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Cerne Abbas Giant
The Cerne Abbas Giant is a hill figure near the village of Cerne Abbas, in Dorset, England. It is currently owned by the National Trust, and listed as a scheduled monument of England. Measuring in length, the hill figure depicts a bald, nude male with a prominent erection, holding his left hand out to the side and wielding a large club in his right hand. Like many other hill figures, the Cerne Giant is formed by shallow trenches cut into the turf and backfilled with chalk rubble. The origin and age of the figure are unclear, and archaeological evidence suggests that parts of it have been lost, altered, or added, over time; the earliest written record dates to the late 17th century. Early antiquarians associated it, albeit on little evidence, with a Saxon deity, while other scholars sought to identify it with a Romano-British figure of Hercules (or some syncretisation of the two). The lack of earlier descriptions, along with information given to the 18th-century antiquarian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cerne Abbas
Cerne Abbas () is a village and civil parish in Dorset in southern England. It lies in the Dorset Council administrative area in the Cerne Valley in the Dorset Downs. The village lies just east of the A352 road north of Dorchester. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 858. In 2008 it was voted Britain's "Most Desirable Village" by estate agent Savills. It is the location of the Cerne Abbas Giant, a chalk figure of a giant naked man on a hillside. Etymology River Cerne means "the stony stream", with the name Cerne being derived from the Primitive Welsh ''carn'', "cairn, pile of stones". It is suggested that the pronunciation with soft 'c' instead of the more logical "chern" (Old English ''ċēarn'') is due to Anglo-Norman influence. ''Abbas'' is the graecised form of the Aramaic ''aba'' ("my father"), as used in the Septuagint and in the New Testament, which resulted in the English word ''abbot''. History The village of Cerne Abbas grew up around the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Syncretism
Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various school of thought, schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or religious assimilation, assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thus asserting an underlying unity and allowing for an Inclusivism, inclusive approach to other faiths. While syncretism in art and culture is sometimes likened to eclecticism, in the realm of religion, it specifically denotes a more integrated merging of beliefs into a unified system, distinct from eclecticism, which implies a selective adoption of elements from different traditions without necessarily blending them into a new, cohesive belief system. Etymology The English word is first attested in the early 17th century. It is from Neo-Latin, Modern Latin , drawing on the (), supposedly meaning "Cretan federation". However, this is a spurious etymology derived from the naive idea in Plutarch's 1st- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Club (weapon)
A club (also known as a cudgel, baton, bludgeon, truncheon, cosh, nightstick, or impact weapon) is a short staff or stick, usually made of wood, wielded as a weapon or tool since prehistory. There are several examples of blunt trauma, blunt-force trauma caused by clubs in the past, including at the site of Nataruk in Turkana County, Turkana, Kenya, described as the scene of a prehistoric conflict between bands of hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago. Most clubs are small enough to be swung with one hand, although larger clubs may require the use of two to be effective. Various specialized clubs are used in martial arts and other fields, including the Baton (law enforcement), law-enforcement baton. The military Mace (bludgeon), mace is a more sophisticated descendant of the club, typically made of metal and featuring a spiked, knobbed, or flanged head attached to a shaft. Examples of cultural depictions of clubs may be found in mythology, where they are associated with strong figure ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Earthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthworks are artificial changes in land level, typically made from piles of artificially placed or sculpted rocks and soil. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features, or they can show features beneath the surface. Types There are two broad categories of archaeological earthwork: positive features where earth is built up above the previous ground level, and negative features which are cut into the landscape. Beyond this, earthworks of interest to archaeologists include hill forts, henges, mounds, platform mounds, effigy mounds, enclosure (archaeology), enclosures, long barrows, tumulus, tumuli, ridge and furrow, motte-and-bailey castle, mottes, round barrows, and other tombs. * Hill forts, a type of fort made out of mostly earth and other natural materials including sand, straw, and water, were built as early as the late Stone Age and were built more frequently during the Bronze Age and Iron Age as a means of protection. See also Oppidum. * Henge eart ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iron Age Europe
In Europe, the Iron Age is the last stage of the prehistoric Europe, prehistoric period and the first of the protohistory, protohistoric periods,The Junior Encyclopædia Britannica: A reference library of general knowledge. (1897). Chicago: E.G. Melvin. (seriously? 1897 "Junior" encyclopedia? which initially meant descriptions of a particular area by Greek and Roman writers. For much of Europe, the period came to an abrupt end after conquest by the Romans, though ironworking remained the dominant technology until recent times. Elsewhere, the period lasted until the early centuries AD, and either Christianization or a new conquest in the Migration Period. Ferrous metallurgy, Iron working was introduced to Europe in the late 11th century BC, probably from the Caucasus, and slowly spread northwards and westwards over the succeeding 500 years. For example, the Iron Age of Prehistoric Ireland begins around 500 BC, when the Greek Iron Age had already ended, and finishes around 400 AD. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dorchester, Dorset
Dorchester ( ) is the county town of Dorset, England. It is situated between Poole and Bridport on the A35 trunk route. A historic market town, Dorchester is on the banks of the River Frome, Dorset, River Frome to the south of the Dorset Downs and north of the South Dorset Ridgeway that separates the area from Weymouth, Dorset, Weymouth, to the south. The civil parish includes the experimental community of Poundbury and the suburb of Fordington, Dorset, Fordington. The area around the town was first settled in prehistoric times. The Roman Britain, Romans established a garrison there after defeating the Durotriges tribe, calling the settlement that grew up nearby Durnovaria; they built an Roman aqueduct, aqueduct to supply water and an amphitheatre on an ancient British earthwork. During the medieval period Dorchester became an important commercial and political centre. It was the site of the "Bloody Assizes" presided over by George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, Judge Jeffrey ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bournemouth
Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest town in Dorset. Previously an uninhabited heathland, visited only by occasional fishermen and smugglers, a health resort was founded in the area by Lewis Tregonwell in 1810. After the Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway opened in 1870, it grew into an important resort town which attracts over five million visitors annually to the town's beaches and nightlife. Financial services provide significant employment. Part of Hampshire since before the Domesday Book, Bournemouth was assigned to Dorset under the Local Government Act 1972 in 1974. Bournemouth Borough Council became a unitary authority in 1997 and was replaced by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council in 2019; the current unitary authority also covers Poole, Chr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wilmington, East Sussex
Long Man is a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Wealden District, Wealden District of East Sussex, England, which includes the villages of Wilmington, Milton Street and Folkington. The parish is named after the Long Man of Wilmington, a Chalk figures in the United Kingdom, chalk figure in the parish. The parish extends far from the bank (geography), left bank of the modest River Cuckmere where it starts to cut through the South Downs; the Cuckmere Valley lies immediately south. The A27 road, A27 trunk road crosses the parish from west to east. The Wealdway long distance footpath also passes through the parish. The parish was formed on 1 April 1999 from "Folkington" and "Wilmington" parishes. Settlements Wilmington Wilmington is about 6 miles north-west of Eastbourne in East Sussex. In the village there is the 12th-century St Mary and St Peter's Church, Wilmington, Parish Church of St Mary and St Peter; adjoining it are the ruins of the 12th-century Wilmington ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Long Man Of Wilmington
The Long Man of Wilmington or Wilmington Giant is a hill figure on the steep slopes of Windover Hill near Wilmington, East Sussex, Wilmington, East Sussex, England. It is northwest of Eastbourne and south of Wilmington. Locally, the figure was once often called the Green Man. The Long Man is tall, holds two "staves", and is designed to look in proportion when viewed from below. Formerly thought to originate in the Iron Age or even the Neolithic period, a 2003 archaeological investigation showed that the figure may have been cut in the Early modern period, Early Modern era – the 16th or 17th century AD. From afar the figure appears to have been carved from the underlying chalk, but the modern figure is formed from white-painted Concrete masonry unit, breeze blocks and lime mortar. The Long Man is one of two major extant human hill figures in England; the other is the Cerne Abbas Giant, north of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester. Both are Scheduled monument, scheduled monument ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fertility
Fertility in colloquial terms refers the ability to have offspring. In demographic contexts, fertility refers to the actual production of offspring, rather than the physical capability to reproduce, which is termed fecundity. The fertility rate is the average number of children born during an individual's lifetime. In medicine, fertility refers to the ability to have children, and infertility refers to difficulty in reproducing naturally. In general, infertility or subfertility in humans is defined as not being able to conceive a child after one year (or longer) of unprotected sex. The antithesis of ''fertility'' is infertility, while the antithesis of ''fecundity'' is sterility. Demography In demographic contexts, fertility refers to the actual production of offspring, rather than the physical capability to produce which is termed fecundity. While fertility can be measured, fecundity cannot be. Demographers measure the fertility rate in a variety of ways, which can be broa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cerne Abbey
Cerne Abbey was a Benedictine monastery founded in 987 in the town now called Cerne Abbas, Dorset, by Æthelmær the Stout. History The abbey was founded in 987 by Æthelmær the Stout. Ælfric of Eynsham, the most prolific writer in Old English, spent time at the abbey as a monk and teacher. King Cnut plundered this monastery during an attack upon the town, but afterwards became a benefactor of it. By the time of the Domesday Book, the abbey had added substantially to its endowment. Much of this wealth has been credited to the veneration of Saint Eadwold of Cerne, a 9th-century hermit reputedly a brother of Edmund of East Anglia, Edmund, king of East Anglia. Eadwold lived as a hermit on a hill about four miles from Cerne. The later history appears to have been relatively uneventful; ''A History of the County of Dorset'' says that its history is "perhaps the least eventful of any of the Dorset houses with the exception of that of the sisters at Tarrant Abbey, Tarrant Kaines" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
