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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-
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-
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.