By Alfred C. Pass. 249 
but in our own day vast railway embankments, in Europe and India, 
’ have been thus formed. Sir Thomas Brassey, in his book, “ Work 
and Wages,” refers to ‘The Italian villagers, men, women, and 
children, carrying earth in baskets on their heads” to construct 
railways. 
My excavations were commenced in the month of September, 
after a long continuance of dry weather, so that the adjacent little 
stream—the Kennet—had been dried up for more than two months; 
yet water continually stood to the depth of 8ft. in the deep holes 
which were sunk in the trench, at the foot of the mound, and I 
think it would never at any time of the year fall below that level. 
The large area to the west of the hill, although not excavated to 
so great a depth as the trench, must necessarily have been a pond 
of water during a great part of every year. 
These facts have hitherto escaped observation, but it was from a 
surmise that such would prove to be the case that I was first led to 
attempt these explorations. 
It is clear that the intention of the builders was to completely 
isolate the hill, and prevent all approach to it from the surrounding 
‘ground. 
For what purpose was this moat intended? There is one reason 
probable, and that is for the purpuse of defence. By surrounding 
the hill with water, it could be approached only by the narrow 
causeway situate on the south side; and this could have been 
stockaded as a further defence. The top of the hill, also, may have 
been surrounded by a stockade, and the hill would then have some- 
what resembled a New Zealand pah. My conclusions are, that the 
builders of this mound, selected its peculiar low situation, for the sole 
purpose of obtaining the line of defence furnished by the water in 
the surrounding moat; and that Silbury Hill was erected as a tribal 
stronghold, or place of retreat and defence, in case of a sudden 
attack by enemies. If not meant for defence, for what purpose was 
this deep trench intended ? 
The mound at Marlborough strongly resembles Silbury Hill, and 
was erected in a similar low situation, near the same stream—the 
; Kennet—possibly by the same race of men, for the same purpose ; 
