Snail Shells Date England’s Cerne Abbas Giant to Medieval, Not Prehistoric, Era
by Alex Fox/Smithsonianmag.com
The earliest recorded mention of the Cerne Abbas Giant, a 180-foot-tall chalk drawing of a nude man wielding a club, dates to 1694. But archaeologists and locals alike have long speculated that the towering figure in Dorset, England, is much older—perhaps even a relic of the prehistoric period.
Now, reports BBC News, an analysis of snail shells found at the site suggests the artwork actually dates to the medieval era.
Mollusk shells may seem like an odd way of homing in on a giant’s age, but as Tom Fish writes for Express, the particular species of snail found in soil samples coinciding with the chalk outline’s creation only arrived in England during the 13th and 14th centuries.
Environmental archaeologist Mike Allen tells BBC News that the tiny snails were introduced to England “accidentally, probably in straw and hay used as packing for goods from the continent.”
Allen adds, “Sadly, this shows the giant is unlikely to be prehistoric or Roman, and more likely dates to medieval times or later.”
In March, the United Kingdom’s National Trust—which has owned the heritage site since its donation to the country in 1920, according to artnet News’ Sarah Cascone—announced plans ...read more:
Carol graduated from Riverside White Cross School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and received her diploma as a registered nurse. She attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Literature. She attended the University of Toledo, College of Nursing, and received a Master’s of Nursing Science Degree as an Educator.
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Whoever did this had a lot of extra time on their hands….
The advent of farming is why – hunter gatherers wouldn’t have had time to do this and besides, it is a territorial symbol – someone was saying ‘this is our land’, something nomadic hunter gatherers wouldn’t have done. This symbol was probably very important to them, it probably held religious significance.
A depiction of a male with an erection, wielding a club? Why aren’t the feminists outraged? Down with patriarchy!
I wondered in the past what the symbolism was, is it a fertility symbol, or is it more simple – a crude message to the neighbouring tribes – don’t come on our land as we are real men and we all have huge dicks and big knobbly clubs we will beat you with.
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