- Hardcover: 192 pages
- Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd; First Edition edition (Aug 1976)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0500050279
- ISBN-13: 978-0500050279
- Product Dimensions: 24.2 x 16 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,383,703 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It is clear that the people of the Neolithic saw the world very differently to how we do today. Their beliefs and values were founded on an understanding of the seasons, of growing and harvesting crops and of the reproduction of life of all things. Western beliefs have moved a long way from those of our ancestors and so it is difficult to understand the meaning behind a monument they built 4500 years ago. In this book, Dames attempts to see the world through Neolithic eyes in order to discover the true meaning of Silbury.
Silbury hill is a huge, flat-topped cone of striking symmetry that is located between the two stone avenues in the Avebury complex. `Silbury Treasure' describes the various theories that have been previously presented and the archaeological investigations undertaken to gain more information. For several centuries many antiquarians assumed that Silbury was a burial mound. However, repeated destructive excavations have uncovered the far more fascinating truth that it was intricately constructed from turf and chalk and contains a number of deliberately placed artefacts.
Rather than try to find a single strictly defined explanation for the construction of Silbury Hill, Dames attempts to find the symbology for the monument and its placing in this location of the Marlborough downs. His argument is that, unlike the Western approach to symbology where one symbol means one thing, the builders of the hill built many meanings into Silbury. Much of this meaning centres around primacy of the fertile mother in all things. Dames describes the contents of the hill representing the umbilical cord, the eye and rebirth. The moat around the hill may have been carefully cut to represent the Earth Mother in several forms and the flat-topped hill echoes many similar hills used to celebrate the harvest.
Each of the identities of Silbury is presented clearly with many points illustrated by photographs and examples from other sites of the same era. Just as it is difficult to understand the meaning of Silbury, it is difficult to 'prove' or 'disprove' any proposed meaning. Yet even to a thoroughly Westernised cynic, the explanations seem at least plausible and I enjoy the symbology presented by this book far more than the idea of a king's burial ground.
This book is a valuable addition to the many theories about the meaning of Silbury Hill and a valid attempt at reading the forgotten language used by the people of the Neolithic. It is written in a concise and accessible style. Best of all, the book is extremely thought-provoking and encourages the reader to find his/her own meaning in Silbury and other monuments, which perhaps was the true intention of Silbury's builders.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
a very inspirational book reveals the real purpose of Silbury Hill. my recent copy was in very good condition and reminded me of the purpose of these neolithic sites.
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