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Lost Gods of Albion: The Chalk Hill-Figures of Britain

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On a quiet village hillside in southern England lies one of the strangest and most facinating relics from Britain's mysterious past: the Cerne Giant. A club-wielding monument to political incorrectness, the Giant provokes an endless series of questions: Who carved him...Romans, Celts? How old is he? Just who or what is he supposed to represent? What is his connection to other chalk drawings and monuments scattered across the English countryside?

Each of these questions is addressed in "Lost Gods of Albion", an excellent overview of the mysterious chalk drawings of Britain. Including the Giant (who graces the dust jacket in all of his unrestrained virility), the Uffington White Horse (as old as Stonehenge and even more enigmatic)and many other ancient hillside drwaings, this book studies their history, meaning and relationship to one another. While the writing style can become a bit academic at times, the book nevertheless provides a wonderful overview and introduction to the subject.

By the way, if you're in Southern England, check out the Cerne Giant in person. He's off the beaten path (about a two-hour drive from Stonehenge) but he makes for an intriguing sight. Just don't be shocked!

Like the Nazca lines, the chalk figures of England seem to have been made to be seen from the "air", IMHO. This is a fascinating study of those figures. From the cover flap: First published in 1987, this is a new edition, completely rewritten and freshly illustrated and incorporates radical new interpretations arising from the latest discoveries and researches. The flowing outlines of the Uffington White Horse, the phallic symbolism of the Cerne Giant, the austere Long Man of Wilmington and many other chalk hill-figures form some of Britain's best-known landmarks. As a uniquely British phenomenon, the thirty or so figures cut into the turf of southern England have excited antiquarians, archaeologists and the general pubic for generations. However, their origins are enigmatic. Newman shows how hill-figures reveal Britain's darkest past: Druid massacres, conjectured human sacrifice and strange phallic and pagan rites that in a miler form survive even today. Fascinating!