SILBURY HILL:

The enigmatic Silbury Hill rises from the landscape no more than 1.6km (1mile) from the Avebury henge. Although Legend relates that a certain King Sil was buried here on horseback, no burial has been found in this, the biggest of Europe's man-made mounds.

Silbury Hill (25 miles north of Salisbury). This is the largest artificial hill in Europe. It is conical, covering an area of 2 hectares (5.25 acres) and standing 40m (130ft) high and measures 550 ft across the base.  Silbury Hill was constructed about 275O BC. But Its true purpose remains unknown.  A ditch surrounding it was originally more than 120 ft wide and about 30 ft deep.

The ditch continues towards the west in the form of a canal.  Excavations carried out in 1968-9 have established the fact that Silbury Hill was built in three stages around 2100 BC. The builders first constructed a foundation of clay and gravel, topped with earth supported by stakes. On this foundation they piled up materials from the nearby river and the entire structure was then covered with chalk. After this it seems that the builders must have decided to extend their work, and the wide, deep ditch was hollowed out. It has been calculated that this great work would have occupied 500 men

for ten years. Artificial hills, just like pyramids, generally served as burial places. But when the centre of Silbury Hill was investigated nothing was found.  Perhaps, as in the case of the Egyptian pyramids, the tomb was placed away from the centre of the hill in

order to ward off desecrations.