Last Secrets Of The Uffington White Horse

[@NinaHansen2008]

I know that in the short time I have left on the earth, I won’t be able to walk these hills nor see these splendors for myself. So I am very grateful to the folks like you who bring me along on your adventures. Thank you.

[@MattMesserPics]

Thank you! I'm happy and humbled by being one of those who enable you to travel virtually this way! I'll do my best to produce more.

[@meeeka]

@@MattMesserPics yes, a thousand thanks. from Bedridden in Australia

[@RobinEdgar]

​@@MattMesserPics Please do produce a follow-up video to this one. It's unfortunate that "In the Shadow of Segsbury" by Paolo Guarino and Alistair J. Barclay does not provide an answer as to why the Uffington White Horse was created, but my research into how eclipses, especially total solar eclipses, influenced ancient humanity's religious beliefs and iconography finds evidence strongly suggesting that geoglyphs were responses to observations of the total solar eclipses 'eye of God'. The Uffington White Horse is now believed to have been created around 1000 BCE. There was a total solar eclipse above southern England on April 8, 1066 BCE. This total solar eclipse was preceded by an annular eclipse above most of Britain on August 11, 1064 BCE. Following the 1066 BCE total solar eclipse, two annular eclipses occurred above southern England in rapid succession on May 30, 1060 BCE and February 4 1044 BCE. That is one total solar eclipse, and two annular eclipses, above southern England in the span of six years, with another annular eclipse just over 15 years later.

[@marieascot]

I hope you are well. I wish you had the health and wealth to travel.

[@annsmith8000]

Look here now! I went to primary school in Shrivenham during early fifties, one teacher Mrs Malon a Scot said that it’s a horse so it’s a bloody horse right and she was expert with her cane, my hands are still hot and tingly. I grew up schooled and worked under the gaze of that beautiful WHITE HORSE for twenty five years and still tend it in my dreams right here in Aotearoa...........New Zealand. May God bless England for ever. Thank you for this lovely upload......... Robert

[@MattMesserPics]

And thanks for this lovely comment!

[@h-j.k.8971]

Yes, the cane (or the plimpsole) I remember it well, not just a school.Growing up in Berkshire the White Horse, Aylesbury and Stonenge were the destinations for school outings. All those years ago and still interesting.

[@alanmiles935]

There is no place called Aotearoa. it is a myth not a legend. It is a made up word.

[@TheJoan48]

@@alanmiles935 You'd better google Aotearoa before you say that. I just did. It's definitely a word and it was the name of a place. Read up and see.

[@alunevans380]

To know that our ancestors have been maintainIng this for at least three thousand years, shows the affection that the many generations of people have had for this over such a long period of time, i imagine this is a very rare phenomenon.

[@MattMesserPics]

It is rare and, on the other hand, typical British. A lot has been preserved or at least left alone and not built over in all those centuries.

[@alunevans380]

@@MattMesserPics 👍

[@glee4740]

A ancient dragon burial site, hence the name of the lane 🤧

[@daemonharper3928]

I've always loved the graceful lines of the horse, so much so that I've got a simple tattoo of her on my leg.....it's nice to think that my little inky tribute would be recognised by British and pre British people going back 3000 years...what a piece of art she is, simply fantastic.

[@MattMesserPics]

Probably the best choice of tattoo I can think of 😀

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

It's the one thing I would have inked on me. I've loved the place since my father first showed her to me. Many years ago and miles behind.

[@psychesonic1]

I have the same tattooed on my arm.

[@davidjames5517]

Ahh! So this is why KZbin exists. Delightful, enriching, enthralling. Thank you so much.

[@MattMesserPics]

And of course to find comments like this. Delightful, encouraging, puts a smile on your dial. Thank you!

[@UATU.]

It was a treat to watch a friendly, conversational, informal interview. The world could use more content like this. Thank you!

[@MattMesserPics]

Thank you so much! Doing the interview with Charles was wonderful. He had so much to show and say about the region, I could only put a small part in the video...

[@Darkstar-se6wc]

“It’s not what a horse looks like, it’s what a horse BE” -Terry Pratchett, about his discworld’s chalk horse

[@MattMesserPics]

One of my favourite quotes - it about sums it up, don't you think?

[@grannyweatherwax9666]

❤❤❤

[@bethhibbard6557]

Exactly so, he had it right! ❤

[@MellyoftheSpring]

This is exactly what I meant by my general comment, just posted. This is what comes out of stepping back to let the elder speak. I think that is just what so Brilliantly! sets your content appart. You can't get that from AI.

[@majordog2399]

Some say its a dragon and not a horse.

[@MrTylerStricker]

The quantity and quality of archaeological sites that you find on and around the United Kingdom is just breathtaking and so epic. Thank you for bringing us this fascinating documentary!

[@MattMesserPics]

Thank you very much for this kind praise - encourages me to find more!

[@MrTylerStricker]

@@MattMesserPics Please do! It doesn't matter if it's been done to death by other people or on other platforms - your documentaries definetly add a layer of something intangible to all of the factual information. I guess you could call it "pride of passion", but it's certainly got something most other documentaries lack.

[@OdeInWessex]

It's because we never throw anything away...

[@MattMesserPics]

@@MrTylerStricker I guess 'pride of passion' pretty much sums up what it feels like making them. That's because you have to spend a long time researching stuff and after a while you get some strange sense of 'parent-ship'.

[@MattMesserPics]

Apologies if you have seen this before - I had to re-upload to remove a copyright issue.

[@vixtex]

No problem! I love this subject. BTW beautiful photography ✌️❤️

[@MattMesserPics]

Thanks very much!

[@vixtex]

The Romans perhaps saw the White Horse as a sign from Epona

[@rridderbusch518]

My first time seeing it, but then I don't get all my notifications from certain channels. Is it possible to use [CC] English? Americans and the hard-of-hearing would appreciate it! Thirdly, and respectfully, KZbin is not a church. Lose those "praying hands".

[@MattMesserPics]

Hmm, the hands are a widely used gesture of 'thanks' these days - I never associated the emoji with praying. Anyway - removed - but see this as a personal favour to an esteemed subscriber. And I'm on the subtitle thing, stay tuned...

[@cwavt8849]

That beautiful horse is so stylized that it boggles my mind that it is that ancient

[@MattMesserPics]

A sentiment shared by many who look at it. Thanks for that comment!

[@gaylebaker8419]

There are some rather marvelous cave paintings, you know. Perhaps the "style" is re-discovered from time to time.

[@cwavt8849]

@@gaylebaker8419 😂. You know, you are absolutely right! I do remember thinking the same thing when looking at cave paintings

[@louisestebbings3145]

Just been on holiday and walked the Ridgeway by the Uffington White Horse and castle today; it is absolutely amazing!

[@mikef.1000]

"As dead horses go, this is a well-flogged one!" Gold!

[@MattMesserPics]

Thank you! Strange nobody else picked up on that one - I confess I was a little proud of it when it sprang to the mind...

[@MellyoftheSpring]

Hello, Matt! 1st time viewer here in the USA snooping around UTube for British history, geography, and anthro&archeology content. You've just gained a follower! Matt, what immediately stands out about this beautifully recorded and edited content is your ability to step back and let the wise local elder featured speak. Prompted by your marvelously curious questions. Bravo!! Thankyou for that!! I'm excited about the prospect of exploring the rest of your content.🧜‍♀️🌬💕🙏 Melly

[@MattMesserPics]

Thank you very much for that lovely comment! I do hope not to disappoint going forward, even if I have preciously little time to film and edit at the moment. I quite agree with those interviews being valuable, but it's surprisingly difficult to find people both knowledgeable and willing to be on camera.

[@MellyoftheSpring]

@@MattMesserPics I bet it's challenging, until you find the ones that will talk all day and then some. There's one in every community, I think... someoneeager to share what they know. The difference is that you took the time to find hin.

[@WaterShowsProd]

I always wondered about who'd been upkeeping it for thousands of years as well. Through all the conflicts, plagues, storms, droughts, and someone was continually saying, "Wait a minute, I've got to go weed the bloody horse."

[@MattMesserPics]

Precisely! Isn't that amazing?

[@carolinejohnson22]

😀😁😅 I think it was made as a piece of art to make people happy 😊

[@timmccormack710]

Epona, Celtic goddess of horses,gives us the name pony for a horse. Giddyup. Cheers

[@MattMesserPics]

And it could have been the Celts who made this horse, obscure as they are for historians...

[@nodiggity9472]

Epona was a Saxon Goddess, not Celtic.

[@MattMesserPics]

@@nodiggity9472 Are you sure about that? She certainly was around in Roman times - That would make her very early Saxon on the continent, well before the Anglo-Saxon 'invasion' of Britain...

[@armandsimonis7992]

@@nodiggity9472 - Epona was the Romanised version of a Celtic (Gaul mainly) Goddess. (believe me I studied it thoroughly, my company that I started 30+ years ago is named Epona).

[@littledikkins2253]

@@MattMesserPics Who ever did it they clearly knew what a horse was.

[@toucheturtle3840]

I remember going for a walk with my Dad, brother & Dads friend, 40 years ago. Along the Ridgeway. I went marching off as I knew where we were heading. Eventually my companions caught up with me. We set up our tents in a pub garden in Uffington. Priceless memories…

[@MattMesserPics]

Oh, lovely! And wasn't it remarkable how much easier everything seemed to be back then? The abundance and affordability of country pubs, just being able to set up your tent after a brief chat with the landlord...I grew up on the banks of the river Thames a bit downstream from Oxford and I always say my early childhood was like a mixture of and a Beatrix Potter Story.

[@anders4881]

I went there last year after a gap of thirty years and the atmosphere of the whole area hadn’t changed at all. It was still magical.

[@MattMesserPics]

@@anders4881 Magical indeed, alway well worth a visit. Also, I bet in those thirty years the wind never stopped blowing even for five minutes up there.😅

[@RogerRobinson79]

@@MattMesserPics ".I grew up on the banks of the river Thames a bit downstream from Oxford" I'm surprised by this you sound totally German to me.

[@MattMesserPics]

@@RogerRobinson79 I moved to Germany at the age of seven, so in terms of my original south Buckinghamshire accent, much that was once known is now lost. I do sound much more German when I'm doing the 'presenter-thing' than when you meet me in the pub. I guess it's trying to sound BBCish - seems to go a bit wrong...

[@Dr.Yalex.]

100 human generations ❤ have taken care of the Scythian horse during the 3,000 years.

[@MattMesserPics]

I have a feeling there is a lot of interesting information hidden in the fact that you call it the Scythian Horse. If you have the time, please do elaborate!

[@Dr.Yalex.]

@@MattMesserPics I do not think I have any additional information that you do not possess. I believe, etymology says a lot about who and what we are and where we come from… The English name Scythians/Scyths is derived from Ancient Greek names Skuthēs (Σκυθης) & Skuthoi (Σκυθοι), both derived from the Scythian endonym Skuδatā, meaning 'archers'. Due to a sound change from /δ/ to /l/ in the Scythian language, the term evolved into the form *Skulatā. This designation was recorded in Greek as Skōlotoi (Σκωλοτοι), which, according to Herodotus of Halicarnassus, was the self-designation of the tribe of the Royal Scythians. The Assyrians rendered the name of the Scythians as Iškuzaya (𒅖𒆪𒍝𒀀𒀀), māt Iškuzaya (𒆳𒅖𒆪𒍝𒀀𒀀), and awīlū Iškuzaya (𒇽𒅖𒆪𒍝𒀀𒀀), or ālu Asguzaya (𒌷𒊍𒄖𒍝𒀀𒀀), māt Askuzaya (𒆳𒊍𒆪𒍝𒀀𒀀), and māt Ašguzaya (𒆳𒀾𒄖𒍝𒀀𒀀). These terms also reflect the origin of the Biblical name Ashkenaz (Biblical Hebrew: אַשְׁכְּנָז‎ ʾAškənāz). The ancient Persians meanwhile called the Scythians "Sakā who live beyond the (Black) Sea" (𐎿𐎣𐎠 𐏐 𐎫𐎹𐎡𐎹 𐏐 𐎱𐎼𐎭𐎼𐎹, romanized: Sakā tayaiy paradraya) in Old Persian and simply Sakā (Ancient Egyptian: 𓋴𓎝𓎡 𓈉, 𓐠𓎼 𓈉) in Ancient Egyptian, from which was derived the Graeco-Roman name Sacae (Ancient Greek: Σακαι; Latin: Sacae). The Scytho-Siberian world emerged on the Eurasian Steppe at the dawn of the Iron Age in the early 1st millennium BC. Its origins has long been a source of debate among archaeologists. The Pontic-Caspian steppe was initially thought to have been their place of origin, until the Soviet archaeologist Aleksey Terenozhkin suggested a Central Asian origin. Herodotus reported that the ancient Persians called all of the Scythians “Sacae”, but they called themselves Scoloti. However, a modern comparison of the forms which are given in other ancient languages suggests that Skuda was their name. Bede (died 735) had linked the Picts to the Scythians. Saint Bede, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (Latin: Beda Venerabilis), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the greatest teachers and writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most famous work, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, gained him the title "The Father of English History". Bede's reputation as a historian, based mostly on the Historia Ecclesiastica, remains strong.

[@Maxley..]

Fascinating, and beautifully filmed and edited!

[@MattMesserPics]

Thanks for that, glad you liked it! Hopefully there is a new one ready within the next few days. I've had very little time of late...

[@JJ-of1ir]

I was captured by this video. Beautiful to watch, a pleasure to learn. Thank you.

[@MattMesserPics]

And thanks for the lovely comment!

[@BradBrassman]

I lived in this area for several years in the early 90's and could see the White Horse from my bedroom window. The wavy pattern you mention goes a lot further on the back road to Shrivenham and was known locally as the "Coombs" and was said to be the southernmost penetration of the edges of the glacial ice from the last ice age.

[@MattMesserPics]

Yes, I think I can see it on google earth - didn't know that! Thanks!

[@sharonthomas4997]

Hi, I lived in Goosey in the 70s and loved visiting the White Horse and Wayland's Smithy. I miss the area very much and have an Uffington Horse necklace to remind me.

[@EDMcIntoshBrocher]

There is a young version of this on Mormond Hill, Aberdeenshire. It's only a century or so old but has a stag to keep it company. I think they were wedding/anniversary gifts from a Lord Lovett to his wife. Not steeped in history (yet) like the Uffington one but our schoolkids and Boys Scouts regularly tidy them up and they always tell me that I'm almost home when I see them.

[@GloryDaze73]

❤ Thank you so much for these videos! Would LOVE an Update on the Uffington white horse.

[@MattMesserPics]

Thanks a lot for liking! The book is out and I gave the details in the description of this video. I do plan to make a sequel, talking about those finds, bear with me...

[@Lemma01]

Wayland Smithy is impressive - but I seem to remember it was "reimagined" in the early 1960s, with many stones re-errected, repositioned, and the whole site was changed beyond recognition. There's a photo extant from about 1900. Still, a wonderful part of the world to walk about in - we're fortunate to have it on our doorstep...❤

[@MattMesserPics]

Re-arranging ancient monuments to make them more picturesque is something we've stopped doing only very recently. And yes, you are very lucky - It's a breathtakingly beautiful part of the world.

[@JeffHole-wc1tc]

Your videos are fascinating... especially the Neolithic sites. I hope there will be many more.

[@MattMesserPics]

Thank you! I'm working on more neolithic ideas, but would be very grateful for any suggestions.

[@gailwingrave763]

Thank you for that wonderful program, I enjoyed every minute of it . The scenery is so beautiful and green. Fantastic photography . Subscribed.😊

[@MattMesserPics]

Thank you very much for the kind praise! I'll do my best not to disappoint with the next ones.

[@robertdiehl1281]

Such an outstanding video. Appreciate the archeological look into this incredible site. And, the musical score, the greenness of the area takes one on a journey through some beautiful countryside.

[@MattMesserPics]

Thank you! That encourages me to do more!

[@canadianbrit]

I grew up going to this hill. As a child, we used to move back-and-forth between England and Canada.On sunday afternoons, our parents would take us and our crazy carpets to go down the hill and burn off energy

[@majordog2399]

Nothing beats sliding down a grassy hill as a kid, we did the same but without the flights to Canada.😊

[@greenjack1959l]

Thanks Mathias, lovely film, very atmospheric, and the music was great, gave me goosebumps.

[@MattMesserPics]

Very pleased to hear that, thanks!

[@gerrystevens9041]

i am descended from alfred the great. so he was born and grew up right under the white horse of uffington...i just love the peace of the area...

[@fionnaheller1873]

Thank you for this video. Your love of the subject is evident in every moment and your guest was simply delightful.

[@MattMesserPics]

Oh, what a kind thing to say, thank you!

[@fionnaheller1873]

@@MattMesserPics The pleasure is entirely mine. I have subscribed and sent links in my not very proficient fashion to those of my children who love history. Your work exhibits a very appealing artistry and your assessments are both sound and thought provoking - and I do appreciate your sense of humour. Thank you again. I am so glad I found your channel.

[@MattMesserPics]

@@fionnaheller1873 Now you actually make me blush. No, but honestly, great encouragement to continue - I have a few more lined up and will do my very best!

[@fionnaheller1873]

@@MattMesserPics You are very welcome and I look forward to enjoying these talks.

[@clairecarscallen]

I visited the beautiful horse on the hill decades ago on my one and only trip to England, visiting a university friend who had moved l to London. Being an art history grad, I had made a list of all the ancient sites I wanted to see. My poor long suffering friend wasn’t as into these things. I have a photo slide somewhere of the horse, and the giant as well. Wonder if I can find them. Thank you for this video. It brought back memories I haven’t had in years. Such a magically beautiful and mysteriously evocative part of England.

[@Shaun1959]

Live in USA now but lived in one of the local villages. Good video with lots of info

[@MattMesserPics]

Thank you!

[@brucestratford5838]

We have similar things in Australia that can only be seen from the air, all made from walking & moving stones away from the lighter coloured earth underneath. So strange. So beautiful.

[@bobroberts6155]

A fabulous video Matthias. Pictures show the beauty of the area but can’t convey the magical atmosphere of these ancient places. Walking this area in my younger days I would often pass Wayland Smithy and experience a strong presence of those who occupied the land before us. Perhaps it was this and the persistence of folk memory that contributed to generations of local people, who would have been more closely bound to the land than most of us today, scouring the white horse so diligently.

[@MattMesserPics]

Quite right! No picture can replace actually going there. The urge to preserve something old and beautiful is actually also a very British thing, handed down through countless generations. Perhaps I could inspire a few people to go for a long walk down there - It's definitely worth the trip.

[@AniaBumba]

A great video! I am glad it popped up as recommended. You deserve many more views.

[@MattMesserPics]

@@AniaBumba Thank you, thank you, thank you!❤️

[@eyeteethsightbytes153]

Fascinating video. I grew up not far away and visited many times, still going back when i can. I had no knowledge of the recent discoveries, you have inspired me to learn more.

[@MattMesserPics]

Thanks for that! Yes, it is a lovely part of the world. The book has indeed been published by now: "In the Shadow of Segsbury" by Paolo Guarino and Alistair J. Barclay, Cotswold archeology Monograph 16. It is a very thorough and professional archeological piece of work, as you might have expected, but the conclusions for our white horse here are not immediately obvious, perhaps also to be expected. I am still planning to make a bit of a walk-and-talk type of thing out of it with a few friends, but that's still in the planning.

[@sharonthomas4997]

Hi, I grew up nearby too and used to visit White Horse

[@MattMesserPics]

@@sharonthomas4997 Glad you enjoyed it then! I used to live just west of Swindon and Uffington was on my commute for some years. I miss the area soooo much!

[@Angela-en6oh]

A thoroughly enjoyable and informative video.

[@MattMesserPics]

Thank you!

[@OscarFrosty]

Great video - thanks for sharing!

[@MattMesserPics]

Thanks for telling me!

[@IlSqueak]

Disappointed to see that my prediction of 1000 subs got removed, but Happy to see you beat 1K in style and are nearly halfway to 2000 subs. Congratulations again! (Subscriber #994)

[@MattMesserPics]

I had to delete the entire video and re-upload to resolve a copyright issue - just because youtube doesn't let you replace parts of the soundtrack, which would be really easy. The video had 35k views and all your people's lovely comments and suggestions in it, along with your congratulations and some more really good ideas what to do next - all gone! But on the up-side: Removing the music in the new version around the 8:00 mark has slightly improved it. Thanks for your support!

[@IlSqueak]

@@MattMesserPics Don't worry. I was happy to give it another watch. And whilst I remember, the video for Cloudbusting by Kate Bush (the one with Donald Sutherland) was also filmed on White Horse Hill, some nice shots of the Manger and Dragon Hill, and a few glimpses of the Horse in it.

[@MattMesserPics]

@IlSqueak You are right! Amazing video - I would have liked to do some cloud busting when I was up there at 6am back in May 🙂

[@billhoath5453]

​@@MattMesserPicsvery frustrating for a well edited video. A friend who is into KZbin creation had a similar issue. I suggested expanding all the comments then doing a cut and paste of them into word then summarising the useful information in a community post and referencing it in the description or as a large, pinned comment that all new viewers can see. You lose all the viewing stats but the many bits of useful information in the comments can be preserved with credit to the contributors, and it saves new viewers wading through all the comments to find the good bits which I rarely have time to do. If you've set the old video to private but not yet deleted, you might still be able to do it. I think KZbin creator lets you run your own copyright check which seems worthwhile. The detection seems extremely sensitive, and it can pick-up low-level background sounds such as a radio playing that you may not have noticed at the time which is what happened to my friend. A comment summary might be worth doing for popular videos, so you don't get so many repeated comments which makes it easier for you to respond to them and saves well-meaning contributors time, although less comments might affect the video ranking, I don't think it is a big issue if you have lots of comments. You might flag up the updates via a community post and generate some further short views of the videos when the update is viewed. There may be some way to let subscribers know there is a comments summary available via their feed and I would probably go back for comments catchup if I'd liked the video which might be a way to build longer term viewer engagement, I thought this update might have been to do with publication of the archaeological results which is why I came back to it although it seemed a bit early. I anticipate the archaeological update with interest. Good Luck

[@RMScott]

XTC’s English Settlement album cover. Magnificent!

[@MattMesserPics]

And I swear I didn't know or at least had forgotten about it!

[@marieascot]

An under-praised band

[@saxoncrow2500]

Just came across this on my feed. Years ago i drove passed the Uffington Horse. An amazing feeling of time travel as you yhink avout the history. Thank you for a very enjoyable, caloming and informative video. Subscribed and eager to watch more.

[@MattMesserPics]

Thanks for that! And, yes, more is coming up - day job getting in the way a bit at the moment...

[@saxoncrow2500]

@@MattMesserPics Did you ever get the book relating to the latest theory regarding the Uffington Horse? It would be interesting to know.

[@MattMesserPics]

Yes, I did and, as was to be expected, it is not immediately clear what to make of it. Here is what I replied to @hArtyTruffle 5 days ago: The book has indeed been published: "In the Shadow of Segsbury" by Paolo Guarino and Alistair J. Barclay, Cotswold archeology Monograph 16. It is a very thorough and professional archeological piece of work, as you might have expected, but the conclusions for our white horse here are not immediately obvious, perhaps also to be expected. I am still planning to make a bit of a walk-and-talk type of thing out of it with a few friends, but that's still in the planning.

[@saxoncrow2500]

@@MattMesserPics Many thanks Matthias. Personally I enjoy that somethings we don't know about. A bit of mystery is always good.

[@sarasmr4278]

13:17 I like the way you explained that. I'm from the US and didn't know about this. Great intro to your channel. I hope there's lots more :) 💜💜💜

[@MattMesserPics]

Thank you, very kind! Yes, I'll do my best to produce more, but the daytime job really does get in the way - I guess it's the same for all of us.

[@Chilldude252]

My teacher actually shared this video! Its quite informative!

[@MattMesserPics]

Ohh, that's good to hear! I do try to get my facts right. Wonderful to see it used in education!

[@MichaelRand-r9w]

I once visited the Uffington Horse with a Canadian friend who'd never seen it before, not even a photograph. "That's not a horse" he said, It's a cat!" I do wonder...!

[@MattMesserPics]

You know what? That exact observation has been made by many over the past centuries. Make of it what you want, but it is an interesting thought in any way...

[@Happyheretic2308]

It’s a horse - running lines ….

[@branofattrebates2847]

Thankyou for this lovely documentary i am kind of local to the area and frequent uffington with my dogs quite often and Weyland smithy as well . Its a beautiful part of the country wondering along the ridgeway from Ashbury i will now find out the secrets that have been uncovered 👍👍👍

[@MattMesserPics]

Thanks for this! To be honest, the 'last sectrets', as far as we can hope to unveil them, make quite some laborious reading in Cotswold-Archeology's book (see info to this video). I am planning to make a sequel around autumn half-term time. I used to live in Tetbury, South Cotswolds, and the White Horse was on my commute to Wallingford for work. I feel dreadfully home-sick although I now live in a very nice part of the world, too.

[@suziq4394]

And not forgetting that Kate Bush,s video for "Cloudbusting" was filmed there too. Excellent video of a lovely place. Well worth a visit.

[@MattMesserPics]

Yes, true, I had forgotten about that again, although someone pointed it out a while ago, thanks!

[@Mallarkey]

With Donald Sutherland, RIP 😢

[@nicholasbell9017]

You have to go there to appreciate the chalk image in scale in this topography. It is not very big, and is hard to see clearly unless you fly a drone camera. Amazing, beautiful, mysterious artwork, 3000 years old!!! Loved and maintained by local folk for aĺl those years. The burials/ graves were frightening though. The arrangements of posed dismemberment look like some sort of vengeance, that I'd rather not think about. Really enjoyed this video. Thanks. Nick.

[@MattMesserPics]

Thanks and, yes, I quite agree. Those graves send a shiver down your spine...

[@Luppy-v8f]

Good to see someone else interested in our history.

[@MattMesserPics]

Thank you! And what an extraordinary history it is...

[@jeanhawken4482]

Very enjoyable

[@MattMesserPics]

@@jeanhawken4482 Thanks!

[@zacsayer1818]

King Cnut also had the epithet, “The Great” - speaking of which, great video, thank you!

[@stevegunning1806]

Great video, thank you. I would have liked to know a little more about Charles’ identity and background, as a commentator, etc, but I’m hooked. Can’t wait to view more and hear your views on these fascinating times and archaeological remains.

[@MattMesserPics]

It's always tricky how much you should reveal about other people in your videos, but perhaps a few things: Charles has been living in Letcombe Basset for well over thirty years and is very interested in the history of the area. He still is the main contact between Cotswold Archeology and the village. I do plan to make a sequel, as the results of that dig have meanwhile been published, but, sadly, I didn't manage to spend time in the area for most of the past year.

[@redwoods7370]

Stunning work of art.

[@MattMesserPics]

The horse definitely is! But just in case that extends to my video, thanks a lot!

[@janebaker966]

King Alfred is my 30 x great grandfather,lots of other people too. Thomas Hughes gives a great description of the annual scouring. It's certainly mystical how people always knew it was significant even after they didn't know why. Isn't it they find now that the people who made Stonehenge and lived in that whole culture they were born,a lot of them in what we now think of as northern France and Belgium,these folk came and went to and fro. We forget that it was not separate countries then,so the culture that made Stonehenge and lived in that high ground from Dorset to Oxfordshire was kind of pan-european.

[@MattMesserPics]

That is a very good thought. To understand Neolithic and Bronze-age cultures we should explore much more the obvious signs of pan-mediterranean exchange. Think, for example about the Scottish brochs and the Nuraghes on Sardinia, to name just one example.

[@casualviewing1096]

This is a very well put together documentary. Thank you. New subscriber 👍

[@MattMesserPics]

Thanks for that! And I'll do my best not to disappoint!

[@avalondreaming1433]

How absolutely amazing! What I don't understand is that we are told that we do NOT descend from the ancient British monument builders. Those people all died off and their distant cousins only exist in Sardinia. Yet, how have people continually kept up the White Horse for 3 thousand years?

[@MattMesserPics]

I have actually changed my mind on that one, after reading lots of similar comments by you good people and then also some more recent books. What with the archeological report now finally published, it may be time for a sequel...

[@peterfrance702]

Walking from the Castle to Dragon Hill I found myself practically walking on the White Horse, following the line of it's back. It struck me that it was originally a path formed by many passing feet, and some bright person, or kids perhaps, saw 'the horse' in their minds eye and enhanced the image for fun. I used to do the same as a child, seeing a suggested form and enhancing it. The apparent maintenance over millenia is perhaps simply more feet walking the path.

[@MattMesserPics]

Possibly, who can tell after such a long time? If that is how it started, they certainly then finalised the shape systematically and in the same way for all lines of the figure - Trenches about two feet deep with compacted ground chalk. It must have at least acquired some deeper meaning from there on, to start this meticulous scouring tradition. It must have been very important in some way.

[@peterfrance702]

​@@MattMesserPics Oh yes, accruing significance, and finessed and stylised over time no doubt. It's just the location, on the ridge of the hill is the natural line for a path between two very significant points in the landscape. Until I hear a more plausible explanation I think the idea will continue to stick in my mind. As you say, who can tell? When next you're there maybe you can bear the idea in mind and pick holes in it.😀

[@risenshine2783]

The dragon has reared its head again in these times and we need St Michael back, please return to us St Michael!

[@annaharris626]

@@MattMesserPics this is the first time I’ve seen you mention the construction needed for the outline. That makes it even more a formidable work of art.

[@Celtic2Realms]

Very lovely video. Thanks

[@MattMesserPics]

Thanks very much for telling me!

[@markaxworthy2508]

Excellent presentation.

[@MattMesserPics]

Thank you!

[@darenbuckley7653]

Went there, Dragon Hill in late 80's and saw a woman and hallucinated, heard the trappings of a horse. Suzie from Leeds... 3.38

[@SherryRector]

Enjoyed the history and hope the book is in America

[@MattMesserPics]

Thanks! And I am sure you can order the book in the US - I put the details in the description to the video.

[@philipbaycock6139]

Given the proximity to the Dragon Hill, might it be a dragon? The tail is very ,one for horse, and could the two short lines below the nose be breath? Just a thought!

[@MattMesserPics]

I guess we'll never really know what exactly it is, but apparently, if you put everything from the archeological record together, a horse is most likely. Bear in mind that the story of Dragon Hill came up much, much later.

[@bruceplenderleith838]

Another village nearby is Sevenhampton in Wiltshire, I used to live there,. I knew people who kept the horse clean and me and the other children used to roll down the hill. We thought it was Alfred's men who carved it.

[@MattMesserPics]

It really was a great surprise when we learnt just how old it is...

[@FortheBudgies]

Hey! I've been there! That whole region makes this American's head spin. Ancient ancient human art in people's yards!

[@MattMesserPics]

Thanks for the comment! Actually, there are some really interesting topographical features left behind by early indigenous American people. After all, north America had a human population going back at least 12000 years, probably much longer. I guess the thing is, though, that it's all spread over vastly more space than on an Island as small as Britain. Who knows what a comprehensive Lidar-scan of the United States may reveal? - And what a humungous effort that would be!

[@myriaddsystems]

Fascinating!

[@MattMesserPics]

Thank you!

[@steve-fb1pz]

Seen them all as a nipper dad loved history.👍

[@MattMesserPics]

Ahh, yes, happy days, eh?

[@lourias]

This is the first that I have heard of that White Horse... but, I live in America and not really super interested in history. Only through KZbin, have I been able to take video journeys to worlds I known to me through the echos of others memories. I have really loved math and sciences more than history.

[@MattMesserPics]

Well, then I'm glad I could add such an external memory - hope you enjoyed it!

[@joannecordelia]

When I was a child-6ish we lived in England. We took a trip to Scotland and there were many chalk crests and pictures up there. Have you done any videos of those? I’ve always been curious about them also.

[@robertharneis9506]

I was born nearby and my father followed the local tradition and took me and my brother and sister there, to stand on. The grass. eye of the horse and make a wish. In turn, I took my son there but there was by then a fence. So I lifted him over and told him what to do.

[@bonnienichalson5151]

What a lovely family tradition 🌱🎉🤗

[@markrutlidge5427]

"It isn't what a horse is, it's what a horse are." Granny Aching , disc world.

[@franc9111]

There's a town west of Paris where the Vallée de la Mauldre meets the Seine called Epône. There aren't any horses but there is a passage grave. On either side of the Seine going westwards to the sea there are chalk cliffs that are very similar to what you find on the other side of the Channel, but theren't any figures such as there are in Southern England. I was sad and surprised to find that my favourite figure - the Long Man of Wilmington - has been shown to be far more recent than previously thought. It certainly does look prehistoric, but it isn't.

[@MattMesserPics]

I remember stubbing my toe on this 'recentness' while I was planning to film the Long Man of Wilmington - And so I shelved those plans. But I have just began to read a bit through what can be found on the internet and I am wondering how thorough that 2003 investigation actually was. Could it be that a prehistoric figure was renovated or updated in the 17th century, so what we are looking at now is from Stuart days but has much older roots? Just a thought...

[@franc9111]

@@MattMesserPics I'm not in any way an expert on this, but I do know that quite a few people weren't happy about it. I bought the DVD, but frustratingly I can't find it for the moment. It is true that the Man has been messed around with at various times, so whether his findings can be relied on, it's difficult to say. (Just to make you jealous, we spend our holidays not too far away from la Vallée des Merveilles, north of Nice).

[@kcfowler6529]

I would be very interested in learning more about the Cotswolds and especially the white horse

[@MattMesserPics]

I am thinking of doing a sequel to the white horse, since now the book by Cotswold Archeology is out...

[@963ag]

There is a replica of this on the western outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. I don't know much of its history, particularly since it is in a very rural, mostly uninhabited region of desert. It is called " Sierra de Caballo Blanco." Or, Cliff/ Mountain of the White Horse.

[@onemodelarmy]

The hill is a electrical thunderstorm generator. The hot air made by water reacting with the chalk limestone rushes up the 51.84 degree hill face and meets the cooler air on the opposite side of the hill causing thunder clouds. Ull find a obelisk on the adjacent hill which is the highest point and is where the lightening will strike. The obelisk is made of a high crystal content stone which conducts the electrical current to a row of smaller stones which leads to the barrows. Inside the barrows ull find chemical reaction chambers in which a number of useful chemicals were made. Hope this helps

[@clairecarscallen]

Wow! Such a knowledge of physics and chemistry and their uses for an ancient people to possess!

[@simonk2252]

Your "obelisk" is a concrete Trig Point that was built sometime after 1935. Concrete does not conduct electricity very well.

[@Skorpychan]

My theory is that it's an advertising billboard. Lambourn is just down the hill from there, and it's long been famous for race horses. With the importance of horses in the pre-industrial era, it was an advert for the local horse breeding community. See this big white chalk horse? You can have a fancy horse too! Come into the valley!

[@MattMesserPics]

Actually, that is precisely what some historians are thinking: That the people of Uffington hill-fort were horse breeders and wanted everybody pointed to them from afar.

[@Skorpychan]

@@MattMesserPics Makes perfect sense to me. It's horse country there, since the soil isn't very good for growing crops on the side of the valley. Thin soil means you grow grass, and if all you can grow is grass, you raise livestock on it. Sheep and cows to feed yourself, horses as a cash crop. There's a lot of arable stuff going on where it ISN'T vertical, though. My grandparents used to live near there (you could see the horse from their bedroom window if it was clear), and my granddad got paid to keep beehives in fields.

[@chrisaitken8800]

Has anyone noticed that the White Horse seems to be a vestigial outline of the same horse figurine stamped on Bronze Age Celtic coinage of approximately the same time peroid of its construction? I'd make an educated guess that if this was scanned with Lidar more of its features would become apparent. It would also appear the symbol of the house and indeed horses themselves held great significance to our ancient ancestors, both sprititualy and practically. It's almost as if it's the national and cultural emblem of Celtic Britain...?

[@MattMesserPics]

Yes, you can find similar shapes in several places, very interesting!!!

[@janebaker966]

Yes. I've noticed.

[@wiretamer5710]

I find it curious that there is no description of the living tradition of maintaining the horse. Unlike the druids of stone henge, here you have an unbroken neolithic tradition. Like the field systems of the ancient past, the process of maintaining the horse is an echo of past behaviour. What exactly is done? Who does it? with what tools? at what time of year? Who organises it? What has changed? What has not changed? So many questions.

[@MattMesserPics]

Exactly! The more you learn about it the more questions come up. Have a look at Tom Scott's video about the scouring of the White Horse kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWfOf4Vugs9jkKc - I also linked to it in the video.

[@janebaker966]

There is an excellent and very vivid description of "the Scouring" written by Thomas Hughes in his novel 'Tom Browns Schooldays' the first few chapters of which describe life in the village of Uffington. One day ever summer for hundreds of years was 'Scouring Day". I guess the villagers didnt know why they did it but their parents had,and their grandparents and their great grandparents and their children would etc...

[@barmalini]

The chalky soils are perfect for growing Chardonnay and, given the current warm trend of climate change, I expect these magnificent slopes to be entirely covered in vineyards within a decade or two.

[@MattMesserPics]

😅

[@yammo12]

very interesting

[@MattMesserPics]

Thanks!

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

It's such a beautiful part of the world. I would say that, I was born on the chalk, on The South Downs.

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

Not far from The Long Man.

[@MattMesserPics]

And weren't we hobby-antiquarians all a bit disappointed when it turned out that the Long Man is so recent. Question to you as a local: Could it be that the new 'brick-and-mortar' (for lack of a better word) structure was just a amateurish refurbishment of something much older? I'll have to do some reading. Perhaps there is a story here...

[@MattMesserPics]

It really is and I miss it very much.

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

@@MattMesserPics I spent far too much time away. My flat is near the finish line of Brighton Race Course, and faces South towards France.

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

@@MattMesserPics I've not kept up on The Long Man. I need to do a bit of reading. There are old flint mines just above it.

[@radicalcartoons2766]

Dragon hill, Silbury, "Silbaby" hill, Glastonbury tor, and many other similar smaller mounds all around the Levels. There's a very interesting theory by a guy on KZbin, knowing what we know about the whole region being wetlands after the ice age (lake villages etc). He thinks these are natural mounds caused by the welling up of Springs, when the whole surroundings were marsh/bogland. Then ancient people naturally gravitated towards these Springs on top of mounds, as defendable areas of high land. It would explain why they haven't found anything buried inside them. He compares them to mounds in other countries caused by the same process in muddy areas.

[@MattMesserPics]

That does sound a bit weird, I must confess. But anyway, thanks for the information - it all adds to the toolkit of interpreting what we see!

[@nodiggity9472]

Except you don't get springs on top of mounds. Of course Glastonbury Tor is a 'natural' mound, it's a bloody great spur of limestone. But there's no spring on top of it. And Silbury Hill is man-made.

[@Sunnycider1]

​@@nodiggity9472There's 2 springs at the bottom of the Tor at Glastonbury- the white and the red, but they are still on the higher ground than the levels surrounding Glastonbury

[@hArtyTruffle]

Any updates? Has the book been published yet?

[@MattMesserPics]

The book has indeed been published: "In the Shadow of Segsbury" by Paolo Guarino and Alistair J. Barclay, Cotswold archeology Monograph 16. It is a very thorough and professional archeological piece of work, as you might have expected, but the conclusions for our white horse here are not immediately obvious, perhaps also to be expected. I am still planning to make a bit of a walk-and-talk type of thing out of it with a few friends, but that's still in the planning.

[@hArtyTruffle]

@@MattMesserPics Thankyou :)

[@jaynewton5278]

4:59 minutes in the sheep is saying, and what are you looking at, we've been here a lot longer than you have whilst chewing the grass.😊

[@sarahgilbert8036]

My parents went to see the horse some 15 years ago.

[@MrScotthulme1]

To me its a wonderful piece of art that looks like a stylised horrse. But the more i look at it, the more i feel it was a beautiful attempt to draw a 3d representation of a horse on a 2d surface with possibly little reference of how to draw 3d to refere to.

[@MattMesserPics]

Thanks for that! And,yes, exactly as I said about the Cerne Giant: Those people knew much more about perspective than we generally give them credit for.

[@fredflintstoner596]

Mrs Richards: "I paid for a room with a view !" Basil: (pointing to the lovely view) "That is Torquay, Madam ." Mrs Richards: "It's not good enough!" Basil: "May I ask what you were expecting to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window ? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically past?..." Mrs Richards: "Don't be silly! I expect to be able to see the sea!" Basil: "You can see the sea, it's over there between the land and the sky." Mrs Richards: "I'm not satisfied. But I shall stay. But I expect a reduction." Basil: "Why?! Because Krakatoa's not erupting at the moment ?"

[@MattMesserPics]

This is one of my favourite film quotes of all time, at least on par with: "Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?". However, the mean masters of youtube don't let me read beyond the eruption of Krakatoa (a character limit?) so the point you were unquestionably making was sadly missed...

[@fredflintstoner596]

@@MattMesserPics ANYONE FOR TRIFLE ? THE DUCKS OFF !

[@philipcunningham4125]

Harry, England, and Saint George!

[@johnvanstone5336]

Great video, just subscribed

[@MattMesserPics]

Thank you and I hope you like the next ones!

[@Tom_Quixote]

I wonder how much the image of the horse has changed over thousands of years? If it has been re-traced every 20 years one would expect that its lines would slowly drift, a bit like a story that is told and re-told over and over...

[@MattMesserPics]

Apparently, it has changed very little in shape, but the lines themselves have become more 'upward looking' over the centuries. That's what archeology tells us.

[@fredadunne5382]

At one point, your shadow was following your walking pace slower than how fast you were walking. I’m going to guess it was the drone’s changing vantage point. I have never noticed that in videos.

[@MattMesserPics]

The detached shadow, no image in the mirror - It's been bothering me for the past 470 years. Inexplicable! No, you are right: It's the moving camera-man, i.e. the drone.

[@fredadunne5382]

@@MattMesserPics Thank you! I know I’ve seen the effect before, but when you were walking at about 7:40 into the video, there was just you and your shadow and all of a sudden I realized I had never paid attention before to that effect in other videos. Great video on the White Horse. Amazing to see such a variety of local cultures care for an ancient artifact for 3,000 years because they valued it. There may hope for humanity after all.

[@shamstudio1661]

i come here from cambridge ielts 16 test 2 reading passage 1 The White Horse of Uffington

[@perryedwards4746]

fascinating!!

[@MattMesserPics]

Thank you!

[@tedtimmis8135]

Great video. However, at minute 21:00, you suggest that the Anglo Saxons pushed out the Neolithic peoples. My understanding was that R1B/Yamnaya tribes pushed out or absorbed Neolithic farmers just after Stonehenge was built.

[@MattMesserPics]

Thanks for that! What we meant was that the Anglo Saxons pushed out the Romano-British (for lack of a better word) when they started arriving en masse in around the 6th century AD. After more studying, I would no longer make such a statement today. Yes, there certainly was some movement towards Wales and Cornwall, the pockets where until this day the old language survives, but it was more a process of inter mingling and assimilation.

[@tedtimmis8135]

@@MattMesserPics Every couple of years, more layers are added to the story with genetics and archaeology which makes it even more interesting.

[@tristanmills4948]

From what I've seen the current theory is that the Romano British were absorbed into the new Saxon culture, and not driven out (or killed). This is a rapidly evolving area though, with new DNA evidence to interpret, and it does seem odd that there seems to have been little influence from post-Roman British culture on the Saxons.

[@Mystic_Light]

The first reported case of advertising!

[@MattMesserPics]

You know what? You could be spot-on with that, as the Uffington Castle has been thought to have been the home of Bronze-Age horse dealers by some.

[@avicennitegh1377]

Has anyone noted the gait of the white horse? and is that significant in early times. It could be leaping, cantering but not as I see it, galloping because the back left leg seems to touch the "ground" whereas galloping, all four hooves would be off the ground.

[@kaibroeking9968]

Do you happen to know whether the book about the white horse has come out, yet? I checked, today, on the website of Cotswold archeology, and, sadly, I cannot find any mention of it.

[@MattMesserPics]

Yes, it was published back in October. I replied to two similar questions in this thread a while ago. I'll fish out my answers tomorrow morning...

[@kaibroeking9968]

@@MattMesserPics thank you. In this case, please excuse my laziness: I'll try to find the posts. Maybe, you could also add the answer to the video description.

[@MattMesserPics]

Yes, good point - will do, as it is indeed obviously of interest!

[@MattMesserPics]

@@kaibroeking9968 I've just added a few words to the description, hope that helps!

[@kaibroeking9968]

​@@MattMesserPics Thanks very much. By the way: the book does have a bit of an obscure title. Unfamiliar with the precise local names as I am, I would have never looked for that :)

[@thomasdykstra100]

When noting the continuous maintenance of the 'Horse' since its presumed origin, I thought of the Samaritans who, being cobbled together by the whims of Assyrian tyranny and forced to inhabit lands foreign to them all, begged their tyrants to send them someone acquainted with the deity/-ies of Israel's former occupants, for these new "tenants" were in fear of their lives because of the natural dangers--presumed by them to be the scourges of an angry god... Perhaps a good many of the earliest "custodians" of the 'Horse' were moved to its care for fear of palpable terrors that seemed both associated with its marvelous presence and "appeased" by its "proper" tending. Also, the "steps" of The Giant's Staircase resemble certain remnants of ice-age floods in the Scablands of the Pacific Northwest here in the States, which--by the actions of mega-flood turbulence--are believed to have formed large, sedimentary waveforms.

[@brendawilliams8062]

It may remain a mystery and I wish you well

[@alisonhaughton987]

Lovely video, however I do believe that Alfred was not the first King of England, his grandson Aethelstan was.

[@MattMesserPics]

Thanks for liking! And you are absolutely right, it was Aethelstan. If you go through all the comments (please don't!!), you'll find that I've admitted that blunder a few times. I really need to start a little list of erratae in the description - too lazy...

[@janebaker966]

Yes,in purely factual and political terms. But in a way Alfred was the first real King of a recognized England.

[@PaulSaether]

Wayland Smith? Am I reading that correctly? If so I strongly advise a graphic Novel called 'Fables'.

[@MattMesserPics]

Only just found out about it. Yes, he is definitely based on that mythical character.

[@neonwind]

According to R. Graves, it's more than likely a bull.

[@alunevans380]

"Some people speculate the Saxons completely replaced the ancient Britons, pushing them to into places such as Wales, Cornwall and Scotland, this is supported by the recorded changes in language, place names, cereal crops, and pottery that coincided with the Saxon invasion. However, a genetic study suggests while such cultural changes may have been imposed by those in power, everyday ancient Britons did not necessarily get displaced. The results show the German or Saxon-like ancestry of the homogenous area of England is only between 10 and 40 per cent, which suggests the invaders interbred with the locals.

[@MattMesserPics]

That's exactly what I read after getting many comments and it is what we would have expected anyway, just out of common sense, isn't it? So, I stand corrected!

[@alunevans380]

@@MattMesserPics 👍

[@jimbragg1954]

My GGreat Grandfathers Farm, and I have never been there, long walk from australia.

[@MattMesserPics]

You'd have to find some kind soul to row you over - Or even hop on an airplane. It's the same with me and Australia. I'd love to visit but the distance so far has always put me off.