Everyone’s favorite well-endowed giant, the Cerne Abbas Giant on an English hillside (sorry, Shaq), just got endowed with something even bigger – a more accurate birthday. While it may seem obvious what someone of his ‘stature’ would wish for, let’s first find out how many candles he’ll be extinguishing.
“The science suggests he could be medieval, but intriguingly, surviving documents from Cerne Abbey don’t mention the giant. In the 16th century it’s as if the giant’s not there, and John Norden’s survey of 1617 makes no mention of him. And why would a rich and famous abbey – just a few yards away – commission, or sanction, a naked man carved in chalk on the hillside?”
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The Cerne Abbas Giant was probably first constructed in the late Saxon period, according to new analysis which has surprised archaeologists and historians.
The 180ft (55m) naked chalk figure brandishing a giant club overlooks the village of Cerne Abbas in Dorset.
Its origins and purpose have been shrouded in mystery, but experts can for the first time reveal the likely age of the giant.
The Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset (Ben Birchall/PA)
Following state-of-the-art sediment analysis, National Trust archaeologists have concluded the giant was probably first constructed in the late Saxon period.
Independent geoarchaeologist Mike Allen, whose research is helping the Trust understand more about the landscape in which the giant was created, said the result is surprising.