is something magical about ruins, they spark the imagination more to me than a complete house. This place was Holy. It reeked of history, it had the atmosphere of a pleasantly haunted place.
Here is the Glastonbury Thorn tree, said to have taken root when Joseph of Arimathea took the boy Jesus there. Joseph left his staff in the ground and it grew into the thorn tree. (And did those feet in ancient times, walk upon Englands mountains green.....)
Right close by was a marked place.............
The ruins speak for themselves........they are magnficent
Then we found him. The grave of Arthur.
There were people there praying, I waited to take the picture and I have to say I felt like kneeling too.
From Glastonbury we made our way to Avebury passing Glastonbury Tor......no time to climb.
Then we were there. Avebury. The stone circle with the great ditch surrounding it. Its my most favourite place. I would love to stay in the village so that I could visit when there was no one else there. Maybe some day.
People left flowers on some of the stones but others climbed upon them. Do parents have no respect? Do they not understand the significance of these great stones, how old they are?
I had to go and see if my trees were still there and they were........waiting for me. I went under to see the roots that look like fingers, a branch caught my clothes and held me there for a moment for all the world as though it were greeting me again.
People left prayer ribbons on them. I did notice an absence of Crows, before it seemed the air would be full of their cries.
A lot of the stones were out in the cow pastures, happy cows.
There are lovely houses in the village.
The circle from the air......not my picture needless to say.
Silbury Hill a man made hill that no one has yet fathomed. Prehistoric and made from Chalk 131 feet high. Why? and what is it? will we ever know?
Then on a short distance to Kennett Long Barrow.A nice trek up through farm lands
Underground buriel chambers.........people still honour the dead here especially at the solstices. The occupants may no longer be there in body but are in spirit
This is a picture Jason took of the inside........thats me in the back, and who/what is the misty shadow in the front?
Who are they, or who were they..........
Wikipedia has this to say
The West Kennet Long Barrow is a Neolithic tomb or barrow, situated on a prominent chalk ridge, near Silbury Hill, one-and-a-half miles south of Avebury in Wiltshire, England. The site was recorded by John Aubrey in the 17th century and by William Stukeley in the 18th century.
Archaeologists classify it as a chambered long barrow and one of the Severn-Cotswold tombs. It has two pairs of opposing transept chambers and a single terminal chamber used for burial. The stone burial chambers are located at one end of one of the longest barrows in Britain at 100 m: in total it is estimated that 15,700 manhours were expended in its construction. The entrance consists of a concave forecourt with a facade made from large slabs of sarsen stones which were placed to seal entry.
The construction of the West Kennet Long Barrow commenced about 3600 BC, which is some 400 years before the first stage of Stonehenge, and it was in use until around 2500 BC. The mound has been damaged by indiscriminate digging, but archaeological excavations in 1859 and 1955-56 found at least 46 burials, ranging from babies to elderly persons. The bones were disarticulated with some of the skulls and long bones missing. It has been suggested that the bones were removed periodically for display or transported elsewhere with the blocking facade being removed and replaced each time.
The latest excavations also revealed that the side chambers occur inside an exact isosceles triangle, whose height is twice the length of its base. Artefacts associated with the burials include Neolithic Grooved ware similar to that found at nearby Windmill Hill.
It is thought that this tomb was in use for as long as 1,000 years and at the end of this period the passage and chamber were filled to the roof by the Beaker people with earth and stones, among which were found pieces of Grooved ware, Peterborough ware and Beaker pottery,[1] charcoal, bone tools, and beads. Stuart Piggott, who excavated this mixture of secondary material, suggested that it had been collected from a nearby 'mortuary enclosure' showing that the site had been used for ritual activity long after it was used for burial. The finds from the site are displayed at the Wiltshire Heritage Museum in Devizes.
Michael Dames (see References) put forward a composite theory of seasonal rituals, in an attempt to explain the Long Barrow and its associated sites (the Avebury henge, Silbury Hill, The Sanctuary and Windmill Hill).
4 comments:
This is another place I have never visited, but I want to now I have seen your pictures! The tree roots are quite incredible.
Hi, thanks for your visit to mine i was led here. I have a book about all the Stone Circles in UK, and despite the fame of Stone Henge i learned there's a lot of them scattered there. It was really mysterious to us, maybe because it is awesome to construct and we agreed there's not yet the sophisticated equipment to build them those times. And there's still a lot of concepts, etc, etc about them. Your post is very informative and concise, even if i didn't read the very long story at the last. How i wish those streets and highways didn't intercept the canal circle. I haven't been to UK but if I will then the first thing i will do is visit one of these amazing and incredible structures.
I see the mist and it made me have a goosebumps. I also cannot believe a man made hill? Wow that is awesome and unbelievable but is true. Love your shots I do feel like I am there too thanks for sharing.
Kim, USA
What an informative post. I've never visited Glastobury although have driven past so many times over the years. Funny how when things are on your doorstep ....
Avebury, the West Kennet long barrow and Silbury Hill I've known well since childhood as an aunt lived close by. When I used to stay I'd spend hours climbing to the top of Silbury Hill and rolling down its steep sides - surprising I didn't kill myself!
Brought back many happy memories - thanks,Janice
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