Chalklands
Chalk undulates across Southern England
Hills, gentle yet steep
Can be overtopped by clay peppered with flints
So treasured by the old folk
As old as the hills is true here
The chalk is a two hundred million year ocean
Stiffened and folded over time
By our living planet
Several human species
Have hunted in these valleys
Have dug into and sculpted these hills
Have left their ghosts for us to trace
The ancient monuments we treasure
Hill forts, stone circles, long barrows
Are but modern remnants
Compared to the first folk
My hills have deep roots
Copyright © 2017 Kim Whysall-Hammond
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which earthwork is that?
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It’s Danebury fort, in north Hampshire, near Andover. Well worth a visit if you’re in the area. It was built in the 6th century BC, and was in use for almost 500 years, well after others were abandoned. Excavated by the great Prof. Barry Cunliffe over many years —he once allowed my small sons to pick over his discard pile for ‘treasure’! My ‘Hill Forts’ poem was inspired whilst sitting on the ramparts of Danebury.
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ah yes, I know about Danebury / Wallop/ Guoloph. Cubliffe is amazing – Britain Begins is a fantastic book too for amateurs like me.
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Yes it’s good isn’t it!
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Stiffened and folded -a nice turn of phrase. Like the living planet’s making a soufflé.
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I hadn’t thought of it that
way! 😀
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