The Mystery of Silbury Hill
The largest prehistoric mound in Europe took millions of hours of work to build, and no one knows why it was made.
What was reported
Silbury Hill rises 30 metres above the Wiltshire fields near the stone circles of Avebury: a huge, flat-topped cone of chalk and earth built about 4,400 years ago. Local legend said it held the grave of King Sil, buried on horseback in golden armour, or a treasure hidden by the Devil.
Diggers have tunnelled into it several times since the 1700s, looking for the burial. They found layers of turf, gravel and chalk, plants and flying ants from the summer it was begun, but no grave and no treasure.
Explanations offered
Archaeologists now think it was built in stages over generations, perhaps as a place for gatherings or ceremonies, or as an act of building that mattered more than the result. Its purpose is still unknown. The old tunnels made it unstable, and they were filled in in 2008.
- When
- Built around 2400 BC
- Where
- Silbury Hill, near Avebury, Wiltshire, England
- Witnesses
- Archaeologists and centuries of visitors
- Status
- Unexplained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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