Uffington's White Horse

The cutting of giant figures or geographical landmarks into the turf of British hillsides has been carried out for more than 3,000 years.

There are 56 hills scattered across England, the vast majority of which are found in the Chalk Downs in the south of the country.

These figures include giants, horses, crosses and regimental emblems.

Although most of these glyphs date to the last three hundred years or so, there are one or two that are much older.

The most famous of these characters is perhaps also the most mysterious, the White Horse of Uffington in Oxfordshire.

The White Horse was recently recalibrated and is older than the previously designated Roman Iron Age.

More controversial are the Thane Abbey Giant in Dorset and the mysterious Long Man in Wilmington, Sussex.

What was the purpose of these colossi, who carved them, and how did the oldest examples survive thousands of years?

The method of cutting these giant figures is to simply remove the turf above to reveal the gleaming white chalk underneath.

The method of cutting these giant figures is to simply remove the turf above to reveal the gleaming white chalk underneath.

However, unless a sizable team of men and women cleans or scours it regularly, grass will soon grow back on the glyphs.

One reason why the vast majority of hill figures disappeared is that when the tradition associated with the figures disappeared, people no longer bothered or remembered to clear the grass to reveal the chalk outlines.

Additionally, the outlines sometimes changed over the centuries because the brushes didn't always cut in exactly the same places, changing the shape of the original glyphs.

The fact that any ancient hill figures have survived in present-day England is testament to the strength and continuity of local customs and beliefs which, in at least one case, must date back thousands of years.

The White Horse of Uffington England's oldest and most famous hill figure is the 110 m long and 40 m high Uffington White Horse, located 2.5 km south of the village of Uffington in the Berkshire Hills, Oxfordshire.

Stylized representations of this unique horse include a long, smooth back, slender disjointed legs, a flowing tail, and a bird-like beak.

The elegant creatures almost blend into the rich landscape of prehistoric ruins.

The horse is located on a steep cliff close to the Late Bronze Age (c. 7th century BC) Uffington Castle hill, below a long Neolithic track called the Ridgeway.

The White Horse of Uffington The White Horse of Uffington is also surrounded by Neolithic and Bronze Age burials.

The Neolithic Chambered Barrow of Wayland's Smithy is only 1.6 kilometers away, and the Bronze Age burial ground of Lambourn Seven Barrows is also not far away.

The carving is placed in such a way that it is difficult to see from close range and, like many geographical landmarks, is best appreciated from the air.

However, some areas of the White Horse Valley, namely the valley containing and named after the mythical creature, may get enough of an impression from it.

In fact, on a clear day the carvings can be seen from up to 30 kilometers away.

The earliest documented reference to Uffington horses comes from AD 1070, when "White Horse Hill" is mentioned in the *** of nearby Abingdon Abbey, while the first mention of the horse itself is shortly after AD 1190.

However, the carvings are believed to date back much further.

Because of the similarity between the Uffington White Horse and stylized depictions of horses on Celtic coins from the 1st century BC, it is thought that the creature must also date to that period.

Scientific dating of the horse In 1995, however, the Oxford Archaeological Unit carried out CE optical *** luminescence (OSL) tests on soil deposits from the two lower layers of the horse's body and another incision near the base.

The result is that the horse was built with a date between 1400 and 600 BC, in other words, it originated in the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age.

The latter half of this date range would link the horse carving to the occupation of neighboring Uffington Hillfort, and may represent a tribal emblem or emblem marking the land of the hillfort's inhabitants.

Alternatively, the carvings may have been created for ritual/religious purposes.

Cults and Mythology Some researchers believe the horse represents the Celtic horse goddess Epona, who was worshiped as the protector of horses and also associated with fertility.

However, the cult Epona was probably imported from Gaul (France) in the first century AD, when we find the first depictions of the horse goddess.

This date is at least six centuries after the Uffington Horse was carved.

Nonetheless, the horse had important ritual and economic significance during the Bronze and Iron Ages, as evidenced by its depictions of jewelry, coins, and other metal objects.

Perhaps the carving represents a native British horse goddess, such as Rhiannon, who was described in later Welsh mythology as a beautiful woman clothed in gold and riding a white horse.

Some researchers believe the horse represents the Celtic horse goddess Epona, who was worshiped as the protector of horses and also associated with fertility.

Others, however, believe that the white horse is related to the worship of Belinos or Belinus, the "shining" Celtic sun god who was often associated with horses.