A Brief Introduction
The largest prehistoric man-made mound in Europe
Silbury Hill was built about 4,400 years ago in the Neolithic period. It stands at 30 metres high and 160 metres wide, and its construction is estimated to have involved roughly 4 million man-hours of work. 500,000 tonnes of material were used; mostly chalk, quarried and cleared from the surrounding terraces and ditches.
The enduring presence of Silbury Hill in the landscape has inspired myths and legends as people have sought to explain its purpose. In one such legend, Silbury is the burial mound of a mythical King Zel and his horse. The mound is also associated with pagan beliefs and earth mysteries.
No one knows why Silbury Hill was built, but we do know that it was during a time of great change in the prehistory of Britain. Recent radiocarbon dating has shown that it was built as the Neolithic period, or ‘New Stone Age’, gave way to the Bronze Age. This time was characterised by the introduction of many new practices to Britain, such as widespread individual rather than communal burial, the use of metal and the production of new forms of pottery.
Silbury Hill, like the contemporary but radically different site at Stonehenge to the south, played an as yet unknown role in this changing world.
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