Technology
Mystery over age of ‘180ft chalk penis man’ Cerne Abbas Giant finally solved
THE MYSTERY surrounding the age of the Cerne Abbas Giant may have finally been solved.
The large British hill figure of a naked man with a prominent erection was probably created in the late Saxon period, according to new analysis.
Many archaeologists had been thinking the giant was prehistoric but fresh analysis suggests it’s must newer than that[/caption]
This has shocked many archaeologists who thought the figure was much older and possibly prehistoric.
Archaeologists and historians have been trying to work out the origins and purpose of the 180 foot high figure for years.
The naked giant overlooks the Dorset village of Cerne Abbas.
He’s known both for his large penis and brandishing a giant club.
The giant was unofficially given a face covering last year but the public aren’t actually supposed to walk on it anymore to avoid erosion[/caption]
Some experts believe the giant is a depiction of demi-god Hercules, while others think it’s an ancient fertility symbol or even a crude drawing of Oliver Cromwell.
The National Trust has been conducting analysis of the Cerne Abbas Giant for the past 12 months to try and shed some light on the mystery.
It used state-of-the-art sediment analysis on chalk samples to conclude the figure was probably constructed during the late Saxon period sometime between 700 to 1100AD .
The Anglo-Saxons are people who inhabited Great Britain from the 5th century.
They came from northern Germany and southern Scandinavia and stemmed from three powerful tribes – the Angles, Saxons and Jutes.
Anglo-Saxons began to invade Britain while the Romans were still in control.
They were prominent in Britain from around the year 410 to 1066 and started England’s early medieval period.
Geoarchaeologist Mike Allen, whose research is helping the Trust understand more about the giant’s landscape, said: “This is not what was expected. Many archaeologists and historians thought he was prehistoric or post-medieval, but not medieval.
“Everyone was wrong, and that makes these results even more exciting.”
A technique called Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) was used on individual grains of sand taken from samples of the giant chalk drawing.
OSL can determine when sand grains were last exposed to sunlight and grains from the deepest layer of the giant figure suggest they saw sunlight in the late Saxon period/early medieval period.
National Trust senior archaeologist Martin Papworth said: “The archaeology on the hillside was surprisingly deep – people have been re-chalking the giant over a long period of time.
“The deepest sample from his elbows and feet tells us he could not have been made before 700AD, ruling out theories that he is of prehistoric or Roman origin.
“This probable Saxon date places him in a dramatic part of Cerne history.
“Nearby Cerne Abbey was founded in 987AD and some sources think the abbey was set up to convert the locals from the worship of an early Anglo Saxon god known as ‘Heil’ or ‘Helith’.
“The early part of our date range does invite the question, was the giant originally a depiction of that god?”
However, the National Trust findings are still at odds with other samples taken by Historic England and the Secretary of State.
Those samples suggested the Cerne Abbas Giant was created around 1560, making it younger than what the recent analysis suggests.
The giant has been shrouded in mystery because the earliest document mentioning it is a 1694 church warden’s account of repairing him.
Papworth said: “The science suggests he could be medieval, but intriguingly, surviving documents from Cerne Abbey don’t mention the giant.
“In the 16th century it’s as if the giant’s not there, and John Norden’s survey of 1617 makes no mention of him. And why would a rich and famous abbey – just a few yards away – commission, or sanction, a naked man carved in chalk on the hillside?”
One theory is that the giant is early medieval but was neglected for hundreds of years before being discovered again.
Gordon Bishop, Chair of the Cerne Historical Society, said: “What I am personally pleased about is that the results appear to have put an end to the theory that he was created in the 17th century as an insult to Oliver Cromwell. I thought that rather demeaned the giant.
“In fact it seems highly likely that he had a religious significance, albeit a pagan one. There’s obviously a lot of research for us to do over the next few years.”
Who were the Anglo-Saxons?
Here’s what you need to know…
- The Anglo-Saxons are a people who inhabited Great Britain from the 5th century.
- They came from northern Germany and southern Scandinavia and stemmed from three powerful tribes – the Angles, Saxons and Jutes.
- Anglo-Saxons began to invade Britain while the Romans were still in control.
- The country of ‘England’ did not come into existence for hundreds of years after the Anglo-Saxons first arrived.
- Instead, conquered areas were carved into seven major kingdoms – Northumbria, East Anglia, Essex, Sussex, Kent, Wessex and Mercia.
- Each nation was independent and although they shared similar languages, religions and cultures they were fiercely loyal to their own kings and often went to war.
- The conquered area slowly became known as England (from Angle-land).
- The period in which they ruled is often referred to as “The Dark Ages” – mainly because written sources for the early years of Saxon invasion are scarce.
Most read in Science
In other archaeology news, a fossil of a ‘a squid eaten by a shark while it tried to eat a crustacean’ has been revealed by stunned researchers.
The grave of a three-year-old child who was buried around 78,000 year ago has been labelled as Africa’s ‘oldest human burial’.
And, scuba divers found a huge 50 pound mammoth bone in a Florida river.
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