Giant naked hill figure revealed as Hercules—and he aided medieval armies (www.newsweek.com)

submitted 11 months ago by throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to c/archaeology@mander.xyz

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[-] autotldr 2 points 11 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

A giant naked figure carved centuries ago into an English hillside represents the classical hero Hercules, a study has suggested—and may have aided armies in the medieval period.

Known as the Cerne Giant, the massive figure, which stands almost 200 feet high, depicts a naked man brandishing a club in his right hand, with his left arm outstretched.

But the authors suggest its location makes "good sense" as a special meeting place, possibly a mustering (or rallying) point, for an army of the West Saxons.

The location of the giant, on a spur jutting out from a ridge with impressive views and proximity to major routeways, is characteristic of a special type of Anglo-Saxon meeting place.

"Cutting a chalk figure of Hercules as fighting warrior, with club poised to strike, would have served as a fine rallying point, a backdrop for a call to arms, a sermon in chalk—and, perhaps, as something with which to keep a gathering army busy," the authors wrote in the study.

"The idea that a special assembly site could be marked by such a monumental image is spectacular—and it raises more questions about other chalk figures that survive in the British landscape, their antiquity and purpose," Gittos told Newsweek.

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this post was submitted on 04 Jan 2024

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Archaeology or archeology[a] is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes.

Archaeology has various goals, which range from understanding culture history to reconstructing past lifeways to documenting and explaining changes in human societies through time.

The discipline involves surveying, excavation, and eventually analysis of data collected, to learn more about the past. In broad scope, archaeology relies on cross-disciplinary research. Read more...

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