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Returning from the Underworld: The West Kennet Palisades in the Avebury Monument Complex

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 June 2021

Lionel Sims
Lionel Sims*
Affiliation:
Limefields House, 90 Little Walden Road, Saffron Walden, CB10 2DW. Email: lionel.sims@btinternet.com
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Abstract

In recent decades some archaeologists have come to doubt key components and properties of the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age (EBA) Avebury monument complex. By site excavation of the Beckhampton Avenue, Silbury Hill, and the West Kennet Palisades the idea of an integrated group of contemporaneous monuments has been thrown into doubt. In this paper these critiques are themselves critiqued and further tested by an inter-disciplinary exercise integrating archaeology, landscape phenomenology, and archaeoastronomy. It is suggested that the emergent properties of this procedure reveal that these recent doubts are unfounded and that this monument complex was designed for rituals to initiate neophytes by simulating journeys through a virtual underworld.

Résumé

RÉSUMÉ

Retour de l’Au Delà: Palissades de la Kennet de l’ouest dans le complexe monumental de Avebury, de Lionel Sims

Dans les récentes décennies certains archéologues en sont venus à avoir des doutes sur les composants clés et les proprietés du Néolithique/final début de l’Âge du Bronze (EBA) sur le complexe monumental d’Avebury. Grâce á la fouille des sites de l’Avenue de Beckhampton, la colline de Silbury et les palissades de la Kennet de l’ouest, l’idée d’un groupe intégré de monuments contemporains a été mise en doute. Dans cet article les critiques sont ells-mêmes critiquées et tester plus en profondeur par un exercice interdisciplinaire intégrant archéologie, paysage, phénoménologie et archéo-astronomie. Il est proposé que les particularités qui émergent de cette procédure révèlent que les doutes récents sont sans fondement et que ce complexe monumental était conçoncu pour initier des néophytes aux rituels en simulant des voyages dans un Au Delà virtuel.

Zusammenfassung

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG

Rückkehr aus der Unterwelt: Die West Kennet Palisades im Avebury Monumentenkomplex, von Lionel Sims

In den letzten Jahrzehnten wurden einige Schlüsselkomponenten und Eigenschaften des spätneolithisch-frühbronzezeitlichen Monumentenkomplexes von Avebury angezweifelt. Durch die Ausgrabungen der Beckhampton Avenue, des Silbury Hill und der West Kennet Palisades wurde insbesondere die Idee einer integrierten Gruppe von zeitgleichen Monumenten in Zweifel gezogen. In diesem Beitrag werden diese Kritiken selbst kritisiert und durch eine interdisziplinäre Untersuchung, die Archäologie, Landschaftsphänomenologie und Archäoastronomie integriert, weiter geprüft. Es wird vorgeschlagen, dass die emergenten Eigenschaften dieses Verfahrens zeigen, dass diese jüngsten Zweifel unbegründet sind und dass dieser Monumentenkomplex für Rituale zur Initiierung von Neophyten entworfen wurde, indem Reisen durch eine virtuelle Unterwelt simuliert wurden.

Resumen

RESUMEN

Regresando del inframundo: las empalizadas de West Kennet en el complejo monumental de Avebury, por Lionel Sims.

En las últimas décadas, algunos arqueólogos han puesto en duda aspectos y características fundamentales del complejo monumental del Neolítico Final/Bronce Antiguo de Avebury. Con la excavación del sitio de Beckhampton Avenue, Silbury Hill y las empalizadas de West Kennet, se ha puesto en duda la idea de un grupo integrado de monumentos contemporáneos. En este artículo, estas críticas son asimismo criticadas y examinadas con un enfoque interdisciplinar que integra arqueología, fenomenología del paisaje y arqueoastronomía. Se sugiere que las propiedades que emergen de este procedimiento revelan que estas recientes dudas son infundadas y que este complejo monumental fue diseñado para rituales de iniciación de neófitos simulando viajes a través del inframundo.

Keywords

archaeoastronomyAveburylunar-solar cosmologymateriality modelphenomenologyspringsStonehengeunderworldWest Kennet Palisades
Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 87 , December 2021 , pp. 109 - 131
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Prehistoric Society

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