Archaeologists may finally know the age and true identity of the “Rude Man,” also known as the Cerne Abbas Giant, one of dozens of geoglyphs etched into the British countryside.
Then around 30 years ago, it became possible to date the figures thanks to a new technique called optically stimulated luminescence . In the 1990s, archaeologist David Miles led a team to date the Uffington White Horse. The scientists took samples of the strata, focusing on the lowest layer of packed chalk and the original sediment beneath it. By shining a laser at the samples, researchers released trapped particles within.
Other dating efforts suggest a huge age gap exists between the Uffington White Horse and most other geoglyphs, which generally date from the 1500s or later. It’s possible that other figures from the intervening years or ancient times have grassed over. Researchers know of about 60 historically documented geoglyphs that have disappeared.
“During that period, there was a big mythology about the role of giants in Britain’s origin myth,” Bell says. “That led to giants being depicted in other [chalk] hill figures which are described in historical documents but which have now vanished.” According to, giants were the original rulers of Albion—an ancient name for Britain that may mean “white land” and refer to the chalky geology.
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