The ancient settlement of Cerne Abbas is famed for its giant—an 180-foot figure with a 26-foot erect penis carved into a nearby hill. When was it inscribed, and why?
In the meantime, a separate analysis was undertaken by another member of the National Trust team, Mike Allen, a geoarcheologist who studies land-use history by sieving soil for microscopic traces of mollusks. The presence of certain mollusks in the soil can also provide information related to dating.
I had arranged to meet Gordon Bishop, the chair of the Cerne Historical Society, and we strolled through the burial ground near the foot of Giant Hill. It was a pleasant, misty day, the skies softened with a skein of cloud; the grass was dewy underfoot. Bishop, a retired barrister, was skeptical that the National Trust’s investigation would prove anything definitive.
“I’m very much mindful and respectful of him,” Irvine said. “He’s our giant. You look after him, and he’ll look after you. Don’t upset him, because he’ll come off the hill and eat all the children.” On International Women’s Day a few years ago, the giant’s penis was stealthily bedecked overnight with bits of plastic, in the shape of petals and leaves, so that it resembled a flower.
Martin Papworth was equally intrigued by the findings, which he thinks will prompt new lines of inquiry from historians and new theories from scholars. Knowing the range of centuries in which the giant appeared only raised more questions. “I expect we will hear about Helith again,” Papworth told me, referring to the pagan deity.
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